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A HOUSEHOLD HOW-TO · SEVERE WEATHER

Choose your tornado shelter spot
before a warning.

A hallway can feel familiar but still put a window or outside wall beside you. Take ten minutes on a calm day to find the best available shelter, walk to it and clear the route.

October 5 edition · Published October 5, 2026 · 5-minute read

1. Start free: walk to the best available spot.

In a sturdy house or apartment building, first identify an accessible storm shelter or basement. If you do not have one, choose a small interior room, closet or hallway without windows on the lowest floor you can reach, as far from outside walls as possible. The CDC preparation guide and National Weather Service describe this order. Walk there from where people sleep and spend the day. Clear shoes, boxes and other trip hazards from the path. If the safest area belongs to a building manager or shared space, learn when and how you can access it; do not assume a locked room will open during a warning.

2. Solve the address-specific problems now.

For an upper-floor apartment, ask the manager where residents should shelter and how to reach that area without depending on an elevator; identify your best available interior fallback if the designated space is inaccessible. For a manufactured or mobile home, an inside closet is not a safe equivalent: identify a nearby sturdy building or community shelter and arrange access well before severe weather. The CDC says not to remain in a mobile home during a tornado, and the NWS recommends a nearby safe building. Do not wait until a tornado is upon you to start a drive. If there is no usable nearby shelter, ask local emergency management what options exist for your location before the next watch.

3. Make the route usable for every person.

Walk it with children, older adults and anyone who needs mobility or communication help. Can a wheelchair turn into the room? Can someone hear or see the alert, open the door and reach shelter without a key? Decide who assists whom and how a pet comes along if time allows. Keep a pillow, blanket or another available cover near the spot to protect heads and bodies from debris, but do not let fetching it delay shelter. The CDC's during-tornado guidance prioritizes the shelter location and head protection, including adapted advice for people with functional needs.

4. Practice the trigger, not just the route.

Say the decision out loud during a short drill: a tornado watch means tornadoes are possible, so stay aware and be ready to move; a tornado warning for your location means take shelter immediately. Read the warning area, listen to trusted local alerts and move to the chosen place. The NWS watch-and-warning explanation makes that distinction. During a warning, get low, stay away from windows and protect your head. Do not open windows; the NWS safety guidance calls that a dangerous distraction. A phone or weather radio can help you follow updates once you are sheltered, but it is not a reason to delay moving.

5. Write one line and revisit it.

Write: “Our tornado place is ___; from the bedroom we go via ___; ___ helps ___.” Put the note where household members can find it and tell frequent visitors. If you move, rearrange rooms, add a household member or learn the chosen space is inaccessible, walk the route again. A brief rehearsal reveals a blocked door or misunderstood alert before a warning forces a decision.