Shelter-in-place safest plan during tornado warnings
Public advised against traveling to shelters
(April 13, 2012) - Shelter-in-place:
that’s the recommendation of Oklahoma City Emergency Management whose advice
to people is to shelter-in-place during tornado warnings.
Shelter-in-place means to take shelter
where you are, remaining inside your home, workplace or a nearby building.
Most homes provide adequate protection from 98 percent of Oklahoma’s
tornados. People who live in trailers or manufactured homes should
have a plan to seek shelter in a well- constructed building nearby.
An interior hallway or room without
exterior windows and doors on the lowest level of your house is typically
the safest place to be during a tornado. If you have a bicycle helmet, or
any type of helmet, put it on. Make sure to wear sturdy shoes when you
take cover. Shoes will protect your feet if you need to walk through
debris.
People who live on the upper level of an
apartment building should seek shelter in an apartment on the lowest level
of the complex.
Your vehicle is one of the most
dangerous places to be during a tornado. Find a business to shelter
in. Never seek shelter underneath a bridge or overpass. If you are
stranded outside, lie down in a ditch or low lying area away from your
vehicle.
Personal preparedness limits risk and
anxiety. The best thing residents can do to protect themselves against
the impact of a tornado is install a safe room or storm shelter in their
homes. These shelters are designed to give protection from the forces
of extreme winds as high as 250 miles per hour.
Oklahoma City does not have
public storm shelters. Public
storm shelters may seem like a good idea, but they often come with more
risks than benefits to residents.
- Oklahoma City has no public buildings
that are designed to FEMA guidelines to provide near absolute
protection, including protection from an EF-4 or EF-5 tornado.
- Opening public buildings as storm
shelters only gives you a false sense of security and no more protection
that a well-built residential structure.
- Traveling to a public storm shelter could
put you at greater risk than if you sheltered in place. Your
vehicle is one of the most dangerous places to be during a tornado.
- Tornadoes can happen at night. If
sirens wake you at 2 a.m. you likely won’t have enough time to gather
your family, load them into a car and drive to a storm shelter.
Sheltering in place affords you the quickest and best protection for a
no notice event.
- The City doesn’t identify private
buildings that open to the public as storm shelters because these
buildings aren’t built to FEMA guidelines and because we have no control
over whether they open or not.
Oklahoma City has not built public storm
shelters because it would be impossible to shelter even a small percentage
of the population. If we were to do this, we are required to build
enough shelters to hold more than half a million residents.
Having a personal plan and staying
informed are the two most critical elements in staying safe during severe
weather.
Log on to
www.okc.gov/tornado for severe weather tips.
Contact: Kristy Yager
297-2550 / 863-2831
