Tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible. Every state has some risk of this hazard.

Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.

Make sure you’re ready for a tornado with the How to Prepare for a Tornado Guide from Prepareathon (formerly America’s PrepareAthon!) that explains how to protect yourself and details the steps to take now so that you can act quickly at a time when every second counts.

More tips:

1. Build or buy an emergency kit.
2. Make a family communications plan.
3. Sign up for local emergency alerts and warnings. In any emergency, always listen to the instructions given by local emergency management officials.
4. Look for danger signs including: dark, often greenish sky; large hail; a large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating); and, a loud roar, similar to a freight train. If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

For more information, read: Ready to Get Ready?, http://first-aid-product.com/blog/disaster-survival-and-preparedness/spring-storms-are-coming.html, Weather Ready Nation and watch the When the Storm Comes preparedness video and visit the Prepareathon Tornado page

While Tornadoes happen year-round (even in Winter!) and nation-wide, we are headed toward peak Tornado Season... This week will see the National Tornado Summit convene to discuss preparedness. The Tornado Summit is being held at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Summit is an annual conference aimed at saving lives and helping communities quickly recover from tornadoes. Topics will range from Preparing Individuals Disproportionately Impacted by Disasters to Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Survival Tips to Disaster Kit Storage to an OKC National Memorial & Museum Tour

? PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY
? MITIGATE DAMAGE
? SAVE LIVES

Tornadoes can strike anywhere in the United States with little or no warning and are capable of causing significant loss of life and billions of dollars in damage. Tornadoes are one of nature’s most violent storms. They generate from powerful thunderstorms and cause overwhelming destruction in minutes. During violent weather, stay tuned to a local television or radio station for tornado reports. Tornadoes can develop during severe thunderstorms and hurricanes. Most injuries and fatalities from tornadoes are caused by being struck or cut by falling or wind-borne debris. When a tornado threatens, your goal is to go to the safest place for protection before the tornado hits and to take additional measures for personal cover. If a storm shelter or basement is not available, plan to find shelter under heavy furniture or mattresses near an inside wall of your house on the ground floor. Provide animals in your household with a safe area and keep them confined. Tornado Preparedness includes all the standard emergency kit items (food, water, shelter, warmth, etc.) Additionally, for Tornadoes, add monitoring weather reports provided by your local media - Many communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency notifications. To find out what alerts are available in your area, do an Internet search with your town, city, or county name and the word “alerts.” Consider buying a NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) All Hazards receiver, which receives broadcast alerts directly from the NWS. Remember - just as with Hurricanes, likelihood of land and mobile communication (as well as internet) services being unavailable is extremely high, so do not count on cell phones, TV, or your computer - have other communication devices available and ready to use. Think “whistles”. “walkie talkies”, “bull horn”, too – while it is important to listen to reports and directives, you may need to signal out to rescuers as well.

Learn About Other Specific Types of Disaster Preparedness:

Today begins National Preparedness Month - We'll be sharing ideas on communication and evacuation, preparedness and practicality, as well as specific types of Disasters that may affect you... including:

Are You READY?