Tornado - Where Would You Hide

There were tornados up in Northern CA yesterday (Chico area). There are little twisters and funnel clouds but one destroyed an almond orchard and someones property. Small potatoes I know, but goes to show you it's a concern this year and we all should probably know what to do. So those of you who know, what should we do? I imagine it may be different than if an Earthquake hits which we've been trained for...

The whole house does not crumble around you it is taken away. You may have parts of your neighbors house deposited where yours used to be but not your own. Most of the time you have the subfloor and the stairs left, nothing more. Well except for one random room where everything is exactly where it was before the tornado hit.

Tornados are strange things, sometimes you wonder if they can think.

In any situation you have to consider if your home was a doll house, and someone came with a big vacuum and started sucking it up, what would be the last bit standing. You want to be there.

For most that would be the basement in the part most underground. People always think bath tub without considering where the bathtub is located. Exterior wall, forgetaboutit! by a window even worse.

In my house it is the basement under the kitchen since that is the most underground part of my basement and has walls between there and my walkout.

Oh I know it sounds counterintuitive but tornados suck they don't blow, well at least the center bit, okay so they suck and blow.

I lived not far away from Joplin for 28 years. So let M. tell you what experience has taught M..

Your basement is by far the safest place to be. I know that from the pics it looks like the house just falls on top of you, but really everything gets pulled apart and thrown around. The chances of you being buried in the basement are a lot less that you being injured in a higher level.

Pack an emergency kit. When I was little we had an old mattress and blankets in the basement. We also had a jug of water, and a shelf that had some food items. She also was afraid of being buried so she stuck a whistle in it. When I got older I learned how to whistle louder that than toy one could possibly dream, so I became a back up. ;)

The best possible thing you can do is keep a calm mind and a have a great emergency plan.

I think I would hide somewhere not near the midwestern states that are affected. I'd be calling relatives asking "um, cant we rent a room for a month or two?" :)
We actually had a small tornado touch down in northern California yesterday afternoon that did some damage. Pretty freaky for our neck of the woods where we are definitely not set up for tornado survival.

We go to our basement, but my husband's Aunt doesn't have a basement and they put in an underground storm shelter. Iit is made of fiberglass and buried in the ground. It reminds M. of the inside of the bow of a boat. It is basically a white fiberglass room with benches built in. From the outside it looks like a cellar door, then you open and go down the steps into it. I would be too claustraphobic, but they seem to feel safe in it

i wouldn't drive to a big store like walmart, i saw on the news a walmart that the only part remaining standing was the front wall. i would get in an interior enclosed hallway or closet/bathroom. as long as it doesn't have outside walls. also a great response i saw to a question before was to put a helmet on your kid. get a mattress or something to put on top of you.

Great question! Call your local authorities (obviously the non-emergency line) and ask to talk to someone about preparing for an emergency that applies to your area of the counry. Maybe your local red cross office or the fire department. They will be happy to answer questions b/c they want everyone to be prepared and safe.

For Houston, they tell us to go to an interior room w/no windows on the first floor. But you are right! I always wonder will we be okay if the house falls down on top of us. I don't see how the bathtub can help, unless you turn it over on yourself which is pretty impossible for most of us.

I am originally from Oklahoma and have spent my entire life around tornadoes.

In your home, the safest place to be is a cellar or storm shelter. As scary as it may be to think about the possibility of being trapped down there, it is much LESS scary than the possibility of losing your son. Keep some emergency food/water down there as a "just in case."

If you don't have access to or absolutely can't use a cellar/storm shelter, the safest place is a central location (as central as humanly possible) on the ground level with no windows. Most people use a closet in their home. Cover yourselves with something. We always just used a blanket, but a mattress provides some rigidity so that if something were to fall on top of you, it would be much less likely to knock you unconscious.

City storm shelters are generally located in public areas (sometimes a public school basement will be designated as one). You should be able to contact someone at your city government who can let you know if there are any shelters available. HOWEVER, unless that shelter is VERY close to your home, it could be more dangerous to try to make it there than it would be to stay put. Being on the road with a tornado is not a safe bet.

