Weather Safety: How To Prepare For A Tornado In An Apartment In Plainfield
Residing in the Midwest, you can expect severe storms every year. In all likelihood, your region will even face a tornado warning from time to time. While everyone knows how to take cover in a house when tornado sirens blare, the advice for those in apartments is not as clear. If you don’t have a basement to retreat to, here’s how to prepare for a tornado in an apartment in Plainfield.
Tornado Warning? Where To Seek Shelter In Your Apartment Building
When the tornado alarms blare outside your Plainfield apartment, where can you go? Few apartments have lower levels. You may not even reside on the first floor.
While not many tornadoes are powerful enough to demolish a sizeable apartment building, smaller ones can still drive objects through glass, remove roofs, or topple trees. You must seek shelter during strong winds or tornado warnings in one of these locations:
- An underground level of your parking garage
- The bottom floor of your apartment building, and far from windows
- A ground-floor neighbor’s apartment
- Interior hallways or stairwells without windows
- An interior room or closet of your apartment
- Under a solid table
- Inside the bathtub with a thick blanket for protection
When you find a place to shelter, don a bike helmet or cover your head with a thick pillow for additional protection.
Prepare In Advance For Severe Weather
The smartest way to prepare for a tornado in your apartment in Plainfield is to stay weather aware and plan in advance. Your plan should incorporate essential supplies if you become trapped in your home or have to leave quickly. Choose a dedicated place to store your disaster kit and pack these items:
- Portable radio
- Flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Extra set of car and apartment keys
- Cell phone charger
- Money
- Medical kit
- Photocopy of your driver’s license
- Non-perishable snacks
- Sealed water
- Crucial medications
- Pet supplies
Inspect these items every six months to verify they still work, and replace the food and water. When a tornado warning goes off, take shoes and appropriate clothing with you when taking cover.
Severe winds can easily take out utility lines in your community. For power failures, keep these items at the ready:
- Shelf-stable food that doesn’t need to be cooked
- Battery-powered lights
- A power bank for charging your cell phone
When you’re fully prepped, you’ll endure any emergency better and feel more confident.
What Not To Do During A Tornado
Everyone assumes it will never happen to them. You can avoid injuries or worse during severe weather by avoiding unnecessary danger. Take cover immediately and don’t
- Get on an elevator during a tornado
- Look out the window
- Venture outside
- Take shelter under shelves, heavy wall art, or tall furnishings
Make Crossing 5 Your Home In All Sorts Of Weather!
We can’t prevent a storm, but we can offer an outstanding apartment living experience at Crossing 5 Towns & Flats! You’ll feel completely at ease in one of our roomy apartments surrounded by life-enhancing amenities in a beautiful community. Contact (317) 561-0907 or schedule a tour to come check us out and see why we’re a sought-after place to reside in Plainfield.