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Midwesterners in the United States are bracing themselves for tornado season as spring approaches. People in “Tornado Alley” ranging from Kansas and Oklahoma through Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio are starting to evaluate their safe room and emergency plans for what to do if a tornado strikes. Children are being drilled in the schools on where to go when a tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service, or a local spotter sounds the alarm, and sirens once meant for air raid alerts during World War II are blare the warning over the countryside.

What is a safe room?
A safe room is one that is capable of withstanding the incredible winds generated by a tornado, which range from 75 miles per hour to over 400 miles per hour, and which can withstand the impact from flying debris traveling at such enormous speeds driven by the tornado’s winds.

Valuable guidance is available from FEMA’s website to help you plan your tornado safe room, and give you some assurance that your safe room is structurally capable of withstanding high winds and flying debris. Construction plans, location considerations, and tips on how to make your tornado safe room as safe as possible are all to be found on the site. In order to view and/or print the construction plans, you will need to download the Autodesk Viewer which allows you to view Autocad generated drawings.

If you are not inclined or have the skills to build your own safe room, several companies manufacture kits for easy installation prior to a tornado striking – or for inclusion in new home construction. Many of these companies also come to your home and install the safe room.

The Federal government also offers a set of grants and funding opportunities for homeowners in states with a high incidence of tornado touchdowns, from individual grants from HUD as part of a redevelopment or rehabilitation package, to public shelter funding available to communities.

Planning For Disaster – Supplies
Now that you have a safe room built – what should it contain?

After a tornado, many essential services will be damaged. Everything from water, to electric service, to your front door may become inaccessible, and having supplies to wait out you being discovered in your safe room are essential to survive the aftermath of a tornado.

Your local backpacking store is a great place to start when assembling the supplies for your safe room, or getting ideas on what you’ll need following a tornado or other disaster. These stores carry supplies meant for long-term storage, in a small space, and your survival. A book on preparing for an extended backpacking trip will also give you many valuable tips on survival gear you should consider for your safe room.

Water Is Essential
One of the main items you should have available is water. After a tornado, it is possible the drinking water supply has become contaminated; or, the pumps moving water throughout your community are shut down because the power has been cut for an extended length of time and the backup generators have run out of fuel. You should plan for three days of drinking water for each person in your household, 1 gallon per person per day. You should store the water in food-grade plastic containers. Bulk containers can be found in camping supply stores.

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