- Be weather-ready. Check your forecast regularly to see if you're at risk for tornadoes. Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio or local news for the latest information. Look for approaching storms and keep an eye on weather conditions.
- Be notified. Know how you will be warned if a tornado is in your area. Some communities have outdoor sirens, but they cannot always be heard indoors. Make sure your smartphone is enabled to receive wireless emergency alerts (WEAs). Download a local news app that will send weather push notifications to your smartphone. Stay tuned to local news on social media and have a NOAA Weather Radio to receive alerts.
- Know your safe spot. Pick a safe room in your home, such as a basement, storm cellar, or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. If you live in a mobile home or home without a basement, identify a nearby safe building you can get to quickly such as a community storm shelter, church, or a neighbor or family member's home. Never stay in a mobile home. Don't forget your pets.
- Practice. Develop a plan and have periodic tornado drills so everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching, including your pets in these drills.
- Do a household inventory. Take photos and videos of all major household items and valuables. Retain these in a safe place because they are important when filing insurance claims.
- Secure objects. Move or secure lawn furniture, trash cans, hanging plants, or any other objects that can be picked up by the wind and become a projectile. Remove damaged or diseased limbs from trees. Install mobile homes using ground anchors and tie-downs in accordance with Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.40(1)(q) and US CFR § 3285.402.
Tornadoes
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying well made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects in the air like deadly missiles.
Have you ever wondered what happens when a tornado strikes a building? According to researchers, the following are the principal effects of peak tornado winds:
- Exterior walls and windows facing approaching tornadoes are often pushed inward onto interior rooms. This makes rooms with exterior walls the most dangerous places to be during a storm.
- Flying debris such as broken glass, wood splinters, or metals propelled by the powerful wind of the tornado have a devastating effect on people or objects in their path.
- Top portions of buildings such as chimneys and roofs can collapse into lower parts of buildings. This can cause severe damage and even death to people struck by these objects.
TERMS USED DURING A TORNADO
Tornado Watch
Tornadoes are possible. Watch the sky and stay tuned to a NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for information. Watch for alerts on your smartphone and check social media for information from trusted sources.
Tornado Warning
A tornado has been spotted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter immediately. A warning can cover parts of counties or several counties in the path of danger.