Malls/large stores are not necessarily going to be any safer. It's a bigger building, but all that really boils down to is being a bigger target, plus you're going to have shelves, windows and lots of other hazards, even if you're in the "storage" areas.

Hope this info is helpful, albeit maybe not what you were hoping to hear.

We have no basement or any underground area.
My husbands walk in closet or the laundry room are the safest places in our house.
They are not on an outside wall to the house (my closet is) and they have no windows/glass/mirrors in them.
They are big enough to fit all 3 of us.
My son's bathroom isn't bad but the mirror in it might shatter (it has no windows).

The LAST thing you need to do is get in the car and try to drive to safety. Tornado shelters are underground and mostly in the midwest and southern states where tornadoes are likely.

NO, large big box stores and malls are not safe.

We have a very large pantry that is the farthest from the side of the house that would be hit first and in the inner most part of our home. We would go there.

We are down lower on our lot than most of the homes in our neighborhood. When the storms came through about 4 yrs ago, we did have a lot of damage to some trees but not to our home vs several people had parts of the fence blown away,roof, etc.

I know it is very scary right now but try to remain calm and think things through logically to make your plan. Best wishes to you.

If you cannot find a safe place in your house, this might be a good time to get to know your neighbors with stronger shelters. Make arrangements now, so your kids and family know where to look for you.

We live in an earth sheltered house. 2ft of concrete encased in 4ft of dirt and that is just on the roof, so we are not going anywhere. The front of the house is all windows, so the kids and I head to the back room and we can barely even hear the wind. We are basically the neighborhood storm shelter and that is fine with us.

My daycare license specialist laughed because my policy book has to list my emergency procedures and mine basically says call the parents and tell them to come on over to be safe with us = )

being from tornado alley a lower hallway if you have not bath tub on the lower level. the half bath would be ok to even without a tub. if you have a space under your stairs that would be good too. a tornado shelter is one of two things. a concrete room built underground that has a very heavy steel door to them. I think its about $2500 for one.or a safe room built in the middle of your house that is all concrete. if you hve a warning stay out of the malls and wal mart because walmart or target is tin just like a trailer.

The mall wouldn't be as safe cause the area is not as confined the more confined the better off you are. NOw in oklahoma all churches and schools have a built in basement for this reason. the school basements are all concrete. They used to open them up in the small town I lived in for that reason. They did quit doing it.Their theory was it was more dangerous to drive 2 blocks than to stay in the house. I disagree I think it just releases them from liability. Houses are generally wood and schools and churches are generally brick. if your house is brick stay put.find the most enclosed area you can and that is the safest place if you don't have a basement or shelter. And you will get used to the tornado warnings. watch your tv and listen to your radio to find out where it really is. If it was north of M. on the north side of my town I wouldn't even go to the shelter. if it was south west of M. I would watch it real close. Most tornado warning are generally funnel clouds that never go full blown tornado.

Does your townhouse have a community center with basement? When I lived in Kansas, I lived in a townhouse which had a basement and was designated our 'shelter'. Our local university was also designated the shelter for the surrounding student and community housing - reinforced cinderblock building with a pretty sturdy basement. And get a weather radio.

Its all really scarey. I've been through horrible hurricanes and it the sound of the freight train is something else. Also the pitch black afterwards is also. If I had a basement I'd go in a basement. If I had to live in an area where there were a bunch of tornadoes I'd have build those little rooms in the basement that are cement blocked with no windows. I dont have a basement now so I'd go into the interier bathroom that has not windows and is not an exterior wall. I thought it was very interesting the one who said they suck not blow. That kinda makes sense when everyone things about the wind destroying it. Its really getting sucked up isnt it?

You can stay in the bathroom but have to cover the window with tape. If the window breaks the flying glass can cause serious injury. If you have an interior hallway with no windows that is a better idea. If you can hide under a strudy piece of furniture, to protect you from falling and flying objects. Pack a tote or backpack with a flashlight, radio+batteries, a blanket, or two, pillows non perishable food and water, a large piece of plastic, tarp or large plastic table cloth. You might also want a whistle or air horn to blow incase you are buried in debris. Also grab your phone, hopefully the lines will still be up and/or you will have cell service.
Old school thought was... hiding in the bathtub is the safest place but if you are in an apartment building the bathrooms are usually stacked one on top of the other. If there is serious damage to the building the bathtub from the upper floor could fall and land on top of you and your kids.

