Boston1954

A couple of years ago the warning siren blew in our town. It is about a mile from our house so we can hear it well. I said to Jim, "I think this is my last night on the planet". Nothing happened.

In some towns, it means about 15 minutes or maybe less. In the movie "Twister" Aunt Meg did not even have time to get to the cellar. It all depends on which direction it is coming from.

I would much rather be back home in Massachusetts. I have dealt with snow. It does not faze me.

tessagin

ANd God help you if it drops in your backyard. Have seen that happen.

SunlitenSmiles

I prefer earthquakes also..... think of them as a free amusement park ride...... sometimes I think 'time to pull all the books out of the bookcases, and rearrange them' but then I just wait and sure enough the next earthquake does half the work for me......

angelmama22

I lived in Minnesota from '66 to '82 and experienced many tornado warnings and sirens going off. We had several tornadoes go right through our small (20,000 people) town, and one bad one killed 4 people. We spent many hours in the SW corner of our basement waiting out the time it was was safe to go back upstairs again. Each kid had his own responsibility to perform - one grabbed a radio, one grabbed water, one grabbed blankets, one got the dogs, etc., and we headed to the basement on a moment's notice when necessary. I ran around the house, closing windows on one side of the house and opening others a couple of inches on the other side to equalize the pressure (that was "supposed" to prevent your house from totally exploding if hit by the tornado) before heading to the basement. One of the tornadoes that touched down at our little airport was less than a half mile from our house! Very scary times! Was just back there recently visiting some of the kids and grandkids, and while there, there were several nearby warnings and touchdowns! Don't miss them AT ALL!!!

SewingSew

In South Carolina, when my older sister was in first grade, there was a tornado at her school. She said that the kids could see the funnel cloud from the classroom window. The teacher had them get under their desks. Luckily it went by them and nobody was hurt. When I was in elementary school, we had tornado drills. We would all go to the interior hallway where there were no windows and crouch down on the floor in a fetal position and cover our heads with our hands. Our school was a brick building reinforced with rebar, which is the most ideal structure to be in during a tornado. I can remember hurricaines when I was a child. One was so strong that a drive-in movie screen blew away and was never found. I also can remember the civil defense sirens when I was a child in the late 60's. We also felt tremors from an earthquake once that measured 7.5 on the Richter scale.

We camped in a tent at Lake Erie several years back. Suddenly a quiet night turned into a bad thunderstorm with strong winds and we took cover in the car. It was over almost as soon as it had begun. We packed everything up the next morning and headed for home. We couldn't believe the devestation along the way. Houses were flattened and huge tree were uprooted. Apparently there had been a couple of tornadoes the night before.

Roberta

I don't think you have too much to worry about CookieZenmilk. The only tornado I remember doing any real damage in Massachusetts was many years ago out in the Springfield area. That being said, I hope you never have a chance to worry about the siren. I can't imagine how scared I would be if I heard it.

My son was visiting his in-laws out in Ohio when the warning went off and, having been brought up in MA, he jumped in the tub with a mattress over him. The rest of the family thought it very funny and continued eating dinner. I guess you get used to it over time but I never would.

Snooze2978

An inner room with no windows preferably, like a bathroom in the center of your house or a closet, just not a room with outer walls. I'm lucky enough to have a basement to run to. I tend to watch my cat to see how she's reacting to the weather on whether we need to head downstairs or not. Also luckily my sewing room is in the basement.

carolynjo

A good question! Have a first aid kit, an emergency supply of water, your medicines, a little spare food, a flashlight, raincoats because it usually rains immediately after a tornado hits, good shoes on your feet, and a place to huddle in place. Talk to your local first responders as they can tell you what else you might need. A knife or a weapon, perhaps, and maybe even a saw to get yourself out of a jam if a tree fell on your house. When we lived in the mts. of NC, we kept a gallon of water on each step leading upstairs just to make sure that we had water should the power fail.

cashs_mom

We have a really big coat closet under the stairway. Husband and I and all 3 dogs fit. I always keep some pillows and blankets in there just in case. We have powder room, too, but I'm leary of the big mirror on there. The closet seems safer.

ziegamomma

Living South of Houston and about 50 miles inland from the Gulf Coast, I have seen tornadoes and hurricanes. Give me a hurricane any day, at least you know they are coming and have some time to prepare. However, hurricanes can spawn tornadoes. We did not get involved in the "Runaway Scrape" of Ike, but my daughter had no power for 17 days in her area in Houston.
We have all the prep stuff, food, water, meds, etc. Make sure you have some cash on hand. With no electricity, you also have no access to banking or credit cards. My big fear is no shoes. In bad weather, especially at night, I dress and put on good shoes. I don't want to wander around debris with no decent shoes on my feet.