How to prepare for a tornado

GO teaches you how to channel your inner Bill Paxton

By Matt Lemmon

It’s hard to ever be 100-percent ready for a tornado—they’re less predictable than Kanye West on a live video feed. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best odds of surviving the spinning death:

Buy a weather radio. These go for between $20 and $40 at a number of local electronics and department stores. They switch on automatically when there’s a severe weather situation. Put it right by your bed if you’re a heavy sleeper.
Pack an emergency kit. This would obviously include a first aid kit, a few days worth of non-perishable food items and a pack of Skip-Bo cards.
Do not open your windows. It’s a myth that doing so minimizes damage, according the Greene County Emergency Management website.
Have a plan. If the city’s storm sirens go off (you’ll hear ‘em), know where you’re going immediately. The best places are interior closets or bathrooms, away from windows. If you’re in a mobile home or a car, you’re best off running outside and throwing yourself face down in a ditch or other low-lying area. Seriously.
At work, bookmark your county’s Emergency Management website or the National Weather Service to stay on top of weather warnings.

Other Publications

Roll over the covers to scroll through our other publications.

Add your comment:

Create an instant account, or please log in if you have an account.

Email address (not displayed publicly)

Password

Forgot your password?

Verification Question. (This is so we know you are a human and not a spam robot.)

What is 3 + 8 ?

Comments posted here do not necessarily reflect the views of the author or GO Magazine. Keep your comments civil, stay on the topic and your posts will remain online. Comments that use foul language, ethnic slurs or sexually suggestive language will be deleted. Posters who harass others or disobey the rules will be banned permanently from commenting on this Web site at the magazine's sole discretion.