In mere seconds, a tornado can transform your life forever. During the tornado itself, you will be too busy taking the fast action needed to save your life. Afterwards, when you emerge to see how badly the tornado has ripped up the pieces of your life, is when the going gets really hard. It’s never good, but knowing what to expect after a tornado hits can make things a little easier.
Immediately after the tornado
Remain calm, no matter what you see or how you feel. This will help you, your children, and anyone in your vicinity to deal with the situation as well as possible.
If the damage is severe, you will probably go into emotional shock. In these conditions, this is perfectly normal. Resist the urge to do something for the sake of doing it. This is how many post-tornado accidents happen. Previous tornado drills may help a little with staying focused.
First response
If you are in a city neighborhood, emergency teams are probably already on their way. Call 911 anyway and let them know your situation. They may not know that your particular area has been affected.
If you are trapped in rubble, try not to panic. Do everything you can to get someone’s attention. Shout out at regular intervals, but not non-stop, because you will lose your voice fast. Blow a whistle if you have one, or shine a flashlight at night.
Account for loved ones
If you were not all together in shelter during the storm, have each family member check in at your prearranged gather spot. Don’t rely on cell phones. Reception is often poor during thunderstorms, and cell phone networks can go down if damage is extensive.
Keep your children and any elderly or handicapped persons together. Put your documentation pouch (see below) in the hands of one of your children who is old enough to understand, and tell him to take special care of it. If you know your neighbors well enough, choose one person among yourselves to keep watch over all the children of the neighborhood, while the rest of you deal with the damage.
Assess any injuries. The most important thing is to use CPR if someone is not breathing. Splinters and minor cuts can be dealt with through standard first aid, but come last in order of importance. Stablize any serious injuries until the emergency medical teams arrive. Move a seriously injured person only if they are in immediate danger.
If you have pets which rode out the tornado with you, place them on a leash or in a carrier. The last thing you want is for your beloved cat to bolt at this point.
Safety issues
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of all tornado-related injuries occur after the tornado has left, during the rescue and clean-up. Things have been torn apart, and other things are barely holding on and can fall if a support is moved. Nearly 1/3 of all those injuries result from stepping on nails. Other common safety hazards are broken glass and live wires.
Stay away from downed electrical wires and from any water which is in contact with those wires. If there are signs of gas leaks or sparking, turn off the electricity and natural gas. Do not use open flames in any place where there is a smell of propane or natural gas.
Even if it gets cold and the utilities are off, do not use any burning device inside an enclosed area without proper ventilation. Carbon monoxide can build up without warning and cause sudden illness or even death. A feeling of dizziness or nausea could indicate a carbon monoxide leak from a damaged furnace.
Monitor your battery-operated radio for emergency information, and also for updated weather alerts. Be ready to find shelter fast if a second tornado or other severe storm is on its way.
Emergency management
After a strong tornado or series of tornadoes, emergency management personnel and other emergency responders may enter the area. Follow their instructions.
If there is extreme damage, you may be required to evacuate. Take your 72-hour kit with you.
If you are mostly on your own, bring out your emergency supply of clean water and food and establish a temporary shelter. Wait for the local utility companies to check electrical, gas, and water connections before turning these on again and relying on them. Do not attempt to make major decisions until you can make them rationally.
Insurance claims
Most large insurance providers will react quickly to weather disasters. If your insurance provider has not already sent out an assessor, call the company as soon as possible and tell them that you will be making a claim. You should have the policy number handy in the document pouch.
If the insurance assessor comes after some of the damage has already been repaired, the company will want proof. Take pictures of all damaged property, as many as you can, before repairs are started.
Recovery
Even in a minor tornado, the damage can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, you will probably soon get a lot of assistance with cleaning up and repairs. First responders, such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, will deal with medical emergencies and immediate food and shelter needs. City emergency teams and local utility companies will work on search and rescue and try to limit any further damage. State and federal agencies will work on medium-term emergency solutions until repairs are possible.
If emergency teams are working on clearing damaged areas and searching for survivors, volunteer to give assistance. However, don’t help until you have been cleared by the team leader. They know what they are doing. If you don’t, you will just get in the way and make it harder for them.
Finally, you will need to find a good contractor to make all the repairs, or, in the worst case, to remove the rubble and rebuild. Use the resources available through FEMA or your insurance provider, if necessary.
Finding any personal items after a disaster such as this can provide a sense of closure. To try to recover personal items before they are dumped, wear heavy gloves and steel-sole boots, and use care in sifting through the rubble. Involve everyone in your family who is old enough to wear appopriate safety gear and be careful.
Anxiety issues and storm phobias may arise later, sometimes even months after the house has been rebuilt. Don’t try to bottle these feelings up. Talk them out with your family, who may also be feeling them. If talking alone is not helping, find a good counselor who is experienced in post-disaster trauma.
Plan ahead
There is no easy way to deal with the aftermath of a tornado. However, planning ahead can reduce the chance of further injury and ease some of the emotional stress, both for you and for your family. Children who know what to do during and after a tornado are much less likely to panic at the time. Having a clear plan in place which worked as intended won’t eliminate post-tornado anxiety, but it may reduce it considerably.
Have a disaster plan in place long before tornadoes hit, and make sure everyone in the family knows it. Drill regularly.
All important documents should be kept together in a waterproof file or pouch, so that they are easy to grab along with the purse or wallet in case of a tornado emergency. At a minimum, these documents should include photo identification, the house deed, a list of credit card numbers and their associated telephone number, and any insurance documents. Keep a cheap digital camera in the same pouch.
In case all of the family was not together during the tornado, each person should check in afterwards according to the plan. Have a back-up plan ready, in case the cell phone network goes down.
