The emergency alert just
appeared on your phone.
The sky is turning dark
and the wind is
getting unbearable.
A massive column of air
is spinning its way toward you.
You go to grab your car keys
to make a quick getaway,
but you might have just made
the biggest mistake of your life.
Tornadoes are one of Earth's
most violent forces of nature.
They can form within seconds
and destroy
everything in their path.
About 1,200 twisters will touch
down in the U.S. every year,
and unfortunately,
about 80 people are killed.
To avoid being part of that statistic,
today we’ll show you the five things
you absolutely shouldn’t do
during one of these storms.
Tornadoes can move at speeds of
up to 97 km/h (60 mph),
which means you aren't
outrunning one.
But don't hop in your car
to evacuate.
That could be a potentially
deadly mistake.
If you get caught in a vehicle
when the raging winds start,
drive to the closest shelter.
Never take cover under an
overpass or bridge.
They can become like a tunnel
that provides a free pass
for the intense wind
to blow debris or suck you in.
You're better off laying flat
in a low-lying area like a ditch
or a ravine.
You’ll be less likely to be hit
by flying stuff
or get pulled into the vortex.
If you live in a place
where tornadoes are common,
you might have heard that
a bathtub is a safe place to outwait
the strong winds,
but that's just a myth.
Tubs can be flimsy and
won’t provide good protection.
This is especially a bad idea
if it’s located near an
outside wall or window.
When a tornado strikes,
you’ll want to put as many walls
as possible between you and it.
In December 2021,
a deadly twister swept through
several states in the U.S.
One of those was Illinois,
where six warehouse workers died
when their building was destroyed.
They were told to continue working
despite the tornado
alerts being posted.
It’s essential that you take
official emergency weather
updates seriously
and if your employers don’t,
ignoring your boss
might save your life.
Another myth is that
opening up the windows
during a twister
can prevent a house
from being blown apart.
The misconception
comes from the belief
that the extreme low pressure
that accompanies a tornado
will impact a building less
if you allow equalization
between the inside and outside.
And if you leave the windows closed,
this pressure would cause
the higher pressure inside the house
to push violently outward.
However, researchers determined
that even when windows were open,
the overpowering force of a tornado
could still push on the roof
of a building and lift it.
When a tornado warning is issued,
you should run for shelter.
Do not waste precious time
opening windows.
Tornadoes commonly travel
from a southwest direction.
You might think that
the southwest corner of your house
is the best place to hide
since some people believe
debris will be dumped
into the northeast corner,
but this isn’t necessarily true.
Objects and debris can get thrown in
every direction,
no matter where the twister
is approaching from.
Don’t pass up a sturdier
place in the house
just because it is not
in the southwest corner.
The basement or rooms
without windows are the safest
places in your home
until the storm passes.
If you think this was extreme,
what about a fire tornado?
Would you know what to do
to get out alive?
Well, you can always
count on us
here,
on How to Survive.