Are we heeding our client’s advice?

As I was clearing out my basement last night, while under a tornado watch once again until midnight, it got me to thinking — “what does the Red Cross say I should do?”

I work on their account daily, have seen hundreds of letters about preparing for a storm, but did I really pay attention? Surely this couldn’t happen to me.

It’s kind of like when you are on a plane and the flight attendant tells you take the emergency information card out of the seat back pocket in front of you. Does anyone besides Michelle Noyes really do this?

Well, the recent events in Joplin, Tuscaloosa, North Minneapolis, Oklahoma and Memphis indicate we should. The people living there probably had the same felling I did, “this couldn’t happen to me.” As I was cowering in the stairwell here in the office this morning, I realized it can!

So let’s take advice from our friends at the Red Cross, and be prepared.

STEPS TO HELP YOU PREPARE:

Prepare a Home Tornado Plan

• Pick a safe place where family members can gather, like a basement.  If you don’t have one, choose a center hallway, bathroom or closet on the lowest floor.
• If you are in a high-rise building, you may not have time to reach the lowest floor.  Pick a place in a hallway in the center of the building.

Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit

• First Aid kit and essential medications
• Canned food and can opener
• At least 3 gallons of water per person
• Protective clothing, rainwear and bedding or sleeping bags
• Battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries
• Special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members
• Written instructions on how to turn off electricity, gas and water if authorities advise you to do so — remember, you will need a professional to turn them back on

Stay Tuned for Storm Warnings

• Listen to your local radio and TV stations for updated
  storm information.
• Know the difference between a tornado watch and warning:

• A tornado watch means a tornado is possible in your area.
• A tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted and may be headed for your area. Go to your safe place immediately.

If a Tornado WATCH is Issued . . .

• Listen to the local radio and TV stations for updates.
• Be alert to changing weather conditions.  Blowing debris or the sound of an approaching tornado may alert you.  Many people say it sounds like a freight train.

If a Tornado WARNING is Issued . . .

• If you are inside, go to your basement or interior room to protect yourself from glass and other flying objects.
• If you are outside, hurry to the basement of a sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area.
• If you are in a car or mobile home, get out immediately and head for safety, as above.

Don’t wait for disaster to strike before you plan how to deal with it.  Be prepared!