Even tornados, it seems, can be overachievers.
As everyone knows by now, tornado season started a little early this year. Lyon County got lucky — all we ended up with were warnings, wind and some hail from Wednesday night and Thursday morning’s storms. In southern Missouri, one 7-year-old girl was killed, and homes and businesses on both sides of the state line saw their share of damage.
Going by the book, the height of tornado season is supposed to be April through June. But if living in Kansas teaches anything, it’s that Mother Nature hasn’t read the book. With that in mind, it’s time to once again remember a few basic safety rules:
- Plan what you will do when a tornado hits. Then test it. Know where to go.
- Keep an emergency kit with three days of food, water, clothing, medicine, batteries, santiation supplies and a radio.
- Get a weather radio if you don’t have one. If a severe storm hits, follow the TV and radio coverage closely.
- When the sirens sound, head for safety — a basement, a ground-floor room away from exterior walls, or a closet if you have to — and wrap up in blankets to guard against flying debris.
- Don’t open the windows when a tornado hits. It won’t help and it’ll put you too close to a window when danger strikes. Tornadoes are perfectly capable of opening windows by themselves.
- If you’re driving and see a tornado, don’t try to outrace it and don’t pull under an overpass — a tornado can turn those into wind tunnels. Find real shelter, or as a last resort, lie flat in a ditch and cover your head with your hands.
- Do NOT go outside to watch a tornado.
It’s all common sense. But if it’s kept in mind, Mother Nature won’t be the only one who’s ahead of the game.
citizenx (anonymous) says...
Do you really think calling a tornado that ripped through a school can killed a bunch of students an overachiever is appropriate?
March 5, 2007 at 1:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )