Works For Me: Tornado Safety

Occasionally, people without their own blogs will send me their Works-For-Me Wednesday tips via e-mail.  You're more than welcome to do this (though I can't guarantee I'll be able to publish them here)--and, as always, you're also welcome to leave your WFMW tips in the comment section.  This week Sarah in Missouri sent me this very timely tip.  As a fellow Tornado-Alley dweller who has spent much time hunkered in closets with cranky children, I thought this was great:

In preparation for some severe weather predicted for this evening I packed a clear plastic bag (the zippered variety that bedding comes in) with bottles of water, a bottle for the baby, formula, pacifier, goldfish crackers, books, crayons, coloring book, etc. and placed it at the top of our basement steps. I also made sure that there was a clear path to our "safe place" in the basement and placed an old comforter in a trash bag nearby for us to sit on while we wait for the all-clear. I feel so much better already knowing that if we have a tornado warning late at night or during the day when my husband is gone I don't have to worry about collecting all of these items from all over the house- I can just grab my kids and head downstairs.

Have a tip you'd like to share with all of Bloggityville? Please, share the links to your tips below.  (WFMW guidelines can be found here.) 

1. Laura (hanging on to naptime) 2. OW (healthy summertime snacks) 3. Laura in KY (boys haircuts) 4. An Ordinary Mom (water bottles) 5. NspiredByFaith 6. lizzykristine (household odor remover) 7. NspiredByFaith(Stuffed Crust Pizza) 8. Everyday Mommy (Easy Subscription) 9. Military Mommy (Special Seasoning) 10. Rebecca Mielke (modest neckline test) 11. Rachel (easy filing) 12. Kara (online notes) 13. Beth F. (cheap soap refills) 14. Julie (Keeping Bottled Water Cold in Summer) 15. Tammy\'s Recipes (storing apple slices) 16. Homeschool Mama (Talking to your child about purity) 17. lifeasamama (easier balanced breakfasts) 18. Anna (Photo Frames) 19. Viriatha (Meal Planning) 20. Shauna (May baskets) 21. Alexandra(Easy Cleaning Schedule) 22. Chrystal (Coupon Organization) 23. Owlhaven (springtime school) 24. The Pumkin Patch-Household Notebook 25. Sam(antha) (Cold Season) 26. Michelle at Scribbit (raising a reader) 27. Pass the Torch (parenting tip) 28. The Family CEO (Lemon and Lime "Ice" Cubes 29. Amy (TV Guardian) 30. Treasures From Heaven (Big Brother Shirts) 31. Carrie (weekly chicken) 32. Joyful Days (stress relief) 33. Liza\'s Eyeview - Decluttering - really! 34. Jen (Packing tip) 35. Robin (Steak and A Movie Night) 36. Another Robin (lice prevention 37. Jodi (scrambled eggs) 38. Jenny (Cleaning the microwave) 39. Ashley (Free outings) 40. Zoe (over door storage isn\'t jsut for over the door) 41. Karen L (diet donuts!) 42. Pastormac\'s Ann (left-over mac & cheese) 43. Emma (slow cooker) 44. Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry (Kitchen Helper) 45. Jennifer (Kids Travels Book) 46. Marcia (organising your handbag) 47. Jennie C. (hundred dollar jar) 48. Trixie @ Farm Home Life (Earning Extra $) 49. It Coulda Been Worse (Deluxe Eyemask) 50. Jennifer, Snapshot (Letter-Writing help)

