Lightning Safety Tips - Also great tips for a hail storm.

There is no safe place outside when thunderstorms are in the area. If you hear thunder, you are likely within striking distance of the storm. Just remember, When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors! Too many people wait far too long to get to a safe place when thunderstorms approach. Unfortunately, these delayed actions lead to many of the lightning deaths and injuries in the U.S.

The best way to protect yourself from lightning is to avoid the threat. You simply don’t want to be caught outside in a storm. Have a lightning safety plan, and cancel or postpone activities early if thunderstorms are expected. Monitor weather conditions and get to a safe place before the weather becomes threatening. Substantial buildings and hard-topped vehicles are safe options. Rain shelters, small sheds, and open vehicles are not safe.

A safe shelter from lightning is either a substantial building or a enclosed metal vehicle. A safe building is one that is fully enclosed with a roof, walls and floor, and has plumbing or wiring. Examples include a home, school, church, hotel, office building or shopping center.  Once inside, stay away from showers, sinks, bath tubs, and electronic equipment such as stoves, radios, corded telephones and computers.

Unsafe buildings include car ports, open garages, covered patios, picnic shelters, beach pavilions, golf shelters, tents of any kinds, baseball dugouts, sheds and greenhouses.

A safe vehicle is any fully enclosed metal-topped vehicle such as a hard-topped car, minivan, bus, truck, etc. While inside a safe vehicle, do not use electronic devices such as radio communications during a thunderstorm. If you drive into a thunderstorm, slow down and use extra caution. If possible, pull off the road into a safe area. Do not leave the vehicle during a thunderstorm.

Unsafe vehicles include golf carts, convertibles, motorcycles, or any open cab vehicle.

Tornado Safety Tips

More tornadoes strike Texas than any other state. They can occur at any time of year, including winter, but are most frequent from mid-March through May. They are also common during hurricanes and tropical storms.

To prepare for these violent storms, there are several precautions you can take:

• Seek shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor of your home, such as a bathroom, closet or room without windows. Cover yourself with a mattress or cushions.
• In an office building, go to an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor.
• If you are in a mobile home, get out and take shelter in a nearby building. If there are none, lie flat in a ditch or ravine.
• At school, follow plans and go to a designated shelter area, usually interior hallways on the lowest floor. Avoid auditoriums, gyms and areas with wide, free-span roofs.
• In a shopping center, move towards the interior away from exterior glass walls.

Never stay inside a car. Get out and lie flat in a ditch or a ravine. If a building is nearby, take shelter inside. Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car.

DO NOT TAKE SHELTER UNDER AN OVERPASS! Construction elements of an overpass actually increase the wind potential and you can be pulled from under the bridge and injured or killed.

If you are in open country, take cover in a low spot away from trees, preferably in a ditch or ravine.

Learn the difference between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning.
A Tornado Watch means watch the sky, conditions are favorable for thunderstorms that can produce tornadoes in the affected area.

A Tornado Warning means a tornado is on the ground or conditions are favorable in the storm to produce a tornado in the affected area. Seek shelter immediately.