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How to Prepare for a Tornado

If you live in Alabama like we do at Goodwyn Building, chances are you are no stranger to tornados. Particularly during the spring, powerful storms and tornadoes are relatively common occurrences. Given recent events, our team wants to outline a few important ways you can prepare for the next time a tornado rolls around.

Know the Signs

Of course, tornadoes can form and appear suddenly, but there are specific weather conditions that allow for tornadoes to occur. If you know what to look for, you can know the key signs that a tornado is on its way. Look for dark clouds that give the sky a green tint, heavy rains, and strong winds. Your local weather service will also be actively watching and will send warnings to indicate a tornado is spotted forming in the area. Do not ignore tornado warnings.

Create a Shelter

When you receive weather alerts and hear sirens, that is when you want to retreat to a safe place to wait out the storm. But you want to make sure to have such a place prepared in advance, so you have somewhere to go to. Many choose basements or at least windowless rooms to avoid chances of flying glass and debris if windows get blown out. Make sure whatever place you choose is on the lowest level. Store bottled water, non-perishable food items, and medications there. Have a portable radio handy and wait until authorities say that it is safe to come out.

Create an Emergency Kit

In the case that it is declared unsafe for you to shelter in place, it is important to have an emergency kit ready to take with you if you need to flee your home. FEMA has a thorough list of items you should try to include in this kit. There are also many companies that offer ready to go emergency kits that can accommodate a wide range of family sizes.

Do not forget to take any pets into consideration when creating your kit. Make sure to include copies of important documents and necessary medications. Having multiple kits is ideal but having one in the car is specifically advised since you may not be at home when a tornado strikes.

A little preparedness can prove to be lifesaving. We at Goodwyn Building wish you all to continue to be healthy and safe by adhering to these tips.

By Goodwyn Building 4-16-2020