51. Aubrey (Skin Care Tips) 52. Kel (removable bumper stickers) 53. Mama Says (College for Free) 54. ~liz (stop getting junkmail!) 55. Whymommy (encouraging reading) 56. Janel (teach yourself piano) 57. Michelle - Library 58. Nancy (remembering birthdays) 59. Elizabeth (homemade granola bars) 60. Rachel Anne (Fun, easy game!) 61. The Preacher\'s Wife (Easy Homemade Hand/Body Cream) 62. Amblin (Husbands and Wives) 63. sugar ave (snacks for us) 64. Jessica (Consignment Sales) 65. KD (Love Those Zip Lock Baggies) 66. Heather L.(kids\' art work) 67. Charmin (tar clean-up) 68. Cori ~ Gentle Bubbles 69. Heather(Eating on the go!) 70. Mama Duck (stain remover) 71. Kim ( * picky eater & nutrition * ) 72. Annette (seed keeper) 73. Rona - BerryMorins Bits and Tips 74. Christine (Cheap, better giftwrap) 75. Coralie (Tips For Buying or Selling a House) 76. Barbara H. (Redeeming the time) 77. Elena (Ikeepbookmarks.com) 78. Girl Gone Wild (Perfect Over Easy Eggs) 79. Many Little Blessings (Creating Family Budget) 80. Jean 81. Michelle (Stash Peach Iced Tea) 82. The Cheerio Queen (easy menu planning) 83. Lisa@Everyday Adventures (2fer:Ross & PaintShopPro) 84. Cyndi (CoinStar) 85. Lady Why (poison ivy soap) 86. chilihead (ginormous bubble bath) 87. Paige (alternative use for dishwasher) 88. My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving(MySpace) 89. Sarah (20 Minutes) 90. Jennifer (math worksheets) 91. Jordan @ MamaBlogga 92. Jordan @ MamaBlogga (Eliminate junk mail) 93. Mira (magazine recipes) 94. Cammie (Vita Mix) 95. themomhalf (slowing the washing machine drain) 96. Smockity Frocks (Juggling) 97. Mommy (Teething Solutions) 98. Amy (library books) 99. Ann Kroeker (projects contained and portable) 100. Carrie J (Incorporate Blogs into Personal Journals)

101. Rona - My Chronic Pain Does Not Control Me (spa manicure) 102. diatribal (Two Easy Steps) 103. Jill 104. Jill (cheap kids toys and clothes) 105. Toni (unschooling journal) 106. Amy @ Experience Imagination (budgeting w/gift cards) 107. Mrs Pear (Carpet touch up) 108. Stacy (Diligence Dollars) 109. Eden (Chow Hall) 110. Darcy (Clean your Windows with Coffee Filters) 111. The Building Brows (Reduce Your Clothing Expenses) 112. GP in Montana 113. MommaBlogger-Organizing Recipes 114. Jen 115. Chappyswife (baby/wedding shower) 116. kimm(safety in numbers) 117. Bethanie (the best razors) 118. Lisa (Laundry tips) 119. Susan (pill swallowing tip) 120. Amy Jane (If you sign with baby) 121. Jessica (Miracle-Gro) 122. So Many Joys (eating organic) 123. GiBee (Why onions make you cry) 124. MrsB (Babywearing) 125. Heidi (labeling garden plants) 126. madridmom (first post -- clean underwear) 127. Jen (Emptying Dishwasher) 128. Like Merchant Ships (baking caddy) 129. Kathy (frugal spa bath) 130. Melissa (Save Money on Swiffer Sheets) 131. Buby & Co. 132. Lisa H. - 1st Time (Contact Tips) 133. Buby & Co. (Family Photo Art) 134. MrsLady (Mother\'s Day Idea) 135. Brian (Google as a spell checker) 136. Melonie (Workerette.com) 137. Kahri (nuggets of Knowledge) 138. Kim - Getting out ink 139. Mandy (planning Disney vacation) 140. Emily (grilling) 141. Bethany (peelable boiled eggs) 142. Mom in Action (quick dinner) 143. Emily (grilling) 144. Totallyscrappy (Cleaning with Rice) 145. OneStorm.Org (preparedness) 146. Amberly (easy dinner rolls) 147. LanaFalana 148. Debbie (SATees: Fun t\'s and onesies)

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Comments

[Overwhelmed!]

I used to live in a town plagued with tornados. We weren't nearly this prepared! :)

[Barbie]

This sounds so much better than my normal screaming of "what do I do??" :-) I know this is my first year in Oklahoma but geez there is nothing like a siren to get the blood flowing!!

[momrn2]

I grew up in tornado alley and my mom did the same thing. We had a small walk in closet in the basement we went to. She kept a few blankets and pillows in there as well as peanut butter, crackers, water jugs, flashlight, books, and a battery powered radio, etc.

