A tornado can hit any part of the globe at any time. There are no hard and fast rules for their occurrence. However, according to statistics, the American continent, especially North America, is more prone to encountering these disasters.
With wind speeds ranging between 30 and 70 miles per hour and swirls reaching 300 miles per hour, tornadoes can unleash large-scale havoc.
Thus, understanding what to do before, during, and after a tornado is crucial. It helps secure belongings, mitigate the risks during disasters, and offer a prudent strategy to cope with the mess after the tornado leaves.
Read this guide further to understand what causes tornadoes, what you can do before, during, and after a tornado, and how to make your home tornado-resilient.
What Causes a Tornado?
Specific thunderstorms called supercells are the primary culprits in tornadoes. A supercell forms when the air is unstable with different directions and temperatures at various altitudes creating a condition called wind shear.
The formation of a tornado begins with the collision of hot and cold air, generating horizontal swirls that become vertical as the hot air updrafts and ultimately form a rotating supercell. This supercell makes a cloud funnel, which, if it extends to the ground, is called a tornado.
Tornado formation adheres to the simple air circulation rule that warm air updrafts, creating an area of low pressure, and nearby cold air rushes to take its place, giving the tornado winds their intense speed.
What to Do Before a Tornado?
Preparing for a tornado ahead of its occurrence is the best way to mitigate potential personal and property risks. Some crucial considerations in this regard are discussed below.
Understand The Difference Between Alert Messages
Authorities convey two types of alert messages in case of a tornado, Tornado Watch and Tornado Warning. Understanding them is critical to predicting tornado formation.
- A Tornado Warning is issued when a tornado is formed and confirmed by authorities.
- Tornado Watch means that all the requirements for tornado formation are available, and the possibility of its occurrence is high.
Find The Tornado Details
If any of the above messages are conveyed, visit your local meteorological authority's website to know about the intensity of the tornado, its possible route, and other related warnings.
Decide On A Safe Location
Decide on a safe location in your home and share it with your family. Basements are recommended. However, if unavailable, try to find a place with a minimum number of windows and doors.
Further, if you are an apartment resident, choose the center of the building, like a hallway, and discuss the emergency evacuation plan with your building manager.
Make Your Emergency Kit Ready
Your emergency kit should be well-planned, as you will rely on it for essential needs during the calamity. Make a personalized emergency kit depending on your family's needs. Generally, it should include non-perishable or canned food items, health kit items, pet food, and essential documents. Nonetheless, if this is too much to handle in a kit, keep them easily accessible in your home.
Plan Sustainable Communication
Sustainable communication is paramount during tornado threats. To this end, ensure you have battery backup that can keep your devices powered, as electrical infrastructure is more prone to damage during tornados.
By planning for sustainable communication you can keep updated about the current weather conditions and community developments.
What to Do During a Tornado?
Tornados can be devastating. They pull up trees and structures and make harmless objects into missiles of mass destruction. Thus, ensuring your safety is necessary. Below are some pointers that you should heed during a tornado.
- As soon as you get a tornado warning, head towards your safe location.
- Ensure your personal safety by wearing a helmet and covering your neck. It is also recommended that you hide under a blanket, mattress, or furniture.
- Unblock your emergency mobile phone pop-up message if they are blocked, as they will keep you updated about the ongoing weather conditions.
- Keep away from doors and windows.
- If you are in a car or RV, then.
- Firstly gauge the distance between your mobile home and the tornado. If it is sufficient to escape, then drive away.
- If driving is not possible, leave the vehicle and find a safe place nearby.
- In case there is no safe space available, fasten your seat belt, lower your head, and cover it with any available cushion.
Warning
Suppose you encounter a tornado while on the road, do not seek shelter under a bridge, as the wind speeds intensify in such areas. Instead, look for a low-lying area, such as a dry stream bed, and lie flat with your head covered by your hands. This position offers better protection from flying debris and strong winds.
What to Do After a Tornado?
Once the tornado ends, it's time to return everything to normal. Here is what you should do after a tornado.
- Ensure the cessation of tornadoes by checking the authority's official announcement.
- If you took shelter away from home, get back home safely.
