LIVE: Kristen's Classroom: Creating a tornado safety plan for your family
AUSTIN (KXAN) - The first step in severe weather safety is preparedness. That begins with planning ahead of time, so there's no confusion or hesitation in an emergency.
Does your family have a tornado plan?
In the situation of a tornado, you'll want to identify your 'tornado safe room'. Ideally, this would be an underground shelter or basement. Given the fact that a lot of homes in Central Texas do not have basements, the next best place to be would be a small interior room on the bottom level. More often than not, this would be a downstairs bathroom, closet, or pantry.
Depending on the lead time of a warning, it's also important to think about what you could need in your tornado shelter:
- water
- first-aid kit
- blankets
- helmet
- flashlight
- snacks
It's also important to talk through scenarios in which family members are separated. Establishing a meeting point or point of contact (out-of-state family member) that would help in reunification.
For the latest severe weather information, be sure to stay with the KXAN First Warning Weather team.