I remember so many times sitting in that closet as a family. I also remember numerous times being waken in the middle of the night. With the pillows and blankets often us children would find ourselves snuggling close and falling back asleep. When we did our parents did not wake us to return us to our beds at the end of the warning. (Sometimes there were more than one in a given night.) We would just sleep until morning, waking side by side in our "tornado closet".

[Military Mommy]

I grew up in TN and we had a few tornados there, but not like you get. Now in CA I just have to worry about earthquakes. :)

Michelle

[Roy]

How to get your kid to clean her room

Been waiting for Wednesday so I could post to WFMW, only to find that (as far as I can tell), I need a blog to do so. The saddest part is that I intended to plug WFMW as a solution itself.... I'll try anyway.

While chuckling about this past weeks The Closet Picture I got an idea. I called my younger daughter over to look at the picture and subsequent comments. Then I asked her what she'd think of a picture of her room being posted and discussed. Hmmmm.
The light bulb turned on.

Worked for me. Once, anyway.

[Michelle]

My only experience with tornadoes would be watching the Wizard of Oz. Not too many up here, though we all know about earth quake safety. Good stuff to know though, thanks.

[Sallie]

though not usually recommended, my dad out drove two seperate tornadoes. I guess he isn't a wait and see kind of guy :-)

I miss the storms but not the tornadoes!

Sallie

[Carrie]

Here on the coast in VA we have hurricane season, and those come in two types:
1. Prepare for extended power outages
2. Get the heck outta dodge now

So our solution is to have a box ready with power-outage stuff (candles, matches, flashlights, etc), and to have our exit plan ready (which we did years ago and coordinated with my parents). However, this past year's lack of hurricanes resulted in our power-outage box getting vultured here and there, and now I need to get another one together. Thanks for the reminder!

Roy, thanks for leaving that WFMW tip in the comments! I am gonna try that with my boys. It's just evil enough to be effective, LOL.

[Jen]

I'm so glad that we don't live in "tornado alley". That must be so scary.

[Joyful Days]

When Roo was about 6 months old a tornado threw a tree through our back door. I was alone with my baby, three cats and a puppy!! Needless to say I was near hysterical.

I need to get our stuff together for this season. Tonight was a reminder here.

Good timing & great words!

[jodi]

Wow...Someone mentioned tornados not too long ago during a thunderstorm (I had an umbrella and it literally blew itself inside out!)

This is my first time taking part in WFMW too, I'm #37 in the list! I'm amazed at how many people link (and how quickly! It's only been Wednesday for two hours here!)

[Jenny]

Although we don't have tornados in our part of Canada it is approaching forest fire season for us. This is a great reminder for me to get prepared as my husband often works a lot of overtime hours during the summer and is often not reachable by phone.
Thanks!

[Karen]

I so need to do this...thanks for the tips!

[Zoe]

never experienced a tornado, and feeling blessed because of that. We don't seem to face on a regular basis natural disasters like that, so when they do happen they are so out of the ordinary they catch people off guard and no one is prepared.

[~liz]

there was a microburst here just the other day. we need an "emergency pack"!

[Amblin]

What a great idea! We live in Tornado Alley as well and I have a small stash downstairs of emergency things. But I need to replenish it and I love the idea of plastic bagging everything!

Thanks for the tip!

[Michelle]

Thanks for that tip -- we were on a Tornado Watch last night till 11pm. Thankfully we have been spared from any coming close to home!!

[Kari]

Always remember the flashlights, battery powered radio (one with a weather band would be best), extra batteries, and something most don't think of but a disposable camera to take pictures of any damage (of course rather there not be any but best to be prepared) as sometimes insurance agents get overwhelmed and cannot make it out as quickly as needed.

[Nancy]

Great tips as always Shannon! Thanks!

[The Preacher's Wife]

I am horrified of tornados..The one time I was truly in imminent danger from one, I got belts and strapped my kids to me so they wouldn't fly away...:)) I can laugh about it now..I give you permission too..:))

[sugar ave]

That is a really good idea. We hear the occasional siren here and I would feel so much better if we were a bit prepared. Thank you!

