To Be Safe, Be Prepared before a Tornado Strikes

Tornado season in Alabama is just around the corner, so now is the time to ensure that you and your family are prepared when severe weather inevitably comes our way.

One of the first steps you should take is to make sure you can receive advance notification of adverse weather. All six counties in our Central Alabama service area operate their own emergency notification systems, which you can access through their respective Emergency Management websites. Links to each website are listed below.

While many communities still make use of tornado sirens, they often warn only of imminent danger and are actively being decommissioned in some places. In addition to signing up for your county’s emergency notification system, you can also tune into the local station of the National Weather Service using a NOAA weather radio. For information about those local stations, you can visit the Central Alabama weather radio website here.

After you have set up severe weather notification, the next step is to make a shelter plan. The most protective option is to use a purpose-built storm shelter. There are many of those throughout our region, and information about them can be found through each county’s Emergency Management website.

An example of the storm shelter listings found on county emergency management websites. This is taken from Jefferson County’s website.

Space in storm shelters is limited, however, and sheltering in place may be your only viable option. In that case, Ready.gov offers a number of tips, including the following:

  • Bring all people and pets indoors.
  • Lock doors, close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers.
  • Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced air heating systems.
  • Take your emergency supply kit.
  • Go into an interior room with the fewest windows if possible.

Beyond deciding where to shelter in the case of a tornado, it’s also important to prepare for the worst-case scenarios, such as significant damage to your home, community and infrastructure for services including power, water and internet.

To protect you and your family in these situations, Ready.gov and other sources recommend maintaining a supply kit for after the storm. While each family may have individual needs, some of the most universal supplies recommended for a kit are as follows:

  • Water (a gallon per person per day)
  • Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food)
  • First aid kit
  • Flashlight
  • Wrench, pliers or a basic multi-tool
  • Back up batteries or power banks for cell phones
  • Local maps
  • Moist towelettes for personal hygiene

For more information about putting together an emergency kit, visit Ready.gov and Weather.gov.

If you have experienced significant loss following a tornado or other natural disaster, remember that United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) partners and programs offer essential services to victims. That includes access to food, clothing, shelter, mental health counseling, financial assistance and more.

The best way to access these services is by calling 2-1-1, the centralized source for anyone seeking information and referral to resources throughout our community. UWCA operates the local 2-1-1 service for Blount, Cullman, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties. For more information about UWCA’s work in crisis response and resource support, click here.