PSA – Tornadoes

\”Are YOU Ready?\”

I’ve lived the majority of my life in Tornado Alley. Tornadoes are high on the list of Things Calamity Preps For.  Because of this I have certain rules,

• I only live in places with underground shelter.
• Food stores are kept at least half in that shelter.
• Water stores are kept entirely in that shelter.
• Tornado sirens are not ignored.

It’s not ideal, falling building material could break the jars that my home canning is in. (Our house is pretty old.) There are windows in the basement shelter, and even with the flannel I have taped over them, there is some risk of flying glass.

Our bug out bags are located in such a way as to be close to the front door, but also directly on the path between the bedrooms and the basement. Those are designed to come to the shelter with us for tornadoes. We have folding chairs in the shelter, and the bags have light, heat, books, games, coloring books, crank-radio and blankets. Everything we need to wait out a 30 minute tornado event. The rest of the bag contents ensure we have everything we need to survive the first few days after a close brush with a tornado. MRE’s, dried meals, socks/undies, personal hygiene, bottled water, water purifiers, work gloves, tobacco, coffee and tape.

Anyone have any tornado preps that I missed? Or something novel you think would help in such an event? Sound out in the comments!

- Calamity Jane