Tornadoes, hailstorms may occur next month - Pagasa

Information about tornados

The following web sites had free information about tornados

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornadoguide.html
Ttornadoes....
Nature's Most Violent Storms

Adapted from: A PREPAREDNESS GUIDE Including Safety Information for Schools U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service September 1992 (NOAA, FEMA, The American Red Cross);
A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or more. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.

Tornadoes occasionally accompany tropical storms and hurricanes that move over land. Tornadoes are most common to the right and ahead of the path of the storm center as it comes onshore.

Tornado Variations

* Some tornadoes may form during the early stages of rapidly developing thunderstorms.

* Tornadoes may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up.
* Occasionally, two or more tornadoes may occur at the same time.

Waterspout

* Waterspouts are weak tornadoes that form over warm water.

* Waterspouts occasionally move inland becoming tornadoes causing damage and injuries.

Environmental Clues
Look out for:

* Dark, often greenish sky
* Wall cloud
* Large hail
* Loud roar; similar to a freight train

Caution:

* Some tornadoes appear as a visible funnel extending only partially to the ground. Look for signs of debris below the visible funnel.



* Some tornadoes are clearly visible while others are obscured by rain or nearby low-hanging clouds.


These dangers often accompany thunderstorms:

* Flash Floods:
* Lightning:
* Damaging Straight-line Winds
* Large Hail: Can reach the size of a grapefruit


Tornado Safety
What YOU Can Do

Before the Storm:

* Develop a plan for you and your family for home, work, school and when
outdoors.
* Have frequent drills.
* Know the county/parish in which you live, and keep a highway map nearby to
follow storm movement from weather bulletins.
* Listen to radio and television for information.
* If planning a trip outdoors, listen to the latest forecasts and take necessary
action if threatening weather is possible.

tornado damage

If a Warning is issued or if threatening weather approaches:

* In a home or building, move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement.
* If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room or hallway
on the lowest floor and get under a sturdy piece of furniture.
* Stay away from windows.
* Get out of automobiles.
* Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car; instead, leave it immediately.
* Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes and
should be abandoned.

Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that advance warning is not possible. Remain alert for signs of an approaching tornado. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most deaths and injuries.

It's Up To YOU!

Each year, many people are killed or seriously injured by tornadoes despite advance warning. Some did not hear the warning while others received the warning but did not believe a tornado would actually affect them. After you have received the warning or observed threatening skies, YOU must make the decision to seek shelter before the storm arrives. It could be the most important decision you will ever make.
Who's Most At Risk?

* People in automobiles
* The elderly, very young, and the physically or mentally impaired
* People in mobile homes
* People who may not understand the warning due to a language barrier

Tornado Safety in Schools
EVERY School Should Have A Plan!

* schematic of best tornado shelter. Crouch tight and cover your head with your
hands. Develop a severe weather action plan and have frequent drills,
* Each school should be inspected and tornado shelter areas designated by a
registered engineer or architect. Basements offer the best protection. Schools
without basements should use interior rooms and hallways on the lowest floor
and away from windows.
* Those responsible for activating the plan should monitor weather information
local radio/television.
* If the school's alarm system relies on electricity, have a compressed air horn
or megaphone to activate the alarm in case of power failure.
* Make special provisions for disabled students and those in portable classrooms.
* Make sure someone knows how to turn off electricity and gas in the event the
school is damaged.
* Keep children at school beyond regular hours if threatening weather is
expected. Children are safer at school than in a bus or car. Students should
not be sent home early if severe weather is approaching.
* Lunches or assemblies in large rooms should be delayed if severe weather is
anticipated. Gymnasiums, cafeterias, and auditoriums offer no protection from
tornado-strength winds.
* Move students quickly into interior rooms or hallways on the lowest floor. Have
them assume the tornado protection position

Hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions should develop a similar plan

YOU can prepare for the possibility of a tornado by learning the safest places to seek shelter when at home, work, school, or outdoors. You should also understand basic weather terms and danger signs related to tornadoes. Your chances of staying safe during a tornado are greater if you have a plan for you and your family, and practice the plan frequently.

FAMILY DISASTER PLAN

Families should be prepared for all hazards that affect their area. NOAA's National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the American Red Cross urge each family to develop a family disaster plan.

Where will your family be when disaster strikes? They could be anywhere - at work, at school, or in the car. How will you find each other? Will you know if your children are safe? Disasters may force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services - water, gas, electricity or telephones - were cut off?

Follow these basic steps to develop a family disaster plan...

1. I.Gather information about hazards.
Contact your local National Weather Service office, emergency management or
civil defense office, and American Red Cross chapter. Find out what type of
disasters could occur and how you should respond. Learn your community's
warning signals and evacuation plans.
2. II.Meet with your family to create a plan.
Discuss the information you have gathered. Pick two places to meet: a spot
outside your home for an emergency, such as fire, and a place away from your
neighborhood in case you can't return home. Choose an out-of-city friend as
your "family check-in contact" for everyone to call if the family gets
separated. Discuss what you would do if advised to evacuate.

