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Wild Weather Around the World

Toughing out a tornado

Driving all the way from northern Florida through southern Georgia we had heard warnings from the National Weather Service on the radio cautioning us about the threat of severe weather.

I was driving to Atlanta with my boyfriend on a late Friday evening a couple weeks ago. We were approaching the city at just about the same time as a line of severe thunderstorms with a history of tornadic activity.

My boyfriend started to slow down when the visibility diminished because of the pelting rain. As the wind blew and the thunder cracked I asked him if he knew what to do if a tornado happened right now. Without pausing, he confidently declared “I’d outrun it.”

This is a common and often fatal misconception about tornadoes, which got me thinking about how many people don’t know what to do in a tornado.

While awareness and preparation are key, here are some tips from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about what to do if a tornado is in your immediate vicinity:

1. If you’re in a structure go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Do not open windows. This does not “equalize the pressure” but can rather cause additional damage to the house and prevent you from reaching shelter.

2. If you’re in a vehicle, trailer, or mobile home get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.

3. If you’re outside with no shelter lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location. Be aware of the potential for flooding.

4. Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.

5. Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.

Another misconception is that you’ll be safe from a tornado if you’re in a city. This is untrue. A tornado can happen anywhere. Speaking of Atlanta, you’ll recall that on March 14-15, 2008, a series of tornadoes including a tornado rated an EF2 out of EF5 on the Enhance Fujita Scale hit the metropolitan Atlanta area, killing two and injuring 30 more.

It is foolish to think that you don’t have to worry about a tornado in a city just as it is unwise to attempt to outrun a tornado. People need to learn more about tornadoes so that they know to do the right thing when the time comes. To learn more about tornadoes and tornado safety visit the weather channel’s tornado information page.