Severe weather safety tips

Meagan Emerson

Five Tips to Stay Safe During Severe Weather

Tornado season is here in Oklahoma, Texas and the central Midwest, but severe weather doesn’t take an off-season. It can, and frequently does, happen at any time.

What is severe weather? As the name implies, it’s not a light drizzle. Severe weather includes thunderstorms, lightning, and tornadoes. It is any dangerous meteorological event that has the potential to cause damage or even loss of human life.

While it’s helpful to always check the weather report, severe weather – especially tornadoes – can strike with little to no warning. This is why having a “Severe Weather Plan” is so important.

How do you make one? By following these five tips.
  1. First, make sure you always have enough batteries, blankets, flashlights, water, non-perishable foods, first aid equipment and a weather radio. The time to get these things is right now. Remember the old motto: “A wise man builds a well before it rains.” Put another way, “a wise man buys severe weather supplies on a sunny day."
       
  2. It’s also important to learn the warning signs. You should pay attention to your local weather report but again, severe weather can strike without warning. So if the weather looks like a storm is brewing, get inside and turn on your weather forecast immediately.        
       
  3. Wherever you are, you should know where to take shelter. Your best bet at work or home is on the first floor in the interior of the building, away from any outside-facing walls or windows, and away from any sharp or heavy objects that can fall on you.    
             
  4. If you’re traveling, make sure someone knows your route. If you’re caught in a storm while driving, do not park under an overpass or wait in your car to ride out the storm. Instead, seek shelter in the closest building. If you can get to a storm shelter, even better. However, a storm shelter may be hard to find, so do just like you would at home or work; first floor, interior, away from heavy or sharp objects.
                 
  5. Protecting others is just as important as protecting yourself. Keep track of the other people in your group to make sure everyone is accounted for.

You can’t always predict the weather, especially in Oklahoma. But you can plan for it. Follow these five tips to stay safe during severe weather.

At Extract, we’re committed to keeping our employees and customers safe. Be sure to check back often as we share more safety advice and insights.

 

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