Tornadoes Not Motorist-Friendly, Says Mo. Fire Chief

June 25--WARRENSBURG -- Vehicles and tornadoes do not mix, Fire Chief Phil Johnston told the City Council during the meeting Monday at the Municipal Center, 200 S. Holden St.

During a discussion about emergency management recommendations, Councilman Baird Brock asked about people getting into their vehicles prior to a tornado. He asked because a Moore, Okla., TV meteorologist told his audience to get into their vehicles and flee an approaching tornado that later caused 24 deaths and widespread damage to Moore. KFOR meteorologist Mike Morgan took heat after the report due to giving unsound safety advice that resulted in traffic jams.

Johnston said getting into a vehicle when a tornado approaches would be like being being the football on game day, with a tornado able to kick the ball around. If that happens, seat belts and air bags will provide no help, he said.

Emergency personnel never should tell somebody to get into a vehicle when a tornado is near, he said.

"The best thing people can do is take shelter," Johnston said, and if that means knocking on a door and asking to enter into a stranger's house, that is safer than being in a car.

The National Weather Service offers the following safety tips for dealing with a tornado:

Seek inside shelter immediately. A basement or underground shelter is best. Protect heads and eyes from potentially deadly flying debris. Take a portable radio or TV to the shelter.

If no basement is available go to the interior part of the lowest floor, such as a bathroom or closet. Stay away from windows. Get under something sturdy like a bench or table.

Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable to overturning and destruction during strong winds and tornadoes. Tie downs will generally not protect a mobile home from a tornado. If possible leave the mobile home and go to a community shelter. If none is available a ditch or culvert may offer better protection. Prepare a plan of action before the storm hits.

In schools, whenever possible, follow advance plans to a basement, an interior hallway, or the lowest floor. Also, while in a school:

-- Avoid the ends of hallways that open to the outside;

-- Avoid classrooms with windows or outside walls;

-- Stay out of auditoriums, gymnasiums or other structures with wide, free-span roofs; and

-- Rest rooms in the middle of a building can offer some shelter from flying debris.

Do not board or stay on school buses in a tornado warning. School buildings offer more protection and safety.

Abandon the car or truck and seek refuge in a basement, storm shelter or sturdy building. As a last resort, seek shelter in a culvert or ditch. Protect bodies from flying debris.

While in an office building, hotels or shopping mall, go to a basement, designated shelter, or to the center of the building on the lowest level, as upper stories can be unsafe. Also, while in such structures:

-- Stay away from large open rooms and windows;

-- Never seek shelter in cars in the parking lot, and

-- Buildings with large free-span roofs are vulnerable to tornadic winds. Occupants should leave these areas and move to smaller interior rooms, basements or designated storm shelters.

While in open country, seek shelter if available nearby and if time permits. If there is no time, lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch or culvert, and protect the head with one's arms.

Copyright 2013 - The Daily Star-Journal, Warrensburg, Mo.