Essential guidance
During a tornado warning, immediate shelter is more important than collecting belongings or filming the storm. Follow your local meteorological authority and emergency services.
Urgent situations
Call your local emergency service immediately for life-threatening danger. Follow professional responders and current local alerts over general online instructions.
Know alerts and rehearse
Understand the difference between a watch (conditions possible) and a warning (immediate threat or observed event) in the country you are visiting. Know how alerts are distributed locally.
Identify the safest accessible shelter at home, work, lodging and campsites. Practice the route and check arrangements for children, pets and anyone with limited mobility.
Shelter indoors
Move to a basement or designated storm shelter. Otherwise use a small interior windowless room on the lowest floor of a substantial building, away from windows and large roof spans.
Crouch low and protect your head and neck from debris. Do not use a highway overpass as shelter. Mobile homes and tents provide inadequate protection against tornadoes.
If away from a proper building
Try to reach substantial shelter early when conditions permit. Do not assume a vehicle will protect you from a direct tornado strike.
If there is no shelter and the storm is imminent, there is no universally safe outdoor option. Follow current local emergency guidance and avoid flood-prone low areas.
After the wind passes
Remain alert for further warnings, downed electric lines, gas leaks, unstable structures and sharp debris. Account for everyone and avoid damaged structures until cleared.
Call responders for injuries and emergencies. Do not handle live wires or enter floodwater.
Field checklist
Tick items to review your readiness. Checkmarks remain on this page only and are not stored.
Related field guides
Further reading
This reference is educational and is not a substitute for emergency responder instructions, training or medical advice.