3. III.Implement your plan
(1) Post emergency telephone numbers by phones; (2) Install safety features in
your house, such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers; (3) Inspect
your home for potential hazards (such as items that can move, fall, break,
or catch fire) and correct them; (4) Have your family learn basic safety
measures, such as CPR and first aid; how to use a fire extinguisher; and
how and when to turn off water, gas, and electricity in your home; (5)
Teach children how and when to call your local Emergency Medical Services
number; (6) Keep enough supplies in your home to meet your needs for at
least three days. Assemble a disaster supplies kit with items you may need
in case of an evacuation. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry
containers, such as backpacks or duffle bags. Keep important family
documents in a waterproof container. Keep a smaller disaster supplies kit
in the trunk of your car.

A DISASTER SUPPLIES KIT SHOULD INCLUDE:
A 3-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won't
spoil. One change of clothing and footwear per person. One blanket or sleeping
bag per person. A first-aid kit, including prescription medicines. emergency
tools, including a battery-powered portable radio, flashlight, and plenty of
extra batteries.an extra set of car keys and a credit card or cash. special
items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.

4. IV.Practice and maintain your plan.
Ask questions to make sure your family remembers meeting places, phone numbers,
and safety rules. Conduct drills. Test your smoke detectors monthly and change
the batteries at least once a year. Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s)
according to manufacturer's instructions. Replace stored water and food every
six months.

http://www.tornadoproject.com/

www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_591_,0.

http://www.haysusa.com/html/tornados.html
The following information was provided by the National Fire Safety Council, Inc.

Before a Tornado

* Find out what warning signals (sirens and weather bulletins) and procedures
your community has. Know where the established shelters are. Know evacuation
procedures for the elderly, disabled, and animals.

* Establish family tornado safety drills. Practice them both during the day and
at night. Check emergency procedures for daycare, hospitals, your workplace,
etc.

* Choose 2 safe meeting places. One outside of your home for emergencies such as
fire, and the other outside of your neighborhood in case you can't return home
(such as a marked shelter). Be sure family members know where this safe shelter
is and the phone number.

* Ask a relative or friend who lives out-of-state to be your "family contact."
Inform other family members that do not live with you to call this person for
information. Local telephone lines may not be in service and it may be easier
to call long distance. This will keep lines needed for emergency open.

* Inspect your home often for objects that could move, fall, break, or cause
damage or injury.

* Keep inventories and records in a safe place away from your home or in a water
proof container.

Tornado Watch

Conditions are favorable for severe weather, including a tornado. A tornado watch usually lasts 2-6 hours and covers a section of the state. Keep an eye on the sky for changes in the weather. A watch allows time to prepare.

* Listen to local radio and television weather reports.
* Locate all members of your family and know where they will be.
* Review your tornado safety drill.
* Make sure your first aid kit is complete.
* If time permits, secure items that could be carried away or propelled such as
garbage cans and lawn furniture. Park vehicles in the garage when possible.

During a Tornado

Knowing the basic skills of survival in the event of a tornado can help keep your family safe whether you are at home or away.

Emergency personnel and disaster relief workers are on the scene quickly, but not everyone can be reached right away. Basic services such as electricity, water, gas and telephone me be out for days. You could suddenly lose everything including your home.

After a Tornado

DO NOT go to the tornado scene. Remain calm and stay in your safe shelter or safe meeting place until the danger has passed and help arrives. The area must be kept clear for emergency personnel. Listen for instructions and follow them. Cooperate with local officials who are trained in emergency procedures and are looking out for the welfare of the entire community.

* Apply first aid or seek help for seriousl y injured people.

* Check for property and auto- mobile damage.



After Tornado


* When you check for gas or other utility line breaks USE A FLASHLIGHT ONLY. Never use a match, lighter, or any open flame to check these highly flammable items. Only turn off utilities if you suspect the lines are damaged or are instructed to do so. Remember: some utilities such as gas need to be turned back on by a professional

* Be a good neighbor and help others in need, but do not venture into damaged
buildings or areas.

* Avoid and report downed powerlines.

* Only use water that is declared safe for consumption and check food for glass
and debris.

* Contact your insurance company.

* Clean up flammable or poisonous liquid spills.

* Call your "family contact" and alert him to your condition. Ask him to notify
other friends and relatives who may be concerned. Avoid using the phone unless
needed for a life-threatening emergency.




http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/
TORNADO SAFETY

What should I do in case of a tornado? That depends on where you are.

Opening the windows is absolutely useless, a waste of precious time, and can be very dangerous. Don't do it. You may be injured by flying glass trying to do it. And if the tornado hits your home, it will blast the windows open anyway.

