With today's technology, we can see hurricanes coming 100 to a 1000 miles away. Tornados don't give us the luxury of knowing ahead, but with an emergency radio you will be warned soon enough to hide at least. Still, with all that advanced warning, there's only so much we can do when bad weather is on the way here, when it arrives, and after it passes. 

The following information gathered from various expert sources should come in helpful when combatting bad weather.

Know What Hurricane WATCH and WARNING Mean

• WATCH: Hurricane conditions are possible in the specified area of the WATCH, usually within 36 hours.
• WARNING: Hurricane conditions are expected in the specified area of the WARNING, usually within 24 hours.

Prepare a Personal Evacuation Plan

• Identify ahead of time where you could go if you are told to evacuate. Choose several places--a friend's home in another town, a motel, or a shelter.
• Keep handy the telephone numbers of these places as well as a road map of your locality. You may need to take alternative or unfamiliar routes if major roads are closed or clogged.
• Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
• Take these items with you when evacuating:
  • Prescription medications and medical supplies;
  • Bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows
  • Bottled water, battery-operated radio and extra batteries, first aid kit, flashlight
  • Car keys and maps
  • Documents, including driver’s license, Social Security card, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, tax records, etc.

Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit Including the Following Items:

• First aid kit and essential medications.
• Canned food and can opener.
• At least three gallons of water per person.
• Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags.
• Battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries.
• Special items for infants, elderly, or disabled family members.
• Written instructions on how to turn off electricity, gas and water if authorities advise you to do so. (Remember, you'll need a professional to turn them back on.)

Prepare for High Winds

• Install hurricane shutters or purchase precut 1/2" outdoor plywood boards for each window of your home. Install anchors for the plywood and predrill holes in the plywood so that you can put it up quickly.
• Make trees more wind resistant by removing diseased and damaged limbs, then strategically removing branches so that wind can blow through.

Know What to Do When a Hurricane WATCH Is Issued

• Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for up-to-date storm information.
• Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.
• Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood as described above. Note: Tape does not prevent windows from breaking, so taping windows is not recommended.
• Fill your car's gas tank.
• Recheck manufactured home tie-downs.
• Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.

Know What to Do When a Hurricane WARNING Is Issued

• Listen to the advice of local officials, and leave if they tell you to do so.
• Complete preparation activities.
• If you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.
• Be aware that the calm "eye" is deceptive; the storm is not over. The worst part of the storm will happen once the eye passes over and the winds blow from the opposite direction. Trees, shrubs, buildings, and other objects damaged by the first winds can be broken or destroyed by the second winds.
• Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.
• Stay away from flood waters. If you come upon a flooded road, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car and climb to higher ground.

Know What to Do After a Hurricane Is Over

• Keep listening to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for instructions.
• If you evacuated, return home when local officials tell you it is safe to do so.
• Inspect your home for damage.
• Use flashlights in the dark; do not use candles.
• Power Outage Safety
• Food Safety
• Chainsaw Safety
• Portable Generator Safety
• Water treatment:

There is no such thing as guaranteed safety inside a tornado. Freak accidents happen; and the most violent tornadoes can level and blow away almost any house and its occupants. Extremely violent F5 tornadoes are very rare, though. Most tornadoes are actually much weaker and can be survived using these safety ideas...

Prevention and practice before the storm: At home, have a family tornado plan in place, based on the kind of dwelling you live in and the safety tips below. Know where you can take shelter in a matter of seconds, and practice a family tornado drill at least once a year. Have a pre-determined place to meet after a disaster.  Flying Debris is the greatest danger in tornadoes; so store protective coverings (e.g., mattress, sleeping bags, thick blankets, etc) in or next to your shelter space, ready to use on a few seconds' notice. When a tornado watch is issued, think about the drill and check to make sure all your safety supplies are handy. Turn on local TV, radio or NOAA Weather Radio and stay alert for warnings. Forget about the old notion of opening windows to equalize pressure; the tornado will blast open the windows for you! If you shop frequently at certain stores, learn where there are bathrooms, storage rooms or other interior shelter areas away from windows, and the shortest ways to get there. All administrators of schools, shopping centers, nursing homes, hospitals, sports arenas, stadiums, mobile home communities and offices should have a tornado safety plan in place, with easy-to-read signs posted to direct everyone to a safe, closeby shelter area. Schools and office building managers should regularly run well-coordinated drills. If you are planning to build a house, especially east of the Rockies, consider an underground tornado shelter or an interior safe room.

 Know the signs of a tornado: Weather forecasting science is not perfect and some tornadoes do occur without a tornado warning. There is no substitute for staying alert to the sky. Besides an obviously visible tornado, here are some things to look and listen for:

Strong, persistent rotation in the cloud base.

Whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base -- tornadoes sometimes have no funnel.

Hail or heavy rain followed by either dead calm or a fast, intense wind shift. Many tornadoes are wrapped in heavy precipitation and can't be seen.

Day or night - Loud, continuous roar or rumble, which doesn't fade in a few seconds like thunder.

Night - Small, bright, blue-green to white flashes at ground level near a thunderstorm (as opposed to silvery lightning up in the clouds). These mean power lines are being snapped by very strong wind, maybe a tornado.

Night - Persistent lowering from the cloud base, illuminated or silhouetted by lightning -- especially if it is on the ground or there is a blue-green-white power flash underneath.

In a house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. Know where very heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc.) and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor and crush you.

