Conduct home tornado drills
Tornado drills are common in schools and offices, but they aren’t very common at home. To be prepared for one of nature’s most violent storms, families should conduct drills too, according to a UGA meteorologist.

“Families should practice their emergency plan well before the impending threat of a tornado,” said Pam Knox, Georgia’s assistant state climatologist.

If you live in a traditional frame home, the safest place to seek shelter during a tornado is the basement. If you don’t have a basement, use an interior room on the lowest level. The room shouldn’t have windows and should be the home’s smallest interior room.

Residents who live in mobile homes or trailers are often told they’re safer outside than in their homes, which isn’t always true.

“Some mobile home parks have storm shelters available for severe weather conditions. If they have them, use them,” Knox said. “If not, have an alternate plan in place before severe weather occurs.”

Seeking shelter outdoors should be a last resort.

“People should not be out in the open during a tornado,” Knox said. “If a tornado can blow a board into a tree, just imagine what it can do to a human.”