- Assess the damages and assist vulnerable community members.
- Maintain a safe distance from damaged electrical infrastructure.
- If your home does not seem fit to go, do not compromise your safety, and evaluate the overall condition of your home by a professional first.
- Check for property damages inside your home. If your home is insured, you can claim for these damages.
- Get help and guidance from authorities to safely dispose of debris ensued by the tornado.
How Do You Prepare Your Home for a Tornado?
The intense tornado winds could heavily damage your home if it is unprepared for the disaster. Various approaches can be combined to make your home a safe castle.
Firstly, windows and doors are the most vulnerable parts of a home to damage by tornado projectiles. Storm shutters are a good solution. They close instantly and offer a wall of defense against flying debris.
Next comes the maintenance of trees in your lawn. Weak limbs can break in response to strong wind and, due to their compound shape, can be destructive to your home exterior. Likewise, clear the surrounding debris, including broken branches, firewood, etc.
For effective preparation of your home against a tornado, the American Red Cross recommends making a list of important checks that include
- Clearing the outside of the home from all types of furniture, grills, and other related items.
- Check your home's electric wiring to avoid short circuits.
- Investigating the weak spots like windows, doors, or wall cracks and repairing them.
- Look around for loose gutter lids and make them tight.
- If solar panels are installed on your roof, check their basic structure is intact.
By adhering to these small steps, you can make your home safe, ultimately curtailing the chances of any mishap.
Home Battery Backup For Emergency Cases
Staying connected and informed during tornados is critical. Home battery backups for tornados prove to be reliable power sources to keep your mobile charged, lights on, and other necessary electronics running.
Choosing a high-quality power backup is crucial as it also helps you cut your energy bills. Below are three top-tier products from BLUETTI that are reliable, cost-effective, and offer expandable battery capacity to align with your specific needs.
BLUETTI EP500Pro Solar Power Station
This moveable unit has an extensive battery capacity of 5120 Wh, which can effortlessly fulfill your home's necessary power needs for a couple of days or even more. The LiFePO4 battery offers 3500 plus charge cycles, making its lifespan more than 10 years with one charge cycle per day.
Further, the EP500Pro has an output capacity of 3 kW with 15 outlet ports to support the simultaneous running of multiple devices. The unit is integrated with a specific Battery Management System to ensure reliability and safety.
Further, it can be charged through various current streams like AC, solar, Car battery, and AC+solar, making power available always.
But what’s truly exceptional about this is its PRICE MATCH guarantee, which means if you find any similar battery backup that is lower priced than this, you can claim the extra amount within 30 days of your purchase.
BLUETTI AC500 + B300/B300S
AC500 features a 5kW output capacity with a surge power of 10kW, making all your home appliances, whether it's an AC, a fridge, or a charge, run to their full capacity.
Its built-in battery capacity is 3072wH, which can be expanded to 18432wH with additional B300 batteries. With its smart controls, you can operate your system through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or the BLUETTI smart app.
Its 16 outlet ports make it compatible with all your home appliances, and 6 different charging streams ensure you never run out of power, whatever the conditions. The unit also features a PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE, making it an ideal power backup choice.
BLUETTI EP900+B500 Home Battery Backup
EP900 is one solution for all your power needs. Its gigantic 9kW capacity is enough to meet the power requirement of a large-sized home. Still, if it seems low, you can double it to 18kW by attaching two EP900 units.
Regarding its battery capacity, it comes with a 9.9 kWh LiFePO battery that can be further expanded up to 39.6 kWh with additional B500 batteries, fulfilling your home power needs for weeks.
Other features include
- 10 years hassle-free extensive warranty period
- Remote Control with Phone
- IP65 water and splash protection further enhances the overall efficiency
- Noise below 50 dB
- Compatibility with all 120V/240V devices
Final Thoughts
Tornadoes are extreme weather events that can cause large-scale destruction. Thus, understanding what to do before, during, and after these events is crucial to mitigating associated risks.
Staying connected and informed is crucial for effective tornado management. While power backups are sure cases, a reliable battery backup, like those offered by BLUETTI, can be your all-weather friend providing you with a reliable power supply and ultimately helping you with effective tornado handling.
