Are You Prepared for Tornado Season?

3/19/2020 (Permalink)

Are You Prepared for Tornado Season?

This week in Indiana is Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Severe weather in Indiana is usually flooding, heavy rain and wind, and tornadoes. In this blog, we will cover how you and your family can be prepared in the event a tornado is approaching your home and property. 

What is a Tornado?

A tornado is a rotating column of air that occurs during a thunderstorm. The wind speed of a tornado can reach up to 300mph. Tornadoes can easily destroy homes and buildings, uproot trees, and hurl vehicles and objects like deadly missiles. Tornadoes can leave a path of damage up to a mile wide and many miles long. Due to the dangerous winds and flying objects, it’s important to seek shelter and hunker down when a tornado is in the area. 

Understanding Tornado Watches and Tornado Warnings

If you live in Indiana, you know Spring is the season of tornadoes. With tornadoes, come tornado watches and tornado warnings that are issued by the National Weather Service. So what is the difference between a “watch” and a “warning”? A tornado watch is issued and communicated through radio, television, and the internet when tornadoes are possible in the area. Usually, the area is the path of the storm where tornadoes are possible and can cover one county, multiple counties, or a partial part of a county or counties. When a warning is issued, it’s important to stay tuned in the event the watch turns into a warning. It’s also a good idea to stay inside if you are located in the watch path. 

A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sighted or spotted by weather radar. If you are in the path of a warning, you need to take immediate action and seek shelter immediately and hunker down. If the tornado warning is not in your area but looks to be heading your way, you need to prepare in case it reaches your home and pay close attention to the radio, television or the Internet for updates. Tornado warnings usually cover a smaller area than a tornado watch.

Preparing for a Tornado

If a tornado is heading towards your home, do you and your family know what to do? It’s important to be prepared in the event of severe weather like tornadoes. With tornadoes, you need to identify a room in your home where you and your family can hunker down and stay safe. The room should be at the lowest level of your home and away from any windows and exterior doors. Usually, the room is in the basement or if there is no basement, a room in the middle of your home, like a closet or bathroom. Also, if you have time, don’t forget your pets if possible. You should also have pillows and blankets to cover up with and stay warm. Also water, food, first aid kit, and flashlights are good things to have in the room if you have time.

During a Tornado

If a tornado is approaching, seek shelter immediately and head to your safe room that you and your family chose in the event of a tornado. Kneel and cover your head. You may also want to cover yourself with blankets to protect yourself from flying debris. If you are outside and can’t make it to your home, seek a low lying area like a ditch. If you are in your home and can’t make it to your safe room, seek shelter in an interior bathroom or closet. 

After a Tornado

Once the tornado has passed, check to make sure everyone is accounted for and safe. If there sever damage to your home or water damage, avoid touching any light switches or wires. If the roof or walls are damaged, seek an area of your home that is not damaged or head outside if safe. Damaged walls, ceilings, and roofs can collapse and severely hurt you. Once you and your family are safe, check on your neighbors to make sure they are safe and accounted for. Call 911 if anyone is injured or unaccounted for. 

Contact SERVPRO of Indianapolis West for Tornado and Severe Weather Cleanup 

If your home been damaged by severe weather or a tornado, contact SERVPRO of Indianapolis West for severe weather cleanup. SERVPRO of Indianapolis West can handle any size disaster from a single home to a whole neighborhood to a twenty store high-rise in Indianapolis. Whether you have water damage, storm damage, fire damage, or all types of damage, SERVPRO of Indianapolis West has the expertise and equipment to handle it. Contact them anytime 24/7 if severe weather hits your home.