Severe Weather and Flood Safety Week: Tornado safety

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - March 2 through March 8 is ‘Severe Weather and Flood Safety Week’ across the state of South Carolina.

Each day of this week, we will be covering various Severe Weather Topics to better prepare you and your family for any weather situation that may arise this spring.

Wednesday’s topic is “Tornado Safety.” The first step is to have a plan, because every tornado that forms is considered to be a dangerous tornado.

The safest place to be during these storms is in the center most point of a building away from any windows or doors to outside. This could be in a bathroom or closet, and you want to get to the lowest level of whatever building you are in.

Basements are the best place to be, and you can still use this plan if you live in an apartment building. You’ll also want to grab something to protect yourself from any debris that could fly around and hit you.

This could be anything from a helmet, blankets, or pillows. Make sure you also grab whatever device you use to get weather updates. This is the key to knowing what is going on outside and knowing when it is safe to stop sheltering in place.

On both the free WTOC First Alert Weather app and NOAA Weather Radios, watches and warnings are normally issued by the county instead of the city. So, make sure you know what county you live in.