We live in a trailer so no where for us to go. We just pray we don't have a tornado any time soon.

Our basement has been our hang out place due to the bad weather lately. I hate it! My husband feels that is the safest place. I am not sure we would have time to make it to someplace else.

Center of the house and even better would be if your stairway is in the center of the house and hid under the stairs. Bathtubs are really not that safe. we were actually just in Mn staying at a hotel in Golden Valley go figure during the tornados (grew up in MN) Luckily we were at MOA during the worst part, LOL I remember driving down 35E and hearing the sirens! Felt pretty safe at MOA, Now malls not a bad idea or target or something but keep in mind that hospital that got destroyed in Joplin so not a guaranteed safe place :( Fortunately where we are now we have a basement, and the center of our basement in the underneath of the stairs. At our old place a townhown (duplex) no basement we went to the underneeth of the stairs as it was in the center (or close to ) of the house. We would go with fully clothing, sleeping bags, and flashlights.

Well they say if you have no where else to go that the safest place to go in your house would be the most inner most room w/o windows. Like a closet that is in the middle of the home. At least that's what I've heard. I live in an area that is called tornado alley. Haven't experienced one on us yet and I hope we never do. Although we did have one touch down not too far from where I am about 3 weeks ago. I do know that the sales of storm shelters have sky rocketed here in Texas. If we could afford one, I'm sure we would be getting one. It's shelter type thing that is put in the ground outside. The only thing you see would be the top of it which is made of concrete and a heavy door for you to get in. Sort of like a cellar but there is not a house on top of it. I too had thought the bathtub would be a safe place but I guess not. If you have nothing else, try the most inner most closet to hide if needed.

Well yesterday when our tornado sirens went off, I put my baby her carseat, put shoes on my son and myself, got thick blankets, went to the basement and got on a couch in the corner of the basement. I was planning on covering the children with myself and then blankets. It was a blast. :( Dont forget your cell phone to call for help when you get stuck. Text messages usually go through even if your phone doesnt have a good signal if you cannot call.

If you dont have a basement go to the center of your house, a closet or door way. Far away from exterior walls.

We purchased a weather radio, which we programmed for only our area. It gives us a "watch"/yellow alert, a "warning"/red alert and by then we have the TV on with the latest news. We go to our cinder block (brick/concrete) basement and hang out with the TV, the radio, a sleeping bag or two and extra pillows & blankets. We make sure we have a flashlight & batteries plus candles & matches. The innermost areas of the house are the safest, so we chose to be under the "I-beams" of the house, rather than under a stairway or in a bathroom. We have tables to go under if necessary, or a puzzle to work on top of the table if the power stays on. We have seen terrible tornadoes when we were children, so we want safety to be our family's priority. It has helped our kids as well as others, because they are the calm ones when storms are headed their way - 10 yrs ago F5 tornadoes, last year Hurricane Ike, this year major winds knocked down huge trees and power lines. Bottom line - plan, follow through each & every time (even in the middle of the night - set a cell phone alarm for morning) so it is an automatic and prompt response. It works....and has given us some nice family time too!

The only safe place to be in the event of a tornado is below the ground. In a heavy duty building like the court house or a city building, a public school that has a basement, a hospital, any building that has multiple levels and many, many sturdy walls. If a tornado hits it dead on the multiple walls will protect you, in heavy duty buildings they have a lot of steel and concrete that is between you and the storm.

A basement is good too. I live in a mobile home and must seek shelter outside of my home in the even to f high winds so I have several plans, plan A is to get to the nearest hospital and go to their basement to wait it out. Many many people in my town go there so they have rooms with lights and often a TV is playing the weather channel. Think about it, they have to have an alternative source of power for life saving machines, they will get the first attention if they get hit, etc...a hospital is the safest place to go, if it is large and heavy duty.

a building like walmart or the mall offer no protection whatsoever. They have large roofs that can be blown off and that will leave you and every one else at risk, plus every item in the store will become a projectile and you know it will aim straight for you...lol.

