What makes a tornado different from other emergencies?
Tornadoes can develop quickly, leaving far less time to act than many other weather emergencies.
So a tornado kit has two jobs that pull in opposite directions. It has to be light enough to carry downstairs in one trip, and it has to carry you through the days afterward, when the power is out and a crew hasn't reached your street yet.
Most households solve that with two kits rather than one. A small one that lives where you shelter, and a full 72-hour kit for after.
What's the difference between a tornado watch and a warning?
A watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes in your area. It's the signal to put your phone on the charger, move the kit to the shelter spot, and keep an ear on the radio.
A warning means one has been spotted or picked up on radar. That's the signal to go, not to look outside first.
If your household includes someone who won't hear a phone alert overnight, that's worth solving before the season starts.
What should a tornado emergency kit include?
A few of these aren't in a general emergency kit, and they're the ones that matter most here.
- Head protection. If you have helmets, keep one per person where you shelter. Never spend time hunting for one.
- Sturdy shoes, stored where you shelter. Broken glass and sharp debris can make walking barefoot hazardous after a tornado.
- A whistle. Far easier than shouting if you need to be found.
- A weather radio for receiving alerts and updates without relying solely on your phone or internet connection.
- Light that doesn't depend on batteries you meant to buy.
- Work gloves, for moving anything heavy or sharp.
- Three days of food, and water stored in advance.
Which kit here fits?
- StayLit Power Outage Kit. Light, matches and a lantern in one pouch, small enough to keep in the basement year round. The Deluxe and Premium add a weatherband radio, and the Premium's hand-crank model needs no batteries.
- NightWatch. Seven pounds, and the one built to grab on the way downstairs. Two hand-crank flashlights, a lantern, an AM/FM radio, four sleeping bags and four body warmers. No food or water, so keep both nearby.
- ShakeGuard. The only kit here with a hard hat, safety goggles, heavy-duty work gloves and a pry bar. It was built for earthquakes, and that's the same gear a debris field asks for. Signal whistles too. The Deluxe adds a weather band radio and a full first aid kit.
- RapidShield. Three days of food and water, a first aid kit for cuts, scrapes and blisters, blankets and ponchos. 12 pounds for two people, 21 pounds for four.
- SideBySide. Sizes to your household, two-person at 14 pounds and four-person at 18. A food bar, blanket, poncho and body warmer each, plus water treatment tablets and a 5-in-1 whistle with a compass and signal mirror.
- The Guardian. Three days of food and water, a first aid kit, sleeping bags and hand warmers. Around 15 pounds.
- SafeHarbor. Two people, in a backpack or a bucket. Built for hurricanes, and the same three days of food carry over to any severe storm. Its sealed water is a starter supply, so store more at home.
Where should you shelter during a tornado warning?
The lowest floor, the most interior room, and as many walls between you and the outside as you can manage. A basement is best. Without one, an interior bathroom, closet or hallway on the ground floor.
Stay away from windows, and cover your head and neck. A helmet, a cushion, a mattress, whatever is closest.
If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, the plan is to leave for a sturdy building or a community shelter before the weather arrives. Decide where that is now, not during a warning.
And if you're driving, a highway overpass is not shelter. The National Weather Service advises against it.
What should you do after the storm passes?
Shoes and gloves before you walk anywhere. This is the part the kit is really for.
Treat every downed line as live, and stay well clear of anything touching one. If you smell gas, leave the building first and don't touch a light switch on your way out.
Don't go back into a damaged building to look around. Walls and roofs that held through the storm can let go afterward.
Text rather than call. Networks get congested fast, and a text will often get through when a call won't.
What should I add to a tornado kit myself?
- Shoes for every person, kept where you shelter rather than in a bedroom upstairs, plus helmets if you have them.
- A week of prescriptions. The American Red Cross recommends a seven-day supply.
- Copies of ID and insurance, in a waterproof bag.
- Photos of each room on your phone. They make an insurance claim far easier, and they take ten minutes to take.
- A charged power bank.
- Water stored in advance. Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness campaign, recommends one gallon per person per day.
When should you check your kit?
Check your kit twice a year, including before the severe-weather season in your area.
Test the lights, check expiration dates, and make sure the shoes in the basement still fit whoever they belong to. Children outgrow them faster than the food expires.
Where should you keep your tornado kit?
If you shelter in a basement or interior room, you may not want your full 72-hour kit taking up space there. We break down what belongs in your shelter spot and what can stay elsewhere in our guide, A Tornado Emergency Kit for the Basement Is Only Half the Plan.
