Where to go in the event of a tornado

AMARILLO, TX (KFDA) - Sometimes people have the feeling that they need to leave their home and try to go to some kind of public shelter in the event of a tornado.

What you need to know is that almost everyone that hunkers down in their home survives a tornado if they follow the safety rules. Even in the worst, the mile wide violent tornadoes like we have seen in Moore, Oklahoma or Joplin, Missouri, people that took shelter in their homes survived.

In fact, 99 percent of people within those tornado tracks survived somewhere inside their home.

So, what you need to do is just stay put, or what we call ‘shelter in place’.

Get underground if you can or find an interior room. You don’t want to be driving around someplace being exposed to the wind and debris.

The exception to sheltering in place is if you live in a mobile home. Occupants of mobile homes must simply have better shelter.

Even the weakest tornadoes can destroy mobile homes. We still have the highest percentage of fatalities take place in mobile homes.

If you live in a mobile home you have to be very proactive and watch for weather dangers. When there is a threat, any kind of threat, as far as severe weather, every single time you have to leave that mobile home – evacuate it – for better shelter.

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