My second plan is to go to the kids school. They have a basement and a subbasement that is below ground level. They have someone that is supposed to go unlock the building if the sirens blow but I have yet to find out if they succeed in getting there in time since I go to a business that is always open.

You may find that many buildings won't let you in if the sirens sound due to their fear of being sued for not protecting the people sheltered inside.

So, make a plan, make a backup plan, be prepared.
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A bathtub is not a safe place to be. To be frank, the weather men have said that for years but as the recent outcomes of this action have taught us, people who seek shelter in their bathtub die, they get blown out and they are found miles and miles away dead. Get below ground or in a heavy thick concrete and steel building.

If you don't have a basement and you can get to a close by school or area that is set up for emergancies like that, go there. Ours is the courthouse basement in our small town. Call city hall and ask them where to go. If you can't get out of your house then go to a room where it is in the center and no windows. Cover yourself with a matteress, even the crib mattress to keep from having debry falling on you. If you can get under something sturdy like a heavy desk it might give added protection.

You have gotten a lot of great answers. I grew up in and currently live in Minnesota and we always have tornado awareness week in April/Early May. There is lots of great info on the news and in newspapers during that week. Also, schools practice their tornado drills during that week.

MN has a great emergency preparedness website that is helpful for ANY kind of emergency but it does have instructions and plans for weather related emergencies. codeready.com Check it out - there is a lot of great stuff there!

I wonder if you contacted whoever built your neighborhood full of town homes, and ask them if there was an area in the homes which is the safest structurally for shelter in a tornado, maybe they would be able to tell you?

these are all good questions but you should probably ask someone on your city council to figure out the answers to some of them. ask if there are any storm shelters in your town/area, then you figure out where they are and if its practical to even worry about them when you are at home. its good to know where they are if you are in town or something. usually bathrooms are safe locations in malls or something.

never try to outrun a tornado in a car. unless you live across the street, you shouldnt try to go anywhere when there is a tornado warning posted. the joplin sirens werent going off when a storm chaser got to the town. it was minutes between the sirens and the tornado hitting. you dont have time to pack yourself in a car and a baby and get anywhere.

ask your city council if they have storm preparedness information or even classes.
do a google search for safe places during a tornado.

i wouldnt worry as much about how you would get out of a basement. you would at least be alive right? blankets/matresses to cover yourself would be a good idea because from what i understand most tornado deaths are due to debris.

you arent in a trailer house, you are probably safe in your home. an interior room or a room without windows is a good idea. under sturdy furniture.

are you a praying person? pray. if you know that storms are going to be in your area, maybe its a good day to hang out at a local mall or storm shelter to begin with. or even your church.
relax. tornados in MN arent always as huge as the joplin one was, and usually many people and areas are spared any damage except minor damage. you will be ok. the wrong thing to do is panic because it doesnt let you think things through. fear isnt a healthy feeling.
if you feel like you cant control your feelings of fear, that is ok. talk to your doctor. you could have an anxiety issue that perhaps you should talk to a doctor about. i dont always encourage medication per say, but maybe seeing a counselor is a possibility. again see your church if you attend for any counseling available through there. :)

You've had some good general advice, but here's what the experts say:

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/tornado/to_during.shtm

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html

http://climate.ok.gov/tornadosafety/homeandschool/default...

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~atmos/tornado_safety_rules...

Their advice is pretty consistent. Make a specific plan for yourself and your son, so in case of an emergency, you will know exactly what you want to do, and you will have any materials (flashlight, water, blankets, etc) in place and ready.

And just to keep things in perspective, you are statistically much more likely to get into a car accident on your way to the grocery store or work than you are to ever see a tornado. It's easy to let rare and tragic events drive us to fear and anxiety - make a plan for the rare emergency, but every day, drive carefully.

I've always been told if you don't have a basement to go to the furthest inside room/area in your house. Being near windows is the most dangerous because of the way things fly around and the glass can shatter.