Tornado season is here: Be prepared in advance Published June 13, 2011 By Elizabeth McClain Courtesy 90th Civil Engineer Squadron F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- According to the National Climate Data Center, there were 105 reported tornadoes in Laramie County between 1950 and 2011. The most catastrophic of these took place on July 16, 1979. That day an F3 tornado touched down, cutting a swath 80 yards wide and 8.8 miles long. The tornado killed one person and injured 40 more, causing $25 million in damage. The storm primarily traveled through the Del Range corridor and directly over where Frontier Mall now sits (it was under construction at the time). While Cheyenne is not in Tornado Alley, they do happen in Laramie County, Wyoming. Residents here should know what to do in the event of a tornado. Before a Tornado Know where to go for information: Weather information can typically be obtained via television and radio sources. Consider a battery powered radio, as electricity service can be disrupted during severe weather. Consider procuring a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Specific Area Message Encoding weather radio: A SAME receiver can be programmed for your county/area providing automatic alerts of weather warnings, weather watches, and non-weather emergencies. Once purchased, the SAME receiver must be programmed with your National Weather Service county code. More information can be found at http://www.weather.gov/nwr/same.htm. Make a plan: Ensure that everyone in the household is familiar with the safest areas of a structure in the event of a tornado - keep in mind, people might not be inside the home. Establish a meeting place in the event loved ones are separated, as communications will be spotty or non-existent after a disaster. Additionally, consider providing each family member with emergency phone numbers, to include an out-of-area emergency contact person. More information can be found at www.redcross.org. Make a kit: Consider making an emergency kit. After a disaster, base/community resources are overwhelmed and individuals may need to be self sustaining. More information can be found at www.redcross.org. A Tornado Watch has been Issued (conditions indicate tornados may form) Watch for danger signs: Danger signs include dark greenish clouds, clouds of debris, large hail, a funnel cloud, or rotating clouds. Monitor information sources: Tune into radio or television sources for current information. If there is access to a weather radio, monitor the broadcast. Listen for warning sirens: On base, sirens will either transmit a 3 to 5-minute steady tone and/or a voice warning. Off-base, sirens will transmit a steady tone. An off base siren could indicate either a tornado or flash flood. Once sirens have activated, take cover and tune in to information sources. Move to a more substantial structure: If outside, in a vehicle or wishing to move to a more substantial structure, the time to move is during the tornado watch. A Tornado Warning has been Issued (a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar) Take shelter in the nearest structure immediately. Do not try to relocate. During a Tornado If in a structure: Go to a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level, such as a closet or interior hallway, away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between those seeking shelter and the outside. Get under a sturdy table and protect the head and neck with the arms. Do not open windows. If in a vehicle, trailer or mobile home: Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. If outside with no shelter: Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover the head. Do not get under an overpass or a bridge. Do not try to outrun a tornado in an urban or congested area - leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter. After a Tornado If away from the area when disaster struck: Stay away from the affected area until authorities indicate it is safe to return. Evacuate and stay away from damaged buildings. Provide first aid if necessary or warranted. Wear long sleeves, long pants, and sturdy shoes to avoid injury from debris. Be alert for down power lines, broken gas mains, or other damaged utility systems. Weather Warnings Tornado Watch: Tornadoes are possible in your area. Remain alert for approaching storms. Know what counties or parishes are in the watch area by listening to NOAA Weather Radio or your local radio/television outlets. Tornado Warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. They are also issued when severe weather has been reported by spotters or indicated by radar. Severe Thunderstorm Watch: Tells you when and where severe thunderstorms are likely to occur. Watch the sky and stay tuned to know when warnings are issued. Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Warnings indicate imminent danger to life and property to those in the path of the storm. Recognizing tornado potential: · A sickly greenish or greenish black color to the sky. · If there is a watch or warning posted, then the fall of hail should be considered as a real danger sign. Hail can be common in some areas, however, and usually has no tornadic activity along with it. · A strange quiet that occurs within or shortly after a thunderstorm. · Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern or converging toward one area of the sky. · A sound like a waterfall or rushing air at first, but turning into a roar as it comes closer. The sound of a tornado has been likened to that of both railroad trains and jets. · Debris dropping from the sky. · An obvious funnel-shaped, rotating cloud, or debris such as branches or leaves being pulled upwards, even if no funnel cloud is visible.