Q&A for How to Survive a Tornado

You will see odd things happening with clouds.They appear to be combining together to make a tornado. Next, you will see the clouds start landing right to the ground, in a funnel formation. If these two conditions are met, then you know a tornado is coming. If you see a tornado touching down, get shelter immediately.

Put an ID tag on your pet's neck and have it micro-chipped as well. This will allow anyone who might find your pet for any reason it might get lost, that you're the person to return the pet to. In preparation for your safety before a tornado, call your pet early if you can't find it and make it a priority to keep looking regularly until you find it. As soon as you do, place it in its carry cage and keep it there, with some food and a blanket or towel. If it needs the bathroom, either provide a litter tray in an enclosed area or on a leash, so that you can return it to the cage immediately after. As soon as you get any inkling a tornado is coming, prepare to evacuate pets along with yourself well ahead of time.

Most tornadoes form during thunderstorms. You need warm moist air from the Gulf Of Mexico and cool dry air from Canada. When they meet they create instability in the atmosphere.

Make some noise periodically. If you have some flash lights, shine them periodically at night if you think it is visible outside (do not use a candle, as it may start a fire). Find a screwdriver and start dismantling the door. It is best to keep a few cans of air-horns and earplugs in your bunker for this reason. Use a cellphone, if you have a working one, to call 911 or your local emergency number.

If your phone works, use the light from the screen or the flashlight function. Do not use a match or lighter for illumination in case of a gas leak.

If you are driving when there is a tornado, look for a possible shelter. If you find one, then run to it and take cover. If there is no shelter around, get out of your car and crouch down in a low ditch and place your hands over your head. And if you can, drive away from the storm's path.

Debris that flies through the air during the high winds could crash through the window. You could get hurt seriously, or even killed, by flying debris and shattered glass.

When the powerful wind ceases and everything stops moving.

You can't really tell where a tornado will go. Listen for tornado sirens. They act as an early warning that a tornado has touched down nearby. If you hear a siren, get to a basement or interior room and stay away from windows. Don't even look out your windows to check and see if the tornado is coming your way, as that is an unnecessary risk.

Quite possibly yes but if you can't go to the crawl space, you can always put a mattress over your bathtub and wait out the tornado. Have a fireman or fire station inspector come to see your house and advise you on the best possible safety course in the event of a tornado.

Hug your loved ones, and pray to the Lord for protection.

Yes, if the tornado isn't very large, it is good to shelter under a bed.

Have a crank-up radio on hand to listen to updates regularly and put your number in for message alerts via text on your phone with your local emergency services and weather bureau. In terms of self assessment, check the sky to see what it looks like and if you're lucky, you may be able to see it. Another indication is quick change of wind direction.

Most likely not and it is certainly not recommended by any safety procedure or government safety advisories. A lot of tornadoes are strong enough to pick up poles and other heavy things and throw them like child's toys. Even if the pole stayed intact though, debris would fly into you and probably kill you as you are unprotected on that pole.

You can't really predict if a tornado is going to happen with much more than 10-15 minutes notice. Meteorologists can predict violent storms and they could have the potential to produce tornadoes, but that's no guarantee a tornado will occur. A tsunami tends to happen as a reaction to another event, so in some cases if they're traveling far they can be predicted. However, if it is traveling far it also has more time to die down.

You can get under a bed, or put a sturdy mattress over your body.

A tornado watch means there is a possibility for a tornado in your area. A warning means there is a tornado on the ground near your area and that you should seek shelter immediately.

If you don't have any shelter in the outdoors, you should go to the bottom of a hill, a dip in the land, or a ditch. Crouch down and cover your head with your arms. If you are near a building, then you should try to take shelter there.

Get under your seat and duck your head down, or find some other way to protect your head. Follow instructions from the bus driver or whichever adult is in charge.

If the dog is small enough you can make her come with you. She may not like it but at least she'll have a better chance of survival. If he's too big to drag downstairs, put him in the most interior bathroom or laundry room on the lowest floor of your house. He'll have the best shot there. Don't stay with him, you need to go to the basement and hole up there, your life is more important than comforting your furry friend.

Try to recognize the signs yourself. If the sky is green or orange, for instance, there might be one coming. In that case follow the steps listed above.