Prepare for a tornado before it strikes - information to help you understand the dangers and what you can do before a disaster (information below). Current watches and warnings. Recover from a tornado - recognize possible environmental hazards and what you can do to protect your and your family's health, and for commercial buildings and schools (information below).

General (non-emergency) information about tornadoes from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Tornadoes can strike with little or no warning. If you live in an area where tornadoes occur, prepare ahead of time to mitigate disaster from a tornado.

General info: Before a Tornado: How to Plan. Be alert to changing weather conditions. If you are under a tornado WARNING, seek shelter immediately! más en español (from fema.gov)

Know where safe rooms and community shelters are located. Know your risk and have a safe place to go, with time to get there. Check storm watches and warnings where you live (from NOAA).

Drinking water and food

• Make a kit of supplies. (ready.gov) Keep at least a 3-day water supply per person -and don't forget pets. What you can do to protect your household well.
  
• Prepare food supplies for a weather emergency. Get a fridge thermometer to be sure of safe storage temperatures if you lose electricity. Freeze extra containers of water ahead of time. Use ice chests in case power is out for more than four hours. More info...
  
• For water and wastewater facilities - Suggested activities to help facilities prepare for severe weather conditions. Pls note, the linked information is written for hurricane preparedness but much of it will still apply to tornado preparedness activities as well.

Debris - Planning For Disaster Debris Damage from tornadoes is caused by high-velocity rotating winds. The severity of the damage depends on the size of the tornado funnel and the length of time the funnel touches the ground. Damage is generally confined to a narrow path extending up to half a mile wide and from a hundred yards to several miles long. Tornado debris includes damaged and destroyed structures, green waste, and personal property. More information

Well-designed storage of fertilizer and chemicals - Properly designed or modified storage facilities enhance worker safety and minimize the risk contamination.

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Recover from a tornado strike.

General info: What to do after a tornado. (fema.gov)

ALERT: Generator exhaust is toxic. Put generators outside or carefully vent the exhaust outside because the exhaust contains dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide (CO), a poisonous gas. More information

Drinking water and food

• Boiling water information To kill all major water-borne bacterial pathogens, bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Boil 3 minutes at elevations above 5280 ft (1 mile or 1.6 km). Getting and disinfecting water (fema.gov)
  
• Make sure older adults have enough water to drink. Older adults may feel thirsty less, and dehydration can be life threatening to an elderly person. More info...
  
• What to do about water from household wells after a flood . Do not turn on the pump - danger of electric shock. Do not drink or wash with water from the flooded well. More info. General info about household wells.
  
• Keeping food safe during an emergency. Don't test spoiled food by tasting it! (usda.gov)
  
• For water and wastewater facilities - Suggested activities to help facilities recover from severe weather conditions. Pls note, the linked information is written for hurricane recovery but much of it will still apply to tornado recovery activities as well.

Pesticides, chemical and oil spills, hazardous waste

• Call the National Response Center 1-800-424-8802 (24 hours a day every day). For those without 800 access, please call 202-267-2675.
• Industries and businesses that encounter spills or discharges in a hurricane's aftermath should contact the National Response Center immediately.
• National Pesticide Information Center: 1-800-858-7378. Pesticide contacts
• General information about environmental emergencies

Debris

• What To Do With Disaster Debris - Disasters can generate tons of debris, including building rubble, soil and sediments, green waste (e.g., trees and shrubs), personal property, ash, and charred wood. How a community manages disaster debris depends on the debris generated and the waste management options available. Burying or burning is no longer acceptable, except when permission or a waiver has been granted, because of the side effects of smoke and fire from burning, and potential water and soil contamination from burial. Typical methods of recycling and solid waste disposal in sanitary landfills often cannot be applied to disaster debris because of the large volume of waste and reluctance to overburden existing disposal capacity. More information...
• Disposing of debris from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

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