Natural Disaster Preparedness – Tornado

Have you given any thought as to where you and your family would go in the case of a tornado? What about Grandma who is on bed rest, where would she go if a tornado approached? Here is how our family can prepare for the storm.

Being from the Heart of Tornado Alley, it might come as a shock to you to know that my family, like so many others, has not always been prepared for tornadoes. Not until a recent storm got too close for comfort and left us with damage to our home’s roof and siding. Most people are aware of getting to the lowest most center point of your home and covering your head in the event of a tornado, and if you live in a mobile home get out, but as my experience as a 911 dispatcher has shown me, in the moment of need most people freeze. That is why at least once a month during Tornado Season, my family and I practice our tornado drill. We all practice getting into the center most part of our home, which is the hallway connecting all the bedrooms and my husband pulls a mattress on top of us. Along with this, I have what I call the “Black Box,” which is full of all of our personal documents, such as insurance papers and birth certificates, that I grab each and every time. This works for our family.

Keep in mind if you have a disabled family member, to make sure their room is as close to the center of the home as possible, that way if a storm comes up quick in the middle of the night, they are in a safer place. As my grandfather once takes his hearing aids out, doesn’t hear storms at night. His life was spared from using this same method, sleeping in the room most center to the house away from windows. You can never be too prepared. Also, purchasing a weather radio for your family is one of the best investments you can make. It works on batteries, unlike your TV, to give you the most up to date information. Remember in the event of a tornado, cell phone towers are likely to be hit, so a weather radio is the best investment.

Another important stuff to have is food and water for a few days till help arrived. We usually have stockpiled some MRE meals, such as one from XMRE or Eversafe MREs, and Aqua Literz water commonly used by safeguard all over the country.

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