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Threats & Emergencies  

Tornadoes

Tornado Home • Tornado Basics • Preparing for Tornadoes • Responding to Tornadoes

Preparing for Tornadoes

Prepare a Home Tornado Plan

Develop a safety plan for you and your family for home, work, school and when outdoors. Make sure you practice the plan. Review the plan on days when severe weather is forecast for your area.

• Pick a place where family members could gather if a tornado is headed your way. It could be your basement or, if there is no basement, a center hallway, bathroom or closet on the lowest floor. Keep this place uncluttered.
• If you are in a high-rise building, you may not have enough time to go to the lowest floor. Pick a place in a hallway in the center of the building.
• Assemble a Tornado Safety Kit containing:
  • First aid kit and essential medications
  • Battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries
  • Canned food and manual can opener
  • Bottled water
  • Sturdy shoes and work gloves
• Also include in the kit written instructions on how to turn off your home's utilities.
• Have a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm tone and battery backup to receive updated forecasts and critical information such as watches and warnings.
• Keep a Virginia map handy to help you follow the movement of threatening storms from weather bulletins.