Southern Michigan, including Metro Detroit, has seen its fair share of severe weather lately. Tornado Warnings included.
Friends and family downstairs, on the lowest floor of their home. Family in closets. Weather alerts are buzzing. Doors banging. Hearts pounding. The rush for safety is never pretty.
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But when that weather alert tone sounds for real, every second is precious.
Last Saturday Night, when we were covering the Tornado Warnings live on-air, my phone went off, I heard the sirens sound, and I saw where I was in one of the warnings. My heart pounded as well. And my first thought while letting you know where the potential tornadoes were was to get to my safe place in my house.
We want everyone to know that when it comes to severe weather… you’ve got this, and we’ve got you covered from all angles. Because we understand that finding your Safe Place is just the first step, it’s the late-night texting that leads to “Wait…where DO we go?” It’s the stride-of-laughter cleanup after storms pass. It’s the High School freshman who finally talks you into clearing out your storm shelter.
We’ve heard recently during the Michigan Statewide Tornado Drill that practicing what to do when severe weather threatens leads to that conversation with family and friends about what to do and where to go.
Tornado safety precautions
So, what should we do when severe weather and tornadoes move into your area? Well, it’s simple to follow your tornado safe precautions:
1. Know where to take shelter. Your family could be anywhere when a tornado strikes--at home, at work, at school, or in the car. Discuss with your family where the best tornado shelters are and how family members can protect themselves from flying and falling debris.
The key to surviving a tornado and reducing the risk of injury lies in planning, preparing, and practicing what you and your family will do if a tornado strikes. Flying debris causes most deaths and injuries during a tornado. Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are much safer than others.
2. If you’re at home, pick a place in the home where family members can gather if a tornado is headed your way. One basic rule is to avoid windows. An exploding window can injure or kill.
The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If there is no basement, go to an interior room without windows on the lowest floor. This could be a center hallway, bathroom, or closet.
For added protection, get under something sturdy, such as a heavy table or workbench. If possible, cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag, or mattress, and protect your head with anything available--even your hands. Avoid taking shelter under heavy objects, such as pianos or refrigerators, in the area of the floor directly above you. They could fall through the floor if the tornado strikes your house.
3. If you live in a mobile home, evacuate that mobile home, as they are not safe places to be during severe weather. Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable to high winds.
4. The least desirable place to be during a tornado is in a motor vehicle. Cars, buses, and trucks are easily tossed by tornado winds.
Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car. If you see a tornado, stop your vehicle and get out. Do not get under your vehicle. Follow the directions for seeking shelter outdoors, which are:
- Avoid areas with many trees
- Avoid vehicles
- Lie down flat in a gully, ditch, or low spot on the ground
- Protect your head with an object or with your arms
5. If you’re in a long-span building, such as a shopping mall, theater, or gymnasium, it is especially dangerous because the roof structure is usually supported solely by the outside walls. Most such buildings hit by tornadoes cannot withstand the enormous pressure. They simply collapse.
If you are in a long-span building during a tornado, stay away from windows. Get to the lowest level of the building--the basement, if possible--and away from the windows.
If there is no time to get to a tornado shelter or to a lower level, try to get under a door frame or get up against something that will support or deflect falling debris. For instance, in a department store, get up against heavy shelving or counters. In a theater, get under the seats. Remember to protect your head.
6. If you’re in office buildings, schools, hospitals, churches, and other public buildings,
- Move away from windows and glass doorways.
- Go to the innermost part of the building on the lowest possible floor
- Do not use elevators, as power may fail, leaving you trapped
Protect your head and make yourself as small a target as possible by crouching down. If you live in a mobile home, go to a nearby building, preferably one with a basement. If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine, or culvert and shield your head with your hands.
Participate in the #SafePlaceSelfie campaign
Last weekend’s tornadoes were a stark reminder that severe weather doesn’t care about timing or even what season we are in. Luckily, we do.
That’s why we’re kicking off the #SafePlaceSelfie campaign right now.
Taking a selfie is simple. Finding your safe place is smart.
Show us where YOU’LL go when severe weather strikes.
See that basement nook? Post it. Carving out an interior hallway corner? Share it. Stocked storm-ready closet? Show us! When that tone sounds, we’ll all feel better knowing you’ve got a plan. And sharing your selfie can help others do the same.
Weather doesn’t wait, but you can grab a second and join the #SafePlaceSelfie movement. Share your photo of your #SafePlaceSelfie, and your photo could be shown on WDIV Local 4 News.
Click here to submit your photos
It takes one thing that could influence others to take time to find where their safe place is, which, when the sirens sound and the alert tones go off, could mean keeping everyone safe.