DON’T try to outrun a tornado. The typical tornado may move at about 10 – 20 to miles per hour, but some tornadoes move at 60 miles per hour or more. Trying to outrun a tornado on foot or in a vehicle is a dangerous move. Instead seek safe shelter immediately.
DON’T stay in a car, trailer, or mobile home (even if its tied down). These simply provide little to no protection from the up to 300 mile per hour winds. Get out, get to a more sturdy shelter, or lie flat (and cover your head) in any depression you can find. The bottom line is that you will do better in the open lying flat than you will inside what will likely become a projectile or simply disintegrate. Don’t try to take cover under the car, trailer, or mobile home. Get away from them so they don’t hit you when the winds sweep them away.
DON’T stand there watching the tornado or filming it. Get away from the window. Put the video camera or cell phone camera down and value your life more than you do a few seconds of fame on the internet or with your friends. Seconds can matter. If a tornado is heading your way, take cover! Avoid the deer in the headlights reaction.
If you are outdoors, DON’T seek shelter around trees, vehicles, or other things that can become airborne projectiles. Try to get to a safe and sturdy shelter or lie down in the best gully, ditch, or depression you can find and cover your head. Things will be flying – even heavy things – so keep yourself as flat as possible. Flying debris cause the majority or fatalities and injuries in a tornado. Stay away from things that can blow apart or blow onto you.
DON’T take cover under a bridge or overpass. The reality is that in a tornado, winds can actually accelerate under such structures and the structures themselves can come apart and create deadly debris. Also, you will probably be violating the “stay away from cars” rule as you will likely have your own vehicle there as well as those of others who did not read this list of things NOT to do in a tornado.
