Last Updated on May 6, 2024, 6:48 PM | Published: May 6, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY — For those who are new to Oklahoma or even Oklahoma City, surviving a tornado outbreak and then recovering from it in a location that has a long, harrowing history can seem like a daunting task. But, it’s not impossible.
Here are some ways to make it through a severe storm and what to do afterward:
Observe the weather
When there’s a chance of severe weather, wherever you are, be sure you know the local conditions and have many sources of information.
At least one technique – like a weather radio with a hand crank – should function without power, without batteries, and without a cellular or Wi-Fi signal. For emergency information, check out NOAA Weather Radio, your local news sources, and the official pages on social media.
Outside alert sirens
There are 182 outdoor warning sirens in Oklahoma City.
A polygon on a National Weather Service tornado warning map indicates the location of the storm and its estimated path. Next, the City turns on every siren in the impacted areas. Next, the City turns on every siren in the impacted areas.
Over the years, the City has increased the number of sectors to allow more pinpointing of alerts. By using this procedure, sirens are not activated in locations where there is little to no hazard.
While sirens can be heard indoors a lot of the time, their main job is to warn people who are outside about impending tornadoes.
How to respond if you hear a siren
As soon as you hear a siren, seek shelter and learn more about the storm.
Wherever the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning or where there has been a reliable report of a tornado, OKC’s outdoor warning sirens sound. There is no all-clear signal.
A tornado threat is not over after the sirens cease. As new or more hazards are identified, sirens are activated again.
Because of the wind and rain during a loud thunderstorm, you might not be able to hear a siren inside your home even if you usually regularly hear one.
Testing of Sirens
On Saturdays at noon, the sirens will be tested unless there is a risk of severe weather. If during Saturday’s test, someone who typically hears sirens is unable to hear them, they should report it to the Action Center at [email protected].
Safety from tornadoes
If a tornado is approaching, seek cover inside a sturdy structure. The biggest risk is from flying debris.
In a tornado, the most dangerous locations to be in are cars and manufactured homes. Being inside a car or mobile home during a tornado strike is blamed for many fatalities.
Our experience in OKC in the past has been that too many people attempt to flee the storm by getting out on the road, thereby creating traffic jams that end up trapping people in their vehicles — exactly where you DON’T want to be.
When there is a chance of a tornado while you are traveling, seek shelter in a nearby sturdy building. Never try to drive through a tornado to escape it.
A basement or storm shelter constructed by ICC 500 and FEMA criteria is the safest place to remain.
If there isn’t a storm shelter, head to the building’s lowest-level closet, hallway, or innermost room. Maximize the number of barriers separating you from the external environment and maintain a safe distance from windows and doors.
The majority of houses in Oklahoma offer life-saving shelter from 98 percent of tornadoes.
Utilize a helmet and/or employ pillows, cushions, and thick blankets to augment your level of protection. Wear durable footwear that will provide adequate protection for your feet in case you need to navigate through debris.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are no public tornado shelters in Oklahoma City.
Create a strategy
Discuss tornadoes with the people in your household. When calamity hits, you might not be with your loved ones, so you should make plans for how and where you will reunite.
Think about your plans should cell service be erratic or nonexistent. Go to Ready.gov and utilize their form to make a Family Emergency Communication Plan. Ensure a full understanding of the strategy and conduct a thorough assessment on days with an elevated probability of severe storms.
You can never talk to your friends and relatives too much about strategies and ways to contact each other in an emergency.
Arrange a meeting with your child’s school to discuss their tornado preparedness strategy, and remember to devise a plan for your pets as well.
Hazard Alert System Easily Accessible
Oklahoma City collaborates with Deaf Link to offer the Accessible Hazard Alert System (AHAS), which notifies registered individuals who are Deaf, Blind, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf/Blind about emergencies and disasters in Oklahoma City in an accessible manner before, during, and after. Register through this link.
Design a kit
You can survive on your own for a few days following a disaster with the use of an emergency supply kit. Create a kit that will last your family and you for seventy-two hours. It should contain things your family needs, such as water, medication, additional batteries for your cell phone, a weather radio, a flashlight, and more batteries, a first aid kit, baby formula and diapers, and pet food.
List your storm shelter
Are you registered with Oklahoma City for your storm shelter, and is your contact information up to current? If not, visit okc.gov and click the “register my storm shelter” button located beneath the resident title at the top of the website.
With the free, voluntary Storm Shelter Registry, you can give details about your storm shelter so that in an emergency, police, fire, and emergency services can locate you. Simply phone the Action Center at (405) 297-2535 if you are without internet access.
What to do and not do in Oklahoma City during a tornado
Self-deployment
Self-deployment refers to the act of independently organizing and carrying out one’s own deployment or assignment without relying on external assistance or support.
When a disaster strikes, fight the urge to go right away and assist until the local community has asked for volunteers. When unaffiliated responders self-deploy, the already complicated and hazardous situation can become much more chaotic.
Volunteers
Visitors to okvoad.org, the website of Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, can volunteer either during or after a disaster.
To be as successful as possible, it is usually ideal to be trained and linked with a relief organization before the tornado strikes.
How to help
Giving money to reputable groups handling the disaster is the greatest approach to help those it affects. Donations of cash let survivors or relief agencies buy what they need when they need it. Local companies benefit and tax money stays in the community when materials are purchased locally.
These tips are based on advice given by staff in the City of Oklahoma City government.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
