Where should you shelter during a tornado?

Keep the purpose narrow

This shelter area is for tornadoes and destructive wind. It is not a universal emergency room.

• Flooding and storm surge call for higher ground or evacuation under current official instructions.
• Wildfire may require evacuation.
• Smoke may call for a cleaner-air room.
• A chemical emergency may require specific shelter-in-place instructions about doors, windows, and ventilation.
• An earthquake, landslide, or structural problem changes which parts of a building are usable.

Record the wind shelter separately from these plans even if the same room appears in more than one of them.

Choose the strongest practical option

Use this order for a sturdy site:

1. A purpose-built storm shelter or safe room, if one is available, maintained, and accessible to everyone who will use it.
2. A basement, away from windows and exterior doors.
3. If there is no basement, a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor, away from windows and exterior walls.

Avoid rooms with many windows, exterior doors, or a large unsupported roof span. Gyms, auditoriums, cafeterias, warehouses, and similar open rooms are not good tornado shelter areas.

Do not describe an ordinary interior room or basement as a rated safe room unless its design and construction have actually been verified to the applicable standard.

Plan another building when the structure is not suitable

Mobile and manufactured homes, recreational vehicles, tents, sheds, and storage structures are not tornado shelters. Identify a sturdy building or designated storm shelter that can be reached before dangerous wind arrives.

Confirm:

• who controls the building and whether the household may use it;
• when it is open and how entry works;
• how long it takes to reach under ordinary and impaired conditions;
• whether the route is accessible to everyone;
• how children, pets, service animals, medicine, and required equipment will travel; and
• what event or official message means it is time to leave for the shelter.

A destination that requires driving after a tornado warning is issued may no longer be a practical plan. The departure trigger belongs in the plan and must be reviewed with local emergency guidance.

Check for conflicts with floodwater

A basement or lowest-floor room can be the wind-protection choice and still be wrong when water is rising.

• Do not enter a basement or room where water covers outlets or electrical cords.
• If sparks, buzzing, crackling, snapping, or popping are present, leave the area and avoid the water.
• If your home or building can flood, identify a wind-protection alternative that is not below ground.
• During overlapping tornado, hurricane, flood, or storm-surge threats, follow current local instructions. A general article cannot resolve every simultaneous hazard from national data.

If current verified information warns of both destructive wind and rising water, treat the conflict as urgent. Follow local instructions, and do not move into a basement that is flooding or may expose you to electrical hazards.

Walk the route

1. Start where household members usually spend time and walk to the shelter area.
2. Repeat from sleeping areas.
3. Include the time needed for children, mobility equipment, communication support, pets, and service animals.
4. Clear the route and confirm that interior doors open easily.
5. Decide what will already be stored nearby so no one gathers supplies after a warning arrives.
6. Keep a flashlight, sturdy shoes, a way to receive warnings, and simple head and body protection nearby when practical.
7. Practice getting everyone into position without blocking the exit.

For pets, keep a carrier or leash reachable and know where an animal may hide. Do not delay immediate sheltering to search indefinitely. A service animal should be included in the person's route and shelter-space plan.

When a warning is issued

The event procedure is short: go to the selected shelter area immediately, stay away from windows, and protect the head and body from flying debris. Continue receiving official updates if possible.

During a tornado warning, go to the shelter area you selected and follow the immediate official instructions. Do not pause to work through this full planning guide.

Do not

• Do not open windows.
• Do not use a mobile home, recreational vehicle, tent, shed, or storage building as tornado shelter.
• Do not choose a large open room or a room beside exterior glass when a better interior option exists.
• Do not call an ordinary interior room a safe room.
• Do not enter floodwater to reach a basement or shelter area.
• Do not drive to a distant shelter after dangerous wind has arrived.
• Do not assume a public shelter is open because it appears on an old list.
• Do not make one room serve every hazard without purpose-specific review.

Next action

Choose the wind shelter area, walk the route with the full household, and record a second option if floodwater or building type could make the first one unusable.