Tornados

Disaster Plans

Lyle said:

For the people who live in areas of frequent tornados, what is your plan when you know they are coming?

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Why wait until you know they are coming? HOW do you know they are coming? Do you have three ways to get weather warnings?

Weather Radio
TV and Radio
cellphone or pager

Can you get warnings other ways?

Then, after you know, NOW is the time to make the plan. That is the purpose of the original question, from Lyle:

Shelter inside, lowest level, interior room.
Build a safe room or UNDERGROUND storm cellar

Do you need 72-hours supplies in your safe room? Sure do! What happens when you come out of the cellar and nothing's left? Where's your next meal?

Outside? Do NOT try to outrun the tornado. Exit the car. Go to a low place. Put YOU between the tornado and the car. In other words, get in the ditch.

Communications? Who do you need to call to tell them you are Safe and Well? How will you call them? Amateur Radio is a good tool.

Are You Ready? or 800-BE-READY.

The site will give you a FREE book to help you with planning.

After you get the plan, build a kit to support the plan.

Don't forget to practice the plan.

THEN, help your neighbors and relatives BE READY!

Taking Shelter from the Storm

lisat said:

I found a pefect place to build a storm cellar in our back yard. It looks like this area where our house and yard is, was dug out of the side of the hill/mountain. I wonder if we could dig into it? Does anyone have any experience doing this? The sloping cliff is about 40 feet tall. Can you do this without heavy equipment? How do you shore the sides and top so it doesn't cave in? How big do you make one per person?
Would love to make this a storm/root cellar.

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Thank you for this question!

I would not recommend digging into the side of a hill without heavy equipment. The questions you ask tend to make me think you lack construction experience.

Given that the slope is 40-feet tall, I am left assuming that it is more than 40 feet wide. Building your safe room into the side of the hill might be a good idea, if you can safely do it.

An alternative is to build an underground shelter, just outside your door. This would be safer in that, for short notice warnings, you don't have so far to run to get to it.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a good publication called Taking Shelter from the Storm. This document helps one plan for safe room construction.

Check your local emergency management office. There may be a grant available to help pay for construction. I know, in Oklahoma, there was a Statewide effort years ago to assist Citizens with the cost of constructing their saferooms. Any shelters paid with your tax dollars would have to meet the FEMA standards. That's another reason for downloading the document.

Thanks again for this question.