Tornado season is almost here—here's how to prepare your home

As we approach spring, beyond the warmer temperatures and clear skies, many of us in the U.S. will also have decidedly less weather to contend with—tornadoes. While the peak of tornado season varies from region to region, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tornado season begins nationwide in early spring.

While tornadoes are most common in the “Tornado Alley” which roughly overlaps with the Great Plains region, it’s important to be vigilant wherever you live in the U.S. as tornadoes have been recorded in all 50 states, according to the NOAA.

While some tornadoes are too strong to avoid damage, you should still prepare your home as best as you can to mitigate potential damage and increase the safety of those in it. Here’s what you need to prepare your home and everyone in it if a tornado makes touchdown nearby.

Prepare the home in advance

Before tornado season commences, you should prepare your home ahead of time.

Installing retractable storm shutters, which can be opened and closed at a moment’s notice, can protect household members and minimize damage inside the home by making it harder for flying debris to shatter your windows.

Additionally, keep trees in your yard trimmed of damaged or weak limbs, as these could become possible projectiles with strong winds or a tornado. Likewise, clean up any heavy debris like branches, bricks, or firewood surrounding your home.

If strong storms are in the forecast for your area, bring in any patio furniture, grills, trash cans, or plants to avoid damage to them and your home. Even relatively lightweight items can become dangerous projectiles when strong winds are in play, so try to move or secure any loose objects beforehand. The American Red Cross recommends creating a list of items to bring inside, which may make emergency prep easier and quicker when the time comes.

The Red Cross also recommends having a professional reinforce the garage door of an attached garage. Debris can break through the door, allowing wind to get inside, making the rest of your home vulnerable and potentially liable to blow away.

Have an emergency kit ready to go

You never know when an emergency, like a tornado, may strike. That’s why you should try to have an emergency kit of essentials on hand before the emergency happens.

Ready.gov, FEMA’s partner site, has recommended a list of emergency items to prepare in one or two easy-to-carry containers. Here are just a few of the essentials:

• Water (at least one gallon per person per day for several days)
• Food (try to stock up three days’ worth of non-perishables like canned and dried goods, dry snacks, and baby food or formula if applicable (don’t forget a can opener, too)
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Batteries
• Cell phone chargers (make sure to have portable power banks on hand to keep them charged)

Of course, your emergency kit will vary depending on your household’s needs and abilities—this fact sheet from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides a comprehensive checklist based on specific needs. You can find more information on building the right emergency kit for your home at Ready.gov.

In addition, you can also make your own survival kit or buy a premade one in case you need to evacuate your home. This kind of kit should include some of those essentials featured in an emergency at-home kit. You may also choose to include a sleeping bag, a portable shelter (i.e. a survival tent, survival tinder, portable toothbrushes), and other on-the-go items. When preparing for disaster, it's important to pack money and medicine in case you’re away from home for a long time.

We’ve tested several survival kits and found our top choice to be the Ready America 2 Person Deluxe Emergency Kit. This particular kit features many helpful products such as a water bottle, a radio/flashlight combo, emergency blankets, and a first aid kit.

Stay alert and know when a tornado could strike

If strong storms are in the forecast for your area, stay up to date with local radio and TV stations on local weather conditions. If your power goes out, make sure to keep phones charged using a portable power bank and to use a battery-powered or hand-crank radio for real-time alerts.

Be aware of tornado watches or warnings being issued for your area and know the difference between the two:

• Tornado Watch: This refers to the possibility of a tornado or a tornado near the watch area.
• Tornado Warning: This means that a tornado has been sighted or indicated on a radar and there is imminent danger to life and property. Shelter should be taken immediately.

While it’s important to stay informed, tornadoes can strike without any time for warning. Keep an eye and an ear out for warning signs of tornado danger—this may include dark, green-colored clouds or sky, a wall cloud shape, a cloud of debris, large hail, funnel clouds, or roaring noises that sound like a freight train. If you notice any of the following, it’s time to take cover.

Know when and where to shelter

Do not wait until you physically see the tornado to begin sheltering. Rather, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends practicing common sense and caution. If you believe you are in danger, seek shelter immediately. Use local government guidance, alerts sent directly to your phone, or any on your radio and TV.

When it’s time, know where the safest spot in your home is. Move to an underground shelter like a basement, if possible.

If your home doesn’t have one, move to an inside room without any windows on the lowest floor of your home—this may be a bathroom or closet. If you are in a mobile home, the American Red Cross says to evacuate to a nearby sturdy building or shelter, as mobile homes aren’t safe to be in during severe weather.

The CDC says you can add protection by sheltering underneath something sturdy like a heavy table or workbench. Additionally, you can cover your body with a mattress or blankets. If anything, protect your head with whatever is available.

For people with disabilities and special needs, make sure you have a specific plan in place for sheltering well in advance.

Those in wheelchairs should move away from windows and into an interior room, sheltering under any tables or desks, if possible. Again, if anything, use any object to cover your head—even your hands if that’s all you have.

For those unable to move from a bed or a chair without assistance, use any blankets, pillows, or the like to take cover from projectile objects.