Weather Academy: Storm Safe Place

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - This week we’re going to be continuing on our topic of severe weather and focusing on storm-safe places. Your storm-safe place is where you go when warnings are put into place for your area. You want to make sure you know where that designated area is at school, at work, and at home.

When severe weather strikes, you want to make sure that you’re getting into the innermost portion of your home which can be hallways, bathrooms, stairwells, and closets. The basement is the very best place to be during severe weather, but we are in the ArkLaMiss and a lot of us don’t have basements, so stairwells and closets will be just fine. You want to make sure you’re putting as many walls between you and the outside as possible. But you also want to make sure that you’re protecting yourself while you’re in that safe place. You’ll want to grab pillows, blankets, or even mattresses and cover your head and your neck to protect yourself when severe weather strikes. And that’s exactly what Barbara Nale did during the storms that moved through last week.

“The wind is what woke me up. And usually, I go to my mom and dad’s and stay when it’s storms. But before I could get out of the house, it was so bad outside. So I grabbed two pillows and a blanket and went and got in my hall,” Nale said when describing the events of last week’s storms. “The wind was really and it was hailing. And really, it lifted the trailer up a little. And then the next thing that limb fell, the tree fell and put it back down.”

With mobile and manufactured homes, your storm safe place is not actually going to be in your residence. You are going to want to find a place that is either a public storm shelter or friends and family’s homes that have a solid foundation. That means you’re going to want to make sure that you have a plan in place and be prepared before severe weather strikes. Stay aware of the forecast when we do have strong storms predicted for later in the week. And then be ready to leave and get to that safe place. When severe weather rolls into the region. Especially when a tornado watch is issued. You want to move to that safe place during the watch before the warning takes into effect because if you wait until the warning is issued, that might be too late.

And don’t forget about your pets when planning for severe weather! Be sure there is room in your safe place for them too.

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