Safety for Flash Floods, Tornadoes & Lightning

Basics

• Being prepared is the most important thing during a flash flood, tornado or lightning storm. Preparedness can ensure your safety, allowing you to get to the appropriate shelter or safest area during a storm. When the weather turns bad, tune into local news or radio for warnings and reports. Map out escape routes and safe places at home and at work in the event of a flash flood, tornado or electrical storm. Having a plan of where to go can save lives both indoors and outside.

Flash Floods

• Nearly 80 percent of all flash flood deaths occur as people in cars try to outrun or navigate their way through flood waters. In the event of a flash flood, never attempt to drive through water. Water only 24 inches deep can sweep an automobile away. Roads beneath the flood waters may also not be intact. Don't attempt to out-run rising water; climb immediately to higher ground. Never camp on low ground next to a river or stream. Heed flash flood warnings from park rangers and officials and avoid areas prone to flooding.

Tornadoes

• In the event of a tornado warning, seek immediate shelter. The ideal circumstance is to take refuge in a basement beneath a large, sturdy table, away from glass or windows. If the building you are in does not have a basement, seek shelter on the first floor in a small interior room such as a closet or bathroom. Large rooms with high walls or tall chimneys are especially dangerous. If you cannot get beneath a sturdy structure, pull a mattress on top of you. Never seek shelter in a vehicle; abandon your vehicle and lie in a ditch or beneath a low bridge.

Lightning

• During a lightning storm, seek immediate shelter. Do not take shelter in sheds, pavilions, partial shelters or cars with soft tops because lightning can easily penetrate these structures. Close the windows in your house and roll up the windows in your vehicle. Do not operate electrical appliances, stand near electrical boxes or take a shower or bath during a lightning storm. Cordless phones and cell phones are safe to use because they are not connected to the wiring of the building; corded land lines are not safe to use. If you are caught outside during a lightning storm, seek a low place away from water, metal and tall trees.