dangling tornado wreckage

(via weather.com)

When a tornado warning has been issued, you may have very little time to prepare.

How you respond now is critical. And how you react depends on where you are.

In a Frame Home

• Make sure you have a portable radio, preferably a NOAA weather radio, for information.

• Seek shelter in the lowest level of your home (basement or storm cellar). If there is no basement, go to an inner hallway, a smaller inner room, or a closet. Keep away from all windows.

• You can cushion yourself with a mattress, but do not use one to cover yourself. Do cover your head and eyes with a blanket or jacket to protect against flying debris and broken glass. Don't waste time moving mattresses around.

• Keep your pet on a leash or in a carrier.

• Multiple tornadoes can emerge from the same storm, so do not go out until the storm has passed.

• Do not leave a building to attempt to "escape" a tornado.

In a Mobile Home

• Leave your mobile home immediately and take shelter elsewhere.

Outside

• Try to get inside and seek a small protected space with no windows.

• Avoid large-span roof areas such as school gymnasiums, arenas, or shopping malls.

• If you cannot get inside, crouch for protection beside a strong structure, or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area and cover your head and neck with your arms or a piece of clothing.

In a Car

• Ideally, you should avoid driving when tornadoes or other kinds of dangerous weather threaten, because a vehicle is a very unsafe place to be. If, however, this is not possible, stay as calm as possible, and assess the situation.

• Your best option might be to get out of the car and lie flat in a ditch or other low-lying area that is sufficiently deep enough to protect against the wind.

• If you do so, beware of water runoff from heavy rain that could pose a hazard; get as far away from the vehicle as possible and shield your head from flying debris.

• Or, if possible, take shelter immediately in a nearby building.

http://www.weather.com/ready/tornado/warning.html