March is the beginning of the severe weather season and now is the time to prep. Where will you go if there is a tornado on your way to work or the grocery store? Most people never ask themselves this question, but learning proper tornado safety tips while traveling could save your life!
This week, while you are running your errands or during your work commute, do this: Observe your surroundings while driving. Take note of the location of restaurants and public buildings. If there are none, look for low areas and deep ditches. Find several safe areas along your normal route. While it is true that you never know where you will be when severe weather emerges, it is still important to be observant – observant can equal prepared in an emergency.
During research for an article supplied to Gladstone Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM in Kansas City, we discovered that seven of the nine who died in last year’s Oklahoma tornado outbreak were inside of their car. It is unclear if these individuals were caught off guard, trying to outrun the tornado, or seeking shelter in their vehicle. Please know that you should NOT attempt to outrun a tornado or seek shelter in your vehicle. Instead you should follow the following tornado safety tips:
- When traveling under a tornado warning, pay special attention to the location and/or GPS coordinates provided in the announcement(s).
- Look at your immediate sky, can you see the tornado? If not, locate the tornado and path on your GPS. This may require you to pull over or ask for assistance from your passenger.
- If you see, or discover, you are within the path of the tornado and are unable to change your course, seek shelter immediately. Restaurants are beneficial as they have a walk-in cooler that can provide sturdy shelter in an emergency. If no restaurants, other buildings, or storm shelters are within visibility, seek low areas and ditches.
- Do NOT stay in your vehicle!
Please read our full article on tornado safety when traveling HERE.