| It started out as a simple trip to the | | | | Over 1,000 tornadoes strike the U.S. each |
| grocery store, but ended up in terror. | | | | year, killing about 40 people and injuring |
| Heading out in the dark on a rain swept | | | | hundreds more. In a house or apartment: |
| night, the three young people in rural | | | | |
| Missouri never saw the rushing water that had | | | | * Go to a basement if available. Seek shelter |
| risen treacherously from the creek bed to | | | | under sturdy furniture, a workbench or a |
| swamp the narrow road in their path. | | | | stairwell. Cover your head, or keep a helmet |
| | | | handy. |
| The car was immediately caught in the current | | | | |
| and swept downstream. Two of the young | | | | * In homes without basements, take cover in |
| passengers managed to escape the sinking | | | | the center of the house. Go to a small room |
| vehicle, but the driver could not get free | | | | without windows, closet, or hallway on the |
| and drowned. "We never saw the water," one of | | | | lowest floor. Or hide under heavy furniture |
| the survivors marveled. "It just blended in | | | | against a strong, inside wall. Put as many |
| with the color of the road." | | | | walls as possible between you and the storm. |
| | | | |
| While storms are necessary to our existence, | | | | * The National Weather Service (NWS) |
| they also present a threat to it. Still, | | | | recommends keeping all windows closed. |
| there are steps we can take to outwit the | | | | |
| forces of nature. | | | | * Draw blinds and shades over windows to |
| | | | reduce glass damage. |
| Thunderstorms And Lightning | | | | |
| | | | While only five percent of Americans live in |
| Lightning kills about 40 Americans a year, | | | | mobile homes, about 45 percent of people |
| and can strike 10 miles from the rain area. | | | | killed in tornadoes were in mobile homes when |
| If you can hear thunder or see lightning, you | | | | the twisters hit. The best advice is: |
| are already at risk. During an electrical | | | | |
| storm: | | | | * Evacuate your mobile home and seek shelter |
| | | | in a building. |
| * Get inside a home, large building, or | | | | |
| automobile (with the windows rolled up). | | | | * If necessary, find a low spot such as a |
| | | | ditch or ravine. |
| * Stay away from open doors and windows, | | | | |
| plumbing, fireplaces, and all metal objects. | | | | Flash Floods |
| | | | |
| * Don't use plug-in electrical equipment like | | | | Flash floods and river floods have become the |
| hair dryers, tooth brushes, or electric | | | | biggest weather related killer across the |
| razors. | | | | U.S., causing about 50 deaths annually. |
| | | | |
| * Don't take a bath or shower. | | | | * Do not camp near small streams. Rain |
| | | | upstream can cause a flash flood. Camp on |
| * Do not use the telephone, except in the | | | | higher ground. |
| case of an emergency. | | | | |
| | | | * Pay attention to signs warning of areas |
| * If you are caught outside: | | | | prone to flash floods. |
| | | | |
| -In a group of people, spread out to minimize | | | | * Do not try to cross a flowing stream on |
| potential injuries. | | | | foot if the water is above your knees. |
| | | | |
| -Avoid being in or near picnic shelters, | | | | * It only takes two feet of water to make a |
| baseball dugouts, bleachers or metal fences. | | | | car float. If your car does stall, abandon it |
| | | | immediately and move to higher ground. |
| -Avoid hilltops, and tall objects such as | | | | |
| isolated trees or poles. | | | | * Be very cautious at night when it's harder |
| | | | to see flood dangers. |
| -In the open, seek a low area, squat with | | | | |
| your hands on your knees and keep twice as | | | | * Never try to cross rushing water. If you |
| far from nearby trees as the trees are high. | | | | must cross standing water, be sure you know |
| | | | the water is below your floorboards. Drive |
| -Get off golf courses, athletic fields, | | | | slowly so you don't stir waves. |
| tennis courts, bicycles, and mowers. Remove | | | | |
| shoes with metal cleats. | | | | More Survival Tips |
| | | | |
| -Get out of the water and off small boats. | | | | * Buy and use a NOAA Weather Radio for |
| | | | continuous broadcasts of weather information |
| -In a forest, find a low area under a thick | | | | from the NWS. |
| growth of small trees. | | | | |
| | | | * For more information on dealing with |
| Tornado Warning | | | | weather hazards, go to the FEMA website. |
| | | | |