[Heather L.]

Great idea! Though I don't live in Missouri anymore, we still get plenty of warnings and close calls here in Ohio. It's nice to be prepared and then pray you'll never need what you've prepared.
Thanks for hosting! It is always so fun to share and learn!

[Christine]

74 by 8:00 CT. You're amazing, girl.

[MamaDuck (Lisa)]

Ooooo, scary. We do the same thing for hurricanes (and tornadoes) down here tho. Good idea and always good to prepare.

[Paige]

I'm going to have to show this tip to my husband! I do this and he makes fun of me for it! We don't live in Tornado Alley but we do have lots of severe weather. I just like to be prepared!

[Vicki]

great idea..now if only I had a basement..*LOL*

[Jordan]

One more emergency preparedness tip (we're big into this stuff here):

Have 72 hours' worth of supplies on hand--water, food, clothing, shelter, medicines, diapers--and ready to go at all times. Individual backpacks are pretty handy for this if you can pack light.

Local, state and federal governments may take up to three days to get to you in the even of an emergency.

Also, as I know has been mentioned on WFMW before, it's a good idea to keep an emergency kit in the car.

We're working on building up a year's supply of food at my house (in case of some majore emergency that doesn't require us to leave our house. I don't know, famine?). Tough work. So far, we'll be eating black beans, corn, green beans and tomato paste.

[Diane]

What a great idea!

So different from my own youth...living in the Tornado alley of Minnesota.....I would join my mother and sib's in the darkness of our cellar, while our father would grab a brewster...and sit out on the front lawn with the other neighbor men...and watch the storm as it approached! Worked for them!

Like your WFMW better! :)
Diane

[Myfriendconnie]

Thanks for letting me play along, Shannon.

[Melanie]

Something to add to your bag-

I have lived in hurricane alley so we evacuate. I always take with me my insurance policy. You may want to make a copy and put it in your ziplock bag, just in case. Also, take pictures of your home and personal items with a disposable camera. Just keep it in the bag, develop if something happens. The ziplock will keep it all dry in case your house is hit.

[Toni]

I used to do something like this all the time but fell out of the habit. Thanks for the reminder.

[Eden]

Great tip, Shannon and Sarah. This is my first time participating in WFMW, hope I did everything correctly.

[Barbara H.]

That's a great tip. We don't have tornadoes often -- and we don't have a basement, which scares me. But I did finally put all of the flashlights and candles in one place so we could find them when the power goes out, which happens sometimes during times of ice or wind.

[Jen]

Used dryer sheets are GREAT for dry dusting!

[Amanda]

I just came across your blog from BlogTopSites and the first thing I noticed was your great list of links-what a great idea!!

Fortunately, we don't live in a tornado area (the UK is rather safe, if not perpetually raining!), but your tip is a rather good one for those who do. Keep up the good work! I'll be back here often for more :)

[mcewen]

My tip? Move, move far, far away.....come over to California instead! Swap tornados for earthquakes? Now that's a brain teaser that is too hard for me to evaluate.
Best wishes

[Jessica Snell]

Out here it's earthquake safety. But man! I remember the one time I was in a tornado. I was so scared that the house was going to blow away and take my doll (which I'd left upstairs in the rush to get down to the basement) with it.

:D Yep. I was pretty little. But I sure never forgot it!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

[Bethany]

Have a wonderful evening!

[Carrie]

I found a great site tonight called OneStorm.org which helps you get prepared for hurricanes. They're also connected with local-to-you emergency networks, and can give you lists of shelters, etc. It's all free. Took me about 10 minutes to go through their checklists and now I've got printouts that I can carry with me to finish off my preparedness kits.
I stuck it in the MrLinky just to make sure everyone sees it (it *is* something that works for me, lol) - if you don't want it there feel free to delete.

[Amanda M]

Hi everyone,
Me and my husband are moving to Northern- Central Texas from New York .In the big sity we don't have tornados we have hurricanes and those are even seldom. Could anyone tell me about what to expect during a tornado . Hopefully I will not experience one. I appreciate all the input I can get . Ecspecially local town storm shelters .If there are any.