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Whenever a tornado is in the area, there is a small window of time for preparation after the fact. One of the main benefits of having a safe room, is that the first thing you should do when receiving the warning is get into the smallest enclosed area on the lowest floor possible. It’s helpful to be underground, in a basement, or in one of our bunkers or underground storm safe’s simply because the dirt and/or concrete aid in keeping you out of the path of debris. Debris are one of the most harmful things in a tornado, as the weather systems can fling entire cars and pieces of houses for extreme distances. If your safe room is inside your home, and a door connects you to the rest of the ouse, it’s beneficial to also have a mattress ready to place at the door in order to keep glass and other pieces of your home that may be flung by the tornado from entering the basement. Really, you want to get as many walls and ceilings as possible away from the tornado as you can.

When a tornado strikes, many people will be clogging the roadways in order to get to a safe spot or community center in order to take shelter from the storm. Everyone is aware of how frustrating traffic can be, but rarely is it life and death. Those people without a safe room are also preventing emergency vehicles from assisting others and evacuating those who are wounded. Not only are those drivers endangering themselves, they end up endangering others accidentally. Not to mention the panic and frantic nature of their driving when there is a tornado headed their way. When it rains it pours, but when an accident in the middle of a tornado storm can be prevented, it’s best to prevent that. If you can, stay in your home and follow the instructions above. If you don’t own a safe room, take a look at our catalog in order to inform your purchasing decision. We have many articles on the benefits of safe rooms here on our blog, and also information about what to do in case of a tornado.

It’s important to note that listening to the weather man is also not the best idea either. While they are trained meteorologists, they are not safety experts. There was in instance in Oklahoma where a weatherman informed people in the tornado’s path to go south out of town and avoid the storms. Some people were not aware that taking to the roads is not good advice, and ended up causing a traffic stand still near the edge of town. This effectively doomed many people as the storm caused damage to the stationary vehicles. If you are unlucky enough to be on the road whenever a tornado does touch down (which is very much a possibility), always remember to not take shelter underneath an overpass. The way that the overpass is built seems to posit it would be a safe place to hide, but the aerodynamics of the overpass can increase the wind speeds due to the tunnel effect by ten fold. Also, leaving your car on the highway can be extremely hazardous, clogging up the road way and adding to possible debris.

All in all, staying put during severe weather is the best way to go. If you can make for a community shelter when you’re on the road you should, but if you are in your home and you own a safe room you are more safe than anywhere else. Safe rooms are constantly saving lives in areas where tornadoes are prevalent and even in areas where they are not. Tornadoes can happen anywhere given the right climate circumstances, although they do happen more frequently in certain areas. Anywhere tornadoes are extremely frequent, some cities and counties require homes to be built with safe rooms. It is unlawful to not allow room for safe rooms to be built, as it essentially makes the home non-future proof. Be sure to be prepared in any case at any given time if you live in a frequent tornado area. The extra few minutes you spend preparing on a day to day basis may end up saving you and your family’s life. Elephant Safe Rooms provides the perfect solution for surviving severe weather. From tornadoes, to wildfires, an Elephant Safe Room is guaranteed to keep you and your family safe. We offer individual safe rooms, underground bunkers, and we can even retro fit an existing room into a safe room. Don’t fret whenever a storm comes rolling through your neighborhood, and have a peace of mind knowing you will always have a protected place to stay. To learn more about our safe rooms feel free to contact us here.