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| How to stay alive when a tornado strikes | How to stay alive when a tornado strikes |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Multiple injuries were reported after a tornado touched down in Miami in 1997 | Multiple injuries were reported after a tornado touched down in Miami in 1997 |
| Tornadoes occur in the US more than any other place on earth. | Tornadoes occur in the US more than any other place on earth. |
| They strike in rural communities in the country's heartland and even in cities such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles. | They strike in rural communities in the country's heartland and even in cities such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles. |
| They kill dozens, sometimes hundreds of people every year. | They kill dozens, sometimes hundreds of people every year. |
| Around 1,200 tornados hit the US annually - although they are also seen on every other continent except Antarctica. | Around 1,200 tornados hit the US annually - although they are also seen on every other continent except Antarctica. |
| If one strikes near you, here's how to stay alive. | If one strikes near you, here's how to stay alive. |
| The best place to be is deep inside a sturdy building that is more likely to withstand wind speeds that have been known to top 300mph (500km/h). | |
| Here's National Weather Service (NWS) guidance: | Here's National Weather Service (NWS) guidance: |
| Get In - Go indoors, into the most interior room possible and away from doors and windows | Get In - Go indoors, into the most interior room possible and away from doors and windows |
| Get Down - Go to the lowest floor. Underground rooms are best | Get Down - Go to the lowest floor. Underground rooms are best |
| Cover up - Use whatever you can to shelter yourself from debris including clothing, helmets, pillows, blankets and mattresses | Cover up - Use whatever you can to shelter yourself from debris including clothing, helmets, pillows, blankets and mattresses |
| Tornados do hit urban areas, contrary to popular belief. | Tornados do hit urban areas, contrary to popular belief. |
| The downtown areas of Nashville, Tennessee; Fort Worth, Texas; and Salt Lake City, Utah have all been hit by major twisters in the past 30 years. | |
| Watch: Deadly tornadoes devastate parts of the US | Watch: Deadly tornadoes devastate parts of the US |
| Watch: Deadly tornadoes devastate parts of the US | Watch: Deadly tornadoes devastate parts of the US |
| Should you get in a bath, walk-in shower, or closet during a tornado? | Should you get in a bath, walk-in shower, or closet during a tornado? |
| Because bathrooms are often found in the interior of homes, some Americans have been known to successfully shelter in their bath. | Because bathrooms are often found in the interior of homes, some Americans have been known to successfully shelter in their bath. |
| In March 2023, a man and his girlfriend were able to survive a tornado when the bath they took shelter in was thrown into the air, before landing safely amid the wreckage of their mobile home in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. | |
| "There is nothing magically safe about getting in a bathtub with a mattress," the NWS says. | "There is nothing magically safe about getting in a bathtub with a mattress," the NWS says. |
| Closets and walk-in showers may offer similar protection, as long as they're deep inside the building. | Closets and walk-in showers may offer similar protection, as long as they're deep inside the building. |
| The best thing is to follow updates from weather officials. Make sure your phone alerts are on. | The best thing is to follow updates from weather officials. Make sure your phone alerts are on. |
| A quick word on terminology here. A Tornado Watch is typically issued in the hours before the storm strikes. | A quick word on terminology here. A Tornado Watch is typically issued in the hours before the storm strikes. |
| A Tornado Warning goes out after extreme weather has already been observed in the area. | A Tornado Warning goes out after extreme weather has already been observed in the area. |
| Above all, never, ever be caught out in the open during a severe storm. | |
| But what if you are caught in the open? | But what if you are caught in the open? |
| Keli Cain, with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, tells the BBC that being in a car is not much safer than being in an open field or car park. | Keli Cain, with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, tells the BBC that being in a car is not much safer than being in an open field or car park. |
| People often get hurt while attempting to drive away from storms. | People often get hurt while attempting to drive away from storms. |
| Such storms can generate soft-ball sized hailstones capable of shattering a windscreen. | Such storms can generate soft-ball sized hailstones capable of shattering a windscreen. |
| What is Tornado Alley? | What is Tornado Alley? |
| What is Tornado Alley? | What is Tornado Alley? |
| If you do suddenly find yourself outdoors during a tornado, try to get inside any sort of structure. | |
| Get as low as possible - even into a ditch or culvert. | Get as low as possible - even into a ditch or culvert. |
| Oh, and try to avoid potential missiles, such as your car. | Oh, and try to avoid potential missiles, such as your car. |
| Are deadly US tornadoes due to climate change? | Are deadly US tornadoes due to climate change? |
| What not to do | What not to do |
| Jacob Hernandez is an amateur storm chaser who grew up in Moore, Oklahoma - a city that has twice been hit by an EF5, the largest type of tornado. | Jacob Hernandez is an amateur storm chaser who grew up in Moore, Oklahoma - a city that has twice been hit by an EF5, the largest type of tornado. |
| In March 2023, he posted a video of his accidental encounter with an EF4 that he had been following in Iowa. | |
| He says this is a perfect example of "what not to do" if you find yourself near a twister, and he is "embarrassed" by how close he came to dying. | He says this is a perfect example of "what not to do" if you find yourself near a twister, and he is "embarrassed" by how close he came to dying. |
| The worst thing is to get trapped in the path of a tornado (like he was on a dirt road in a small town) with no escape route. | The worst thing is to get trapped in the path of a tornado (like he was on a dirt road in a small town) with no escape route. |
| "If it looks like it's not moving and it's getting bigger, it's heading directly towards you," he says, recalling the 1,800ft-wide (500m) funnel. | "If it looks like it's not moving and it's getting bigger, it's heading directly towards you," he says, recalling the 1,800ft-wide (500m) funnel. |
| Hernandez adds that anyone in an area where tornados are forecast should know how to get to safety within 60 seconds. | |
| "If you're eye to eye with a violent tornado I guarantee that tornado's not to going to blink first," he says. | "If you're eye to eye with a violent tornado I guarantee that tornado's not to going to blink first," he says. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Tornadoes | Tornadoes |
| United States | United States |
| Severe weather | Severe weather |