While hurricanes give you plenty of advance notice, a tornado can appear in just a few minutes, as long as the conditions are the right ones. There is no time for last minute preparations when that happens. Once the sirens start and let you know that there is a tornado coming, you already have to be prepared and you need to have everything ready. As soon as you hear the siren, you only have to go to the nearest shelter if you’re prepared. Packing a tornado survival kit is essential if you live in an area where these weather events are common. Being prepared makes sense and a lot of people have their own tornado survival kits assembled and ready to use as soon as a tornado is sighted.
While having a place to go to when a tornado is announced is the most important thing to do, having a survival kit ready is the second thing. Keep that survival kit safe and in a place where it’s easy to reach in the event you need to get out of the house quickly. Once the siren starts going, you don’t need to start gathering supplies around the house, so you have all the time you need to get to the shelter. Since tornadoes are so unpredictable and fast, saving time is a huge thing.
A tornado bag can be a simple backpack, a good choice to hold some emergency supplies inside. If a backpack is not available, a duffel bag made from nylon will work just as well, as long as the handles are sturdy.
The things that should go into the survival kit should include a flashlight for each of the family members, plus some light sticks that glow in the dark. An emergency weather radio should also go inside, together with blankets, emergency food, water and a first aid kit.
