Protecting Yourself from Hail and High Water: Thunderstorm and Hail Safety Tips

Written by Lilly Watson l Communications Assignment Coordinator

Before bringing those May flowers we hope to see in a few short weeks, April showers bring a heightened chance of thunderstorms and hail. These weather outbreaks are able to move from nothing to severe quickly, so it is important to know your steps to safety no matter where you are when it hits your area. It is always safest to be indoors during a storm, but we have tips today on preventative measures you can take to stay as safe as possible no matter where you are caught in the storms.

If you are indoors:

Stay away from windows and sky lights that can break from hail damage.

Avoid using the phone or electrical appliances to steer clear of the danger of electrocution should your house be struck by lightning.

Make sure everyone in your home is accounted for and in one general area.

If you are outdoors:

Seek shelter immediately. If you cannot find anywhere to go, find an object that can help you protect your head from large hail.

Remember that using trees for shelter is a last resort. Trees can lose branches during a storm and isolated trees may attract lighting.

If you are caught driving when the storm hits:

Stop driving. If you can see a safe place close-by to drive to (such as inside of a garage, under a highway overpass, or under a service station awning), do so as soon as you can. Make sure you pull completely off the highway.

Stay in the vehicle until it stops hailing. Your car will furnish reasonable protection.

Pull beneath and overpass or gas station awning to protect your windshield from hail.

Lay across your seat with your back to the car windows to protect your face and eyes. If you have a blanket in your car place it over yourself to guard you should your windshield break from hail damage. Also cover any children in the car, making sure their eyes are covered, and put any very small children beneath you, also covering their eyes.

Avoid low areas or pulling into ditches so your car cannot be swept away by rising water or deep hail.

For more information on Red Cross preparedness, visit redcrossdallas.org.

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Severe Weather Coming! Prep Now!

Once again, the chance for severe thunderstorms containing high winds, damaging hail and isolated tornadoes is possible across North Texas. The time to prepare is now. The American Red Cross offers the following tips to keep families safe:

• Pick a safe place in your home where family members could gather during a tornado or straight-line windstorm. The safest place to be is underground, or as low to the ground as possible, and away from all windows. Make sure there are no windows or glass doors in your safe place and keep this place uncluttered.
  


• Check with your employer to determine where to seek shelter during the workday. Make sure your employer has a battery operated radio or a weather radio and essential supplies in the company safe room(s).



• If you live in a mobile home, choose a safe place in a nearby sturdy building. Mobile homes are much more vulnerable to strong winds than site-built structures. If your mobile home park has a designated shelter, make it your family's safe place.



• If you are in a vehicle, get out immediately. Find a sturdy nearby structure and take shelter. If there is no building nearby, go to a low-lying area until the storm passes. Taking cover under bridges is not recommended.



• If you are in a high-rise building, pick a place in a hallway in the center of the building. You may not have enough time to go to the lowest floor. Center hallways are often structurally the most reinforced part of a building.



• Check with your children's schools and day care centers to learn tornado emergency plans. Every building has different safe places. It is important to know where they are and how to get there in an emergency. Do NOT drive to your child’s school or day care center during a severe storm outbreak.



• Conduct periodic tornado drills so everyone remembers what to do when a tornado is approaching. Practice having everyone in the family go to your designated area in response to a tornado threat. Practicing your plan makes the appropriate response more of a reaction, requiring less thinking time during an actual emergency situation.



• Discuss tornadoes with your family. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing disaster ahead of time helps reduce fear and lets everyone know how to respond during a tornado.



• BE RED CROSS READY. Follow 3 Action Steps for Preparedness—Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed. A free online education module is available at www.redcross.org/BeRedCRossReady to guide users through the three preparedness steps. The ten minute presentation, available in English and Spanish, includes a downloadable disaster supply kit checklist and emergency contact card.

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With Severe Weather in the Forecast, Red Cross Urges North Texans to Make a Plan and Build a Kit Now

The irony that it’s National Severe Weather Awareness Week isn’t lost on anyone looking at tomorrow’s North Texas weather forecast. The calendar may still read February, but Mother Nature is already preparing to fire things up. That’s why the Red Cross is urging all North Texans to assemble disaster supply kits and make plans now.

The following are procedures you should follow in order to prepare your family for tornadoes:

• Pick a safe place in your home where family members could gather during a tornado, windstorm or major hail storm. The safest place to be is underground, or as low to the ground as possible, and away from all windows. Unfortunately, many residents in the Metroplex do not have basements, therefore an interior hallway or room on the lowest floor is the best choice. Putting as many walls between you and the outside will provide additional protection. Also make sure there are no windows or glass doors in your safe place and keep this place uncluttered.
  
  
• Get out of your mobile home and choose a safe place in a nearby sturdy building. Mobile homes are much more vulnerable to strong winds than site-built structures. If your mobile home park has a designated shelter, make it your family's safe place.
  
  
• If you are in a vehicle, get out immediately. Find a sturdy nearby structure and take shelter. If there is no building nearby, go to a low-lying area until the storm passes. Taking cover under bridges is not recommended.
  
  
• If you are in a high-rise building, pick a place in a hallway in the center of the building. You may not have enough time to go to the lowest floor. Center hallways are often structurally the most reinforced part of a building.
  
  
• Check with your work and your children's schools and day care centers to learn tornado emergency plans. Every building has different safe places. It is important to know where they are and how to get there in an emergency.
  
  
• Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit. This kit should be kept near your safe room, whether at home, work or school, and should contain supplies such as bottled water, flashlights with extra batteries, first aid supplies, an AM/FM or NOAA Weather radio and additional important items.
  
  
• Conduct periodic tornado drills so everyone remembers what to do when a tornado is approaching. Practice having everyone in the family go to your designated area in response to a tornado threat. Practicing your plan makes the appropriate response more of a reaction, requiring less thinking time during an actual emergency situation.
  
  
• Discuss tornadoes with your family. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing disaster ahead of time helps reduce fear and lets everyone know how to respond during a tornado.
  
  
• Log on to www.redcross.org to download free tips on getting prepared for severe weather.
  
  
• Take an online “Be Red Cross Ready” course. This 15-minute interactive course will ensure that you’ve got everything you need on-hand before the storm hits. To find the course, go to www.redcross.org/beredcrossready.

In the event that severe weather does impact the North Texas area, the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter will be ready to respond. Real-time updates for any responses can be found by following @RedCrossDallas on Twitter.

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