Tornados may be considered as the most violent storms that can cause havoc to the affected areas. It can cause fatalities and devastation in seconds, striking with little or no warning at all.
Though most tornados are visible, clouds or rain can obscure it at times. The wind may die down and the air may become still before a tornado. It generally occurs near the edge of a thunderstorm.
Before a tornado hits your place, you can adopt the following measures to prevent tornado damage:
- If you have been warned of a tornado coming, stay alert to the changing weather conditions. Listen to the news and gather information about it. This will help a lot to prevent tornado damage.
- Observe your environment and stay alert for approaching storms.
- There are certain signs or warning signs that you can observe in nature before a tornado. Watch out for such signs like dark or greenish sky, rotating or large, dark, low-lying cloud, large hail, loud roar which is similar to a freight train. If you see any of these signs, move quickly and take shelter in a safe place. Understandings the signs of the impending danger and taking shelter in a safe place are the best ways to prevent tornado damage.
If the tornado strikes on your place, you must take shelter immediately in a safe place to prevent tornado damage. The following are the steps to be taken depending on the place where you are at the time of a tornado:
- If you are inside a building, go to a safe room, storm cellar, basement or lowest level of the building. If you cannot go to the basement, then go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level of the building. You should stay away from windows, doors, outside walls and corners. The center of a room is the best shelter during a tornado.
- Again, if you are inside a building, try to put up as many walls as possible between you and the outside walls of a building. Also, take shelter under strong and sturdy tables. Use your arms to protect your head and neck. You should never leave any windows open during a tornado.
- If you are inside a vehicle, trailer or mobile structure during a tornado, the best way to prevent tornado damage is to quickly move to a nearby building, storm shelter or a low level floor. Mobile structures offer little protection during a tornado.
- If you are outdoors with no shelter, then you should lie down in a nearby ditch or a depression. Cover your head with your hands to protect it from dangers. Floods can accompany tornados, so you should be very careful while taking shelters outside.
- You will be safer if you take shelter in a low or flat area than in a raised area, but avoid taking shelter under an overpass or a bridge.
- During a tornado, you should watch out for flying debris. It is the flying debris that causes more injuries and fatalities during a tornado.
- If you are in urban or congested areas, you should not try to get away in a vehicle. Instead leave the vehicle and take shelter in the lowest floor of a building.
You can consider building a safe room to prevent tornado damage. After a tornado, you should observe each and every nook and corner for all possible dangers and start the restoration process immediately to get back to normal living.
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