My Indiana Home Blog

With the many thunderstorms our Nation has been battling lately, I thought it worth while to add a few tips on what to do when a severe storm strikes without warning! Be safe and always use causion.

Thunderstorms And Lightning
Lightning kills about 40 Americans a year, and can strike 10 miles from the rain area. If you can hear thunder or see lightning, you are already at risk. During an electrical storm you should:
-Get inside a home, large building, or automobile (with the windows rolled up).
-Stay away from open doors and windows, plumbing, fireplaces, and all metal objects.
-Don't use plug-in electrical equipment like hair dryers, tooth brushes, or electric razors.
-Don't take a bath or shower.
-Do not use the telephone, except in the case of an emergency.
If you are caught outside:
-In a group of people, spread out to minimize potential injuries.
-Avoid being in or near picnic shelters, baseball dugouts, bleachers or metal fences.
-Avoid hilltops, and tall objects such as isolated trees or poles.
-In the open, seek a low area, squat with your hands on your knees and keep twice as far from nearby trees in case they fall.
-Get off golf courses, athletic fields, tennis courts, bicycles, and mowers. Remove shoes with metal cleats.
-Get out of the water and off small boats.
-In a forest, find a low area under a thick growth of small trees.

Tornado Warning- these are all too real recently. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of tornado outbreaks.

Over 1,000 tornadoes strike the U.S. each year, killing about 40 people and injuring hundreds more. In a house or apartment:
-Go to a basement if available. Seek shelter under sturdy furniture, a workbench or a stairwell. Cover your head, or keep a helmet handy.
-In homes without basements, take cover in the center of the house. Go to a small room without windows, closet, or hallway on the lowest floor. Or hide under heavy furniture against a strong, inside wall. Put as many walls as possible between you and the storm.
-The National Weather Service (NWS) recommends keeping all windows closed.
-Draw blinds and shades over windows to reduce glass damage.

While only five percent of Americans live in mobile homes, about 45 percent of people killed in tornadoes were in mobile homes when the twisters hit. You should:
-Evacuate your mobile home and seek shelter in a building.
- If necessary, find a low spot such as a ditch or ravine.

Flash Floods- Due to heavy rainfall recently, Indiana is experiencing flash floods throughout the state. Follow these tips to stay safe.
-Flash floods and river floods have become the biggest weather related killer across the U.S., causing about 50 deaths annually.
-Do not camp near small streams. Rain upstream can cause a flash flood. Camp on higher ground.
-Pay attention to signs warning of areas prone to flash floods.
-Do not try to cross a flowing stream on foot if the water is above your knees.
-It only takes two feet of water to make a car float. If your car does stall, abandon it immediately and move to higher ground. Be very cautious at night when it's harder to see flood dangers.
-Never try to cross rushing water. If you must cross standing water, be sure you know the water is below your floorboards. Drive slowly so you don't stir waves.

More Survival Tips brought to you buy weather experts:

-Buy and use a NOAA Weather Radio for continuous broadcasts of weather information from the NWS.
-For more information on dealing with weather hazards, go to the FEMA website.
-The American Meteorological Society provided some of the information read here.

Source for this article: Live Safely in a Dangerous World, by John Myre