Severe Weather

SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY

FOR ALL EMERGENCIES:

Keep with you an emergency radio to keep yourself and your family updated on the local jurisdictions. FOLLOW ALL GOVERNMENT ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS. 

Some Emergency Supplies: A good ration of food to last for a couple weeks. Bottled water, a battery-operated or hand-crank radio, flashlight, etc.

TORNADO

(Sadly, in rare and very extreme cases, they don’t guarantee 100% survival. Tornadoes (usually F4s or F5s) can be strong enough to kill you no matter what precaution you take, if you’re in its path.)

  • If you are in a building, like your house and any other interior room, get to the bottommost concealed space within the structure, away from windows.
  • If you are outside and there are buildings nearby, get into the nearest one.
  • If you are outside and there are no building in the vicinity, get into a ditch.
  • Debris can go under the bridge and easily kill you. Do not hide under a bridge.
  • When bracing for a tornado, cover your head. It is your most vital spot that debris can hit. Put as many things around you as possible to block debris.
  • You can’t see tornadoes at night. If the siren sounds, go take cover and tune in to the local radio for updates.
  • Do not stay in a mobile home.
  • Some tornadoes are rain-wrapped, which means that they are much harder to see. The best and most sure-fire way to detect tornadoes is by reading doppler radars.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM

  • If you witness the following, but not limited: Rapidly darkening skies, gusting winds, rumbles of thunder.
  • Severe thunderstorms can produce devastatingly fast straight-line winds with swaths of rain. Do not go out during that time. If you are driving, drive very slowly and cautiously or pull over and wait it out.
  • Severe thunderstorms can produce hail. The size of hail is proportional to the strength of the thunderstorm. They can be pea-sized to grapefruit-sized. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE IF THE HAIL STONES ARE BIG. They can kill you. If you have precious belongings outside, bring it indoors if possible.
  • Lightning is another threat. DO NOT STAND UNDER TREES. If you feel your hair rising up, that means a light will likely strike you. Crouch down to minimise the path of the electricity going through you to ground.
  • If your home has metal pipes, try to shower after the storm has passed.
  • Keep your emergency supplies ready. Power can be knocked out from these storms.

 

HEAVY WINDS

  • Try not to go outside as sometimes the winds can gust fast enough to sweep you off of your feet.
  • When driving, STAY AWAY FROM TRUCKS. They can sway, and in more extreme cases, fall on its side.

FLOODING

  • If at home, get to the highest spot of the building.
  • Do not drive into flooded roadways.
  • Keep with you an emergency ration of food.

 

HURRICANE

  • Always follow evacuation orders if issued. Some jurisdictions may fine you if you don’t. Emergency operators may be unavailable during and/or after the hurricane.
  • If the RIGHT side of the hurricane (relative to the direction it is moving) is projected to hit you, evacuate immediately.
  • If, for some unavoidable reason, you must stay, do everything necessary to protect your home, such as boarding up windows and/or fragile structures. Keep an emergency ration of food because power will definitely be knocked out.
  • If you live by the shore and own a boat, storm surges will destroy any boat parked near shore. Get out of boats before the hurricane makes landfall.
  • Hurricane season is typically June through October.

DROUGHT

  • Be conservative with water use. Local government may issue usage rules.
  • Typically, with very dry weather, wildfires can easily start and spread.
  • Foods and crops supply will be impacted, and prices may increase.

HEAT WAVE

  • Stay hydrated. Extreme heat forces you to sweat more, dehydrating you easily.
  • Do not stay out for prolonged durations. Extreme heat can give you heatstroke.
  • Wear sunscreen. Prolonged UV exposure can put you at risk for skin cancer.
  • Check the dew point or relative humidity. They contribute to how muggy the weather is.

COLD WAVE

  • Wear thick clothing, covering as much exposed skin as possible.
  • Be sure to identify signs of frostbite in others.
  • Check the wind speed. The windier it is, the more cold it will feel, and it will be easier to get frostbite.

BLIZZARD

  • Prepare any emergency supply. Power can be knocked out.
  • Wind will blow snow all over, reducing visibility severely.
  • Limit skin exposure outside. The strong winds and extreme cold can cause frostbite quite quickly.
  • If you are stuck on the road and the snow is piling up, do not ditch your car. The only time you should leave your car is to clean up the snow blocking the exhaust pipe. Why? you’ll die of Carbon Monoxide poisoning if you don’t.

ICE STORM

  • At all costs, do not drive.
  • Prepare any emergency supply. Power can be knocked out.
  • Ice accretion on roads is the #1 cause of vehicular deaths during winter.
  • Walk on sidewalks very carefully. Injuries can occur just by slipping and falling.
  • After the ice storm, be very careful about falling ice from any structure above.

DUST STORM

  • Do not go outside.
  • If driving, slow down or pull over to wait it out.

WILDFIRE

  • Follow your local government’s orders on when to evacuate and what routes to take.
  • Wildfires spread quickly, so prepare quickly.

EARTHQUAKE

  • Although it is not severe weather, some places (like California, or anywhere along a fault line) are very prone to earthquakes.
  • Hide under a sturdy surface like a table and cover your head to protect yourself in case the table surface collapses.
  • Keep yourself away from objects that may fall and hit you. That includes bookshelves, ceiling lights.
  • If outside, stay away from buildings. Falling objects like signs, metal, and other debris may fall and kill you. Try to find an open space where nothing can fall on you.