Montgomery County EMA director on where to go if there is a tornado
Do you have a safe place?
MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - Where do you go when a tornado warning is issued in your area?
Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency Director Christina Thornton said it’s important to locate a “safe place” in your house ahead of severe weather.
“You want to put as many walls between you and the weather as you possibly can," Thornton said.
Thornton said her “safe place" is her basement.
“We go to our concrete basement," Thornton said. "Again, that’s got us several layers below the roof, and it also has the concrete siding so that we can try to be as safe as possible.”
Thornton said if you do have a basement, go there in the event of severe weather. However, if you don’t have a basement, "get to the most center point of your home, like a hallway or something without glass windows.”
Another thing to bring with you to your safe place is something to cover your head with.
“We crouch down on the floor and get as low as possible, just in case if there were anything to come through the roof, and we cover our heads, we get down, just like you did in high school and cover your head. We’re trying to prevent any kind of injury,” Thornton said. “A bicycle helmet works. Anything to cover your head most importantly, because obviously it (a head injury) can be life threatening," Thornton said.
Thornton also said “you cannot always trust a tornado siren.”
“One lightning strike can take those (tornado sirens) out. We have to have redundant measures," Thornton said.
Measures like downloading a weather app and/or buying a weather radio.
“One of the best tools you can have is a weather radio inside your home," Thornton said.
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