What Should You Do If a Tornado Warning Is Issued While You Are at Home?

A tornado warning is different from a watch. A watch means conditions are favorable. A warning means a tornado has been indicated by radar or reported by spotters, and you need to take cover now. Do not go outside to look, and do not wait for the sirens to stop.

What to do first

1. Move to your safe room immediately. The safest place is a basement or storm cellar. If you have no basement, choose a small, windowless interior room on the lowest floor, such as a bathroom, closet, interior hallway or under a stairwell.
2. Get low and cover up. Crouch as low as you can, facing down. Cover your head and neck with your arms. If possible, get under a sturdy table or workbench and cover yourself with a blanket, sleeping bag, mattress or heavy coat.
3. Put on sturdy shoes and, if handy, a helmet. Many tornado injuries happen from flying debris and broken glass after the storm passes.
4. Keep your phone and a battery-powered weather radio with you. Do not rely on electricity. If the power goes out, a battery radio or phone alerts may be your only warning source.
5. Stay put until the warning expires or officials give the all-clear. Tornadoes can change direction and a second storm may follow.

If you live in a mobile or manufactured home

Mobile homes are not safe in a tornado, even if they are tied down. Leave immediately and go to a nearby sturdy building, a designated community shelter or a ditch as a last resort. Do not stay inside.

What NOT to do

• Do not open windows. This is a myth and wastes time you need for sheltering.
• Do not go outside to watch or film the storm.
• Do not shelter in a room with windows, glass doors or skylights.
• Do not take cover under a highway overpass if you are caught outside; it can channel debris and make things worse.
• Do not leave your safe room just because the wind seems to calm. The quiet may be the eye of the storm.

When to call for help

Call local emergency services only if someone is injured, trapped or in immediate danger. If you smell gas, see downed power lines or have structural damage, evacuate carefully and call from a safe location. Do not enter damaged buildings until officials say it is safe.

What to monitor

• Local National Weather Service warnings and your county emergency alerts.
• Battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio for updates if power and cell service fail.
• Signs of a tornado: a dark, rotating wall cloud, a loud roar like a freight train, or debris falling from the sky.

How to prepare before the next warning

• Identify your safe room now and practice reaching it in under a minute.
• Keep a tornado kit in or near that room: water, flashlight, batteries, weather radio, first-aid supplies, sturdy shoes, helmets and a whistle.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts and keep your phone charged during storm season.
• Trim trees and secure loose outdoor items that can become projectiles.

Acting fast in the right room saves lives. The moment a warning is issued, go to your safe place, get low, cover your head and stay there until the threat has passed.

This is general safety information, not a substitute for professional emergency guidance. In a life-threatening emergency, call your local emergency services immediately.