Getting Storm Ready

Thunderstorms, Lightning, Tornadoes and Floods

Get a Kit

Water – three gallons per person

Non-perishable food

Flashlights & extra batteries

Manual can opener

First aid kit Extra clothes & blankets

Battery-powered radios

Mess kits with plates, utensils, paper towels & stuff

If the power goes out for several days – you’ll need:

Don’t forget your pets!

Food & water

Sturdy leashes & carriers

Photos of you with your pets

Medication & vet info

Listen

– It’s like a smoke detector for severe weather & hazardous conditions

– It will tell you all about severe weather when it is on the way

– It will sound a loud tone to get your attention or wake you up so you can get to safety

– Make sure you keep plenty of extra batteries

Make a Plan

• Escape!– Find 2 ways to get out

of every room– Have an escape

ladder for upstairs rooms

– Have a place to meet outside

• Practice!

Make a Plan

If there were an emergency and you were not together in the same place. . .

• How would you get touch with each other?

• Where would you meet?

• How would you remain in contact?

• What would you do if you were at school?

• What would you do about your pets?

Thunderstorms

When thunder ROARS

go indoors!

Don’t Wait!

Thunderstorms

– Find shelter in a building or car (NOT a convertible)

– Go to a low-lying place away from trees, poles or metal objects

– Boating or swimming – get to land & shelter right away

– In the woods – find a low spot under the shorter trees

If you’re outdoors

Lightning!

• If your hair stands on end – make yourself small – Don’t lie flat on the

ground– Squat low to the

ground– Bend your head

between your knees

Lightning!

– Don’t touch appliances or use the phone

– Don’t turn on any water faucets

– Turn off the air conditioner

– Close the curtains, blinds or shades

If you’re indoors

Tornadoes

• May occur in trailing edge of thunderstorm– Quite visible– Sunlit skies behind

• Could be embedded in rain– Not visible

Tornado Clues

• Dark, often greenish sky

• Wall cloud• Large hail• Cloud of debris• Funnel cloud• Roaring noise

Tornado Terms

• Tornado WATCH – tornado is possible– LISTEN to radio – Keep an eye on the sky

• Tornado WARNING – a tornado has been spotted– Take shelter IMMEDIATELY

Tornado Shelter

If you are in a vehicle, trailer or mobile home

GET OUT and go to a solid structure

Tornado Shelter

• Basement • Center of an interior room on the lowest floor– Closet or interior hallway

– Away from corners, windows, doors & outside walls

– Put as many walls as possible between you & the outside

– Get under a sturdy table & use your arms to protect your head

– Do not open windows

Tornado Shelter

• If you’re outside with no shelter– Lie flat in a nearby

ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands

– Do not get under an overpass or bridge

– Never try to outrun a tornado

– Watch out for flying debris

Floods

• Flood– An overflow of water into a normally dry area

from an established watercoursesuch as a river, stream, drainageditch or pond

• How do you know if a flood is coming?– NOTICE – if it’s been raining for several hours

or days– LISTEN – to weather radio, regular radio or TV

Floods

• Floods are the #1 natural disaster in the US – and most people killed in floods drown in moving water– Just six inches of moving water

can make you fall down– Six inches of water will reach the

bottom of most cars and make them lose control or stall

Turn Around!

– One foot of water will float most cars

– Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including SUVs & pick-up trucks

– Obey all official signs & barricades

– Don’t play or swim in flood water

Stay Safe

The End!

ReadyWisconsin.wi.gov• For more information about “Getting Storm Ready” – visit

our Ready Wisconsin web site• Thank you for being such a GREAT bunch of listeners!