FIELD GUIDE 05 / TORNADOES & SEVERE STORMS
Know the shelter before the warning.
A practiced shelter route, reliable alerts and the myths that can waste the few minutes you have.
01 / PREPARE
Before the event.
Pick the shelter at each regular location
Identify a basement, purpose-built safe room or small interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, away from windows. Learn the school or workplace plan too. Large open rooms such as gymnasiums are poor shelter choices. [1] [2]
If you live in a mobile home, plan elsewhere
A mobile home, tent or shed is not a safe tornado shelter. Arrange access to a nearby sturdy shelter before storms arrive, including transport and help for people who need it. Leave enough time to get there safely. [1]
Keep alerts and essentials close
Prepare more than one way to receive official warnings, including a battery radio. Place a flashlight, shoes and necessary supplies near the shelter. Practice getting there with household members so the route is familiar. [1] [2]
02 / RESPOND
During the event.
Get low and protect your head and neck
Use the planned interior shelter. Get under sturdy furniture if available and cover your head and neck. Stay away from windows and follow the site emergency plan. Do not use an elevator. [2]
Avoid false shelters
Do not shelter under a highway overpass. If travelling, seek a nearby sturdy building when you can reach it safely; do not try to outrun the tornado. A vehicle is not a reliable tornado shelter. [2] [1]
03 / RECOVER
After the immediate threat.
Keep listening for further warnings
One tornado passing does not end the threat. Follow local instructions before leaving shelter. Once safe to move, watch for broken glass, unstable structures and downed electrical lines. [2]
Communicate without entering damaged areas
Use text messages for routine check-ins where service is available; reserve emergency calls for urgent help. Stay out of an unsafe home. Do not turn on switches or light a flame where a gas leak is suspected. [2]
DETAILS WORTH KNOWING
A few assumptions to check.
Opening windows wastes shelter time
Public Safety Canada advises keeping windows closed during a tornado. Your priority is getting to shelter and protecting your head, not trying to equalize pressure. [2]
A stationary-looking tornado may be approaching
A funnel that appears not to move can be travelling toward you. Do not use its apparent position as a reason to stay outside or film it. [2]
HOUSEHOLD POWER
Where backup power fits.
Put a charged phone, a small compatible power bank and an LED light in the shelter kit before the storm. Backup power helps you hear instructions afterward; it should not create extra tasks once the warning arrives. Test your alert setup when conditions are calm and keep a paper contact list in the shelter.
Try this before you need it
Time an ordinary walk to your chosen shelter without rushing. Check doors, stairs and accessibility. If anyone cannot reach it reliably, change the plan now rather than expecting them to move faster during a warning.
Local context: Canada
Use Environment and Climate Change Canada warnings and Alert Ready information for your location. Canada records tornadoes beyond the Prairie provinces; make a local plan wherever you live.
04 / MAKE IT YOURS
Your household action card.
Print the PDF and complete the last page. Keep it with your kit. The checkboxes below are temporary reading aids; they do not save information.
FOLLOW THE SOURCES
Official guidance.
The numbered references beside each action link here. Read the original guidance for fuller context and follow current instructions at your location.
Original summaries and household planning prompts by StillPower Guide, operated by Mihai Florea. Sources checked October 24, 2026. No agency endorsement. This page is educational preparation, not a live alert service. In immediate danger call your local emergency number (911 in the U.S. and Canada).
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