In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: 

 Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairway, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. A bath tub may offer a shell of partial protection. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail.

In an office building, hospital, nursing home or skyscraper:Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building -- away from glass. Then, crouch down and cover your head. Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter, and if not crowded, allow you to get to a lower level quickly. Stay off the elevators; you could be trapped in them if the power is lost.

 In a mobile home:Get out! Even if your home is tied down, you are probably safer outside, even if the only alternative is to seek shelter out in the open. Most tornadoes can destroy even tied-down mobile homes; and it is best not to play the low odds that yours will make it. If your community has a tornado shelter, go there fast. If there is a sturdy permanent building within easy running distance, seek shelter there. Otherwise, lie flat on low ground away from your home, protecting your head. If possible, use open ground away from trees and cars, which can be blown onto you.

 At school:Follow the drill! Go to the interior hall or room in an orderly way as you are told. Crouch low, head down, and protect the back of your head with your arms. Stay away from windows and large open rooms like gyms and auditoriums.

 In a car or truck: Vehicles are extremely dangerous in a tornado. If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado. Otherwise, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes. [It is safer to get the car out of mud later if necessary than to cause a crash.] Get out and seek shelter in a sturdy building. If in the open country, run to low ground away from any cars (which may roll over on you). Lie flat and face-down, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Do not seek shelter under bridges, that can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris.

 In the open outdoors: If possible, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If not, lie flat and face-down on low ground, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Get as far away from trees and cars as you can; they may be blown onto you in a tornado.

 In a shopping mall or large store: Do not panic. Watch for others. Move as quickly as possible to an interior bathroom, storage room or other small enclosed area, away from windows.

 In a church or theater: Do not panic. If possible, move quickly but orderly to an interior bathroom or hallway, away from windows. Crouch face-down and protect your head with your arms. If there is no time to do that, get under the seats or pews, protecting your head with your arms or hands.

• Keep your family together and wait for emergency personnel to arrive.
• Carefully render aid to those who are injured.
• Stay away from power lines and puddles with wires in them; they may still be carrying electricity!
•  Watch your step to avoid broken glass, nails, and other sharp objects.
• Stay out of any heavily damaged houses or buildings; they could collapse at any time.
•  Do not use matches or lighters, in case of leaking natural gas pipes or fuel tanks nearby.
• Remain calm and alert, and listen for information and instructions from emergency crews or local officials.

THUNDER STORM SAFETY

Thunderstorms are very unpredictable and can pop up at any time. Also, remember that tornadoes can occur in areas of severe thunderstorm development. There are a few common sense measures you can take to survive some of the hazards associated with thunderstorms:

Remember:

• Lightning can be deadly! Remember all lightning safety rules!
• Stay indoors and don't venture out unless absolutely necessary
• Don't use the telephone!
• Unplug your television from the cable outlet or conventional antenna
• If there is a power failure, turn off all electrical appliances and switches before the power comes back on. This may avoid damage if there is a power surge
• Increase your awareness and be on the watch for high winds, hail and possible tornadoes. Monitor your portable radio, including NOAA Weather Radio.
• Golfers should take heed: leave the golf course and seek shelter.
• Take necessary precautions for possible flooding.
• Don't take a shower or a bath. Water and copper tubing are excellent conductors of electricity.
• Get out of the water and get off of the beaches.
• Stay in your car if you are traveling. Automobiles offer excellent protection because the metal bodies conduct electricity away from the occupants.
• If you are driving use extreme caution. Visibility may be impaired by downpours. Inspect and replace your wiper blades regularly.
• Automobile braking may be reduced by water on the road. Occasionally test your brakes by pumping them.
• When shelter is not available, as when caught in an open field, present a low profile by crouching or laying down
• Never stand near or under a tree. A lightning strike can turn the bark into shrapnel.
• Although hail is rather infrequent, park vehicles under a car port or in a garage to prevent hail damage. If you don't have a covered place for your car, thick blankets tied to the hood, roof, and trunk will offer some protection against hail.
• Never touch downed power lines. Dial 911 or the local power company immediately to ensure that the line is turned off so repairs can be made.

Thunderstorms are generally unpredictable. Even with the best weather reports, boaters can still be caught in open waters in a thunderstorm. Then, with or without a lightning protection system, it is critical to take additional precautions to protect yourself.

You should:

• Stay in the center of the cabin if so designed. If no cabin, stay low in the boat. Don't be a stand-up lightning rod!
• Keep arms and legs in the boat. Do not dangle them over the side.
• Stop all fishing, water skiing, scuba diving, swimming, or other water activities when there is lightning, or even when weather conditions look threatening. The first lightning can be a mile or more in front of an approaching thunderstorm.
• Disconnect and do not use or touch major electronic equipment including the radio, throughout the duration of the storm. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio, preferably with a portable radio.
• Lower, remove, or tie down the radio antenna and other protruding devices if they are not part of the lightning protection system.
• To the degree possible, avoid making contact with two components connected to the system at the same time. For example, the gear levers and the spotlight may both be connected to the system. Should you have a hand on both when lightning strikes, the path of the electric current could be through your heart-- a very deadly path!
• At least one person on board should be competent in CPR and first aid. Many people struck by lightning can be saved with prompt first aid.
• If a boat has been, or is suspected to have been struck by lightning, check out the electrical system and compasses to be sure that no damage has occurred.