Stopping under a bridge to take shelter from a tornado is a very dangerous idea, for several reasons:

1. Deadly flying debris can still be blasted into the spaces between bridge and
grade -- and impaled in any people hiding there.
2. Even when strongly gripping the girders (if they exist), people may be blown
loose, out from under the bridge and into the open -- possibly well up into the
tornado itself. Chances for survival are not good if that happens.
3. The bridge itself may fail, peeling apart and creating large flying objects, or
even collapsing down onto people underneath. The structural integrity of many
bridges in tornado winds is unknown -- even for those which may look sturdy.
4. Whether or not the tornado hits, parking on traffic lanes is illegal and
dangerous to yourself and others. It creates a potentially deadly hazard for
others, who may plow into your vehicle at full highway speeds in the rain,
hail, and/or dust. Also, it can trap people in the storm's path against their
will, or block emergency vehicles from saving lives.

Vehicles are notorious as death traps in tornadoes, because they are easily tossed and destroyed. Either leave the vehicle for sturdy shelter or drive out of the tornado's path. When the traffic is jammed or the tornado is bearing down on you at close range, your only option may be to park safely off the traffic lanes, get out and find a sturdy building for shelter, if possible. If not, lie flat in a low spot, as far from the road as possible (to avoid flying vehicles). However, in open country, the best option is to escape if the tornado is far away. If the traffic allows, and the tornado is distant, you probably have time to drive out of its path. Watch the tornado closely for a few seconds compared to a fixed object in the foreground (such as a tree, pole, or other landmark). If it appears to be moving to your right or left, it is not moving toward you. Still, you should escape at right angles to its track: to your right if it is moving to your left, and vice versa -- just to put more distance between you and its path. If the tornado appears to stay in the same place, growing larger or getting closer -- but not moving either right or left -- it is headed right at you. You must take shelter away from the car or get out of its way fast!

The SW corner is no safer than any other part of the basement, because walls, floors and furniture can collapse (or be blown) into any corner. The "safe southwest corner" is an old myth based on the belief that, since tornadoes usually come from the SW, debris will preferentially fall
into the NE side of the basement. There are several problems with this concept, including:

1. Tornadoes are not straight-line winds, even on the scale of a house, so the
strongest wind may be blowing from any direction; and
2. Tornadoes themselves may arrive from any direction.

In a basement, the safest place is under a sturdy workbench, mattress or other such protection -- and out from under heavy furniture or appliances resting on top of the floor above.

What is a safe room? So-called "safe rooms" are reinforced small rooms built in the interior of a home, which are fortified by concrete and/or steel to offer extra protection against tornadoes, hurricanes and other severe windstorms. They can be built in a basement, or if no basement is available, on the ground floor. In existing homes, interior bathrooms or closets can be fortified into "safe rooms" also. FEMA has more details online.

Community tornado shelters are excellent ideas for apartment complexes, schools, mobile home parks, factories, office complexes and other facilities where large groups of people live, work or study. FEMA has some excellent design and construction guidance for these kinds of shelters; and a licensed engineer can help customize them to the needs of your facility.

There is the potential for massive death tolls if a stadium or fairground is hit by a tornado during a concert, festival or sporting event -- even with a warning in effect. Fans may never know about the warning; and even if they do, mass-panic could ensue and result in casualties even if the tornado doesn't hit. Stadium and festival managers should work with local emergency management officials to develop a plan for tornado emergencies -- both for crowd safety during the watch and warning stages, and (similar to a terrorism plan) for dealing with mass casualties after the tornado.

There is a website with preparedness tips for school administrators which can provide helpful tips in devising a safety plan.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/school.html
These strategies can be adapted for nursing homes, dorms, barracks and similar structures as well.

Question: "I am seeking advice to protect employees in a large, one-story commercial building that has pre-poured cement
outer walls and a metal roof. We have no basement, the interior offices are drywall partitions with a dropped ceiling and
there does not appear to be any area that is secure. The local fire department has no suggestions." This manner of construction is very common; however, it's hard to know the integrity of any particular building without an engineering analysis, preferably by hiring a specialist with experience in wind engineering. My experience doing damage surveys is that large-span, pre-fab, concrete and metal beam buildings are very sturdy up to a "break point" -- which can vary a lot from site to site -- but then crumple quickly and violently once that threshold is reached. A concrete-lined (and -topped) safe room with no windows is recommended. This is an emergency bunker that may double as a restroom, break room or employee lounge, but should be big enough to fit all occupants in the event of a warning. For more information on safe rooms, see FEMA's safe room page, which deals mainly with residential construction, but which can be adapted for office use. As noted there, the Wind Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University also provides technical guidance about shelters. Their toll free number is 1-(888) 946-3287, ext. 336.

Question: "Our office would like to print signs (universal symbol image type signs) similar to "emergency exit," "fire extinguisher," etc. that could be used to identify designated tornado shelter areas. Can you provide me with a graphic or
something I can use?" Sure! There isn't a universal tornado shelter symbol yet. Any such sign should be very bold and noticeable -- yet designed to be simple, with minimal visual clutter, so even a small child can recognize it. In response
to this question, here is one possible tornado shelter sign which may be printed and used freely.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/tshelter.gif


There are also versions with arrows pointing right, left, up, and down. The signs ideally should be printed in color, on heavy card stock or sticker paper for durability.