Return to June 97
by Airman Jennifer Gregoire
AIA/PA
Kelly Air Force Base, Texas
Tornadoes and floods can occur at anytime all over the world. Survival means remaining calm. Needless injuries and deaths can occur when individuals act without thinking.
Tornadoes are the most violent of all weather-related phenomena with whirling winds up to 300 miles per hour in the center.
This rotating, funnel-shaped cloud is gray-to-black in color, extending toward the ground from the base of a thundercloud.
In some cases, tornadoes can fly over an area without ever touching the ground, but when they do they can destroy everything in their paths. They generally develop from thunderstorms and sometimes as a result of hurricanes.
In the United States, they occur in all 50 states but are more frequent in the Midwest and Southeast. Normal tornado season extends from March to August, but can develop at any time year-round.
To protect yourself, you should understand the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning.
A watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes in your area and you should listen to local radio or television stations for more information.
A warning means a tornado or funnel cloud has actually been sighted or indicated by radar and may strike.
If you are at home when a tornado strikes, go to a basement corner and get under a sturdy workbench or table, or the lowest floor possible in a small room or closet in the center of the building. Stay away from windows to avoid flying debris. Don't stay in a mobile home; take cover in a nearby shelter.
If you are at work, move to an interior hallway on the lowest level or the designated shelter area. Lie flat in the nearest ditch or ravine and cover your head with your hands if you are outside in open country.
Floods occur when rain or melting snow causes streams and rivers to overflow.
Heavy rain or rapid snow melt may cause flash floods that can endanger lives without warning. After you receive a flood warning, follow the instructions and advice of the local authorities.
Evacuate promptly and move to the instructed location, not anywhere else. If time permits, bring possessions inside, shut off the utilities, disconnect electrical appliances or equipment that can't be moved and lock the doors and windows.
Use specified travel routes and leave early to avoid being trapped by flooded roads. Beware of washed out roads, earth slides, broken sewer or water mains, loose or drowned power lines and fallen objects.
Don't try to cross a stream or pool of water if the water is over your knees or above the middle of your car's wheels. If your vehicle stalls in flooded areas, abandon it immediately.
Normal supplies of food, water, heat and other daily necessities will be interrupted. To prevent hardships, you should keep a stock of emergency supplies sufficient to meet these needs for a week, including water stored in closed containers and canned or packaged foods that don't require refrigeration or cooking. Medicines, first-aid kit, blankets and sleeping bags, flashlights or lanterns, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries and a covered container to use as an emergency toilet are other supplies you should have in case of an emergency.
Keep your car in good operating condition with an ample supply of gasoline in case you have to leave your home and take your emergency supplies with you.
To protect your home from wind and water, use plywood sheeting or lumber to board up windows and doors and plastic sheeting to protect furniture and appliances.
These things can help you and your family prevent injury and even death during a natural disaster.