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🌪️ Tornado Safety Guide

How to stay safe when tornadoes threaten your area.

Tornadoes can produce winds over 200 mph and destroy entire neighborhoods in minutes.

Warning Signs



Dark, often greenish sky
Large, dark, low-lying cloud
Loud roar, similar to a freight train
Large hail
Rotating, low-hanging clouds


During a Tornado



In a house: Go to the basement or an interior room on the lowest floor (closet, bathroom)
Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls
Get under something sturdy and protect your head
In a vehicle: Do not try to outrun a tornado. Get to a sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch
Outdoors: Lie flat in a nearby ditch and cover your head


Tornado Preparedness



Identify a safe room in your home
Have a weather radio with battery backup
Practice tornado drills with your family
Know the difference: Tornado WATCH means conditions are favorable. Tornado WARNING means a tornado has been spotted or indicated by radar.


Key Resources



Storm Prediction Center: spc.noaa.gov
Weather Alerts: weather.gov
FEMA Tornado Safety: ready.gov/tornadoes