SAFETY
WATCH
Tornado Safety
Tornadoes are one of nature’s
most violent forces. Spawned from
powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes
can cause fatalities and devastate
farmsteads and neighborhoods in
seconds. A tornado appears as
a rotating, funnel-shaped vortex
that extends from a thunderstorm
to the ground with whirling winds
that can reach up to 300 miles per hour. Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down
and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado
even if the funnel is not visible. Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a
thunderstorm. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.
A tornado watch defines an area where tornadoes and other kinds of severe weather
are likely to be in the next few hours. A tornado watch is issued when weather
conditions favor the formation of intense thunderstorms that may produce tornadoes.
A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted or that radar has shown
circulation in a storm that could spawn a tornado. Warnings mean you should seek
shelter immediately.
Although tornadoes can happen at any time of year, they are especially common during
the spring and early summer. May and June are the peak months in terms of numbers
of tornadoes, but April appears to be the deadliest month. Two of the all-time worst
tornadoes disasters occurred in April.
YOUR FARM IS YOUR HERITAGE.
YOUR FIELD IS OUR SPECIALTY.
Specialty and Design® is a registered trademark of American Seeds, LLC. ©2013 Monsanto Company. 32685 2-20-13
Tornado Characteristics
1.
How many Tornadoes?
Each year the US is likely to have 800
tornadoes with a range from 500 to 1400.
A tornado can happen any time of year,
however more tornadoes are recorded in
May and June than any other month.
2. Time of Day
The time of day most tornadoes are most
likely to occur is the mid-afternoon between
3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Occasionally, severe
tornadoes have been recorded in the early
morning or late evening.
3. Direction of Movement
Tornadoes predominantly travel from the
southwest to the northeast. However,
tornadoes have been known to move in any
direction along with the parent thunderstorms.
4. Length of Path
The length of path averages 5 miles , but some
tornado paths have exceeded 100 miles.
5. Width of Path
The width of path of a tornado averages 300 to
400 yards, but may reach up to 1 mile.
6. Travel Speed
The translational travel speed of a
tornado averages 25 to 40 miles per hour
(mph), with a range of 5 to 60 mph.
7. Intensity of Damage
The intensity of damage from a tornado is
related to wind speed, wind borne debris,
and type of construction. The atmospheric
pressure drop in the center of a tornado does not destroy buildings, because pressures inside and outside of buildings equalize through broken window and doors or through an opening that result when sections of the roof are removed. Most fatalities are caused by flying debris.
SPECIALTY® HYBRIDS
371 North Diener Road
Reynolds, IN 47980
www.specialtyhybrids.com
You Are Responsible for Tornado Preparation
You Are Responsible: Who is in charge of your safety and the safety of others on your farm? As an owner,
manager or leader of your family’s farming operation, it is your responsibility to protect the interest of family
members and employees. Continue to think on a broad scale. Your knowledge, preparation and leadership will
not only help you to take care of yourself, family, and employees but also your community should a disaster like a
tornado take place.
Be Proactive! This bulletin encourages you to prepare for emergencies such as a tornado. Having a basic
understanding of tornadoes and a plan can help you survive a tornado and respond after the tornado has passed.
Take control, put yourself in a position to protect the people you love, the things you have and the things you need
before a tornado strikes.
Tornado Preparedness
• Develop a simple plan. Get people
and possessions that are most
important to you to a safe place as
quickly as possible.
• Prepare to be informed. During any
storm listen to local news or have a
NOAA weather radio to stay informed
about watches and warnings. Utilize
your cell phone for information. Use
weather alerts or have someone
monitor threatening weather and keep
you posted. Know your community’s
warning system.
• Identify safe rooms. For your family,
it may be a sturdy room in your house
where household members know to
gather during a tornado. For
employees it may be designated
shelter where yourself and workers
can seek shelter. When multiple
shelters are needed, make sure
everyone is accounted for and stays
put until the threat is over.
• Create an emergency preparedness
kit. A 72-hour kit is essential for any
emergency. Keep supplies in an easy
to-carry, portable kit in case you need
to evacuate.
When a Tornado Threatens
• Maintain Contact. Account for
everyone and continue listening to local
news or NOAA weather radio for
updated information.
• Watch for danger signs:
1. Dark, often greenish clouds, cloud of debris
2. Large hail
3. Funnel cloud, a visible rotating extension of the cloud base.
• Emergency Communication: Plan to warn people working in the field of
pending weather and to report in after
weather strikes.
• Get people to a safe room. The safest
place to be is an underground shelter,
basement or safe room.
• Personal Protection: When your
home, buildings and property are in
shambles, protecting yourself and
others is priority. Downed power lines,
gas leaks, unstable structures, glass
and tangled debris are all cause for
concern. If possible, carefully cut
power, turn off gas and water so an
assessment can commence. People should wear sturdy, thick soles, long
pants and long sleeve shirts when
examining damage.
• Watch out for fallen power lines.
Assume power lines are live until it is
known the power has been cut.
• Inspect for gas leaks. If you smell
gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise,
open a window and get everyone out
until the gas utility is shut off.
• Find a sturdy building and an
interior room. Get under a sturdy work
bench or furniture, door frame but away
from windows, corners and walls that
could be penetrated by flying debris.
• Avoid long span buildings. They are
especially dangerous because the roof
structure is supported solely by the
outside walls.
• Water—one gallon/person per day,
(3 days)
• Food—non perishable, easy prepare items
• Avoid taking shelter in small sheds
or outbuildings that are not anchored to
a foundation. Remember you are not
taking cover from rain and hail alone,
you are also taking cover from a
tornado that could blow the structure
away or cause damage by being hit by
penetrating debris.
• If workers are in the field, away
from shelter and can’t reach shelter,
take cover as soon as the warning is
announced. Don’t try to outrun a
tornado. Get off farm machinery and
get as low to the ground as possible as
as a last resort.
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• First Aid Kit - 7 days of medications
• Family and emergency contact information
• Copies of personal documents
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Cell phone charger(s)
• Change of clothes, under garments
• Blankets, pillows, coats, thick-soled shoes
After the Tornado
Specialty and Design® is a registered trademark of American Seeds, LLC. ©2013 Monsanto Company. 32383 2-1-13
• Go to designated gathering location:
Once everyone is accounted for you
can start to a put an action plan in
place. Who is going where and doing
what as well a plan to keep each other
posted on activities and whereabouts.
Use these resources to prepare your
customized plan for tornadoes:
•
•
•
•
•
www.fema.gov
www.ready.gov/tornadoes
www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster
http://emergency.cdc.gov/
Add First Aid App to your phone, choose First Aid –American Red Cross
GO TO WWW.SPECIALTYHYBRIDS.COM FOR MORE FARM RELATED SAFETY BULLETINS