Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch

Calling from a school, nursing home, hospital,
or shopping mall in the path of a tornado.
Tell the caller…

• Go to a pre-designated shelter area. Interior hallways on the lowest floors are usually safest and best.
• Stay away from windows or glassed areas. Avoid large, glassed atrium areas such as might be found in the center of a mall.
• Stay away from large rooms with wide ceiling areas, like dining halls or gymnasiums.

Card “A1”
Calling from a high-rise building in the path of a tornado.
Tell the caller…

• If there is time, go to the basement or small interior room on the lowest level of the building. Avoid stairways with windows. Closets, bathrooms, and small offices are examples of small interior rooms. DO NOT use the elevators!
• If you can’t get downstairs safely, then go to an interior hallway or bathroom.
• Find an area with a substantial support beam and get under something sturdy, such as a heavy desk or table, a staircase or a bed.

Calling from a house in the path of a tornado.

Tell the caller…

• Go to the basement, or a small interior room on the lowest level of the house. Closets and bathrooms are examples of small interior rooms.
• Wherever you go, get under something sturdy, such as a heavy desk or table, bed or staircase. In the bathroom get in the tub and cover over with a mattress.
• Cover your head and neck with pillows or blankets. Shield small children from flying debris.
• Stay away from the windows! Strong winds in advance of the tornado can shatter glass and you can be severely injured.
• Do not try to open windows – it will not help minimize damage.

Calling from a trailer or mobile home in the path of a tornado.

Tell the caller…

• Leave the structure immediately, and go to a tornado shelter if one is available nearby.
• Otherwise go to any nearby well-built building and take shelter inside. Avoid areas of the building with glass windows. Try to get to a small interior room on the lowest level. Get under something sturdy, such as a staircase or table.
• If there is no shelter or structure available, lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch, culvert, excavation, or ravine. But be aware of the possibility of flash flooding.
• If there is time, turn off the power when you leave.

Q1: Are you in city traffic, or in a rural area?

Vehicle is in city traffic:

Tell the caller…

• Don’t try to outrun the storm! Tornadoes can travel as fast as 60 mph and their direction of travel may be erratic. In such cases, you need to abandon your vehicle as soon as possible. Find a safe refuge such as a concrete building. Get inside, away from windows. Try to get under something sturdy.
• If an appropriate shelter is not available, lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch, culvert, excavation, or ravine and cover your head with your hands. You are safer in a ditch than in your vehicle. Make sure you are not in a spot where your car can roll over you.
• Highway overpasses should not be used for shelter, except as a last resort! If you must use an overpass for shelter, pull your vehicle completely off the roadway. Wedge yourself up near the steel rafters where the dirt berm meets the road.

Vehicle is in a rural area:

Tell the caller…

• If the road and traffic volume permit, and if you are still a reasonable distance from the storm, try to drive out of the tornado’s pathway.
  • NOTE: If the caller says that either 1) the road options are too limited, or 2) the traffic volume is too heavy, or 3) they can’t tell which way the tornado is moving, then give the caller the same advice as if the vehicle is in city traffic.