Editorial: You owe it to yourself and your family to prepare for tornado season
When tornadoes struck Fairdale and Rochelle just west of Chicago's suburbs earlier this month, videos were filed by people caught near or in the tornadoes' paths. And watching those videos - one from inside a car and another from someone seeking shelter in a highway underpass - got some editors thinking about what's right and what's wrong when a tornado strikes.
As it turns out, both of those people shooting the videos were in a bad situation. But the one out of his car in the overpass was in one of the worst places to be. Tornado experts like the National Weather Service and various state agencies all warn against taking cover in an overpass as that puts people in the path of higher wind speeds and dangerous flying debris.
If you are caught and can't drive out of the path of a tornado, either get low to the ground in your car or better yet, in an even lower position outside of your car in a ditch. If you are home with a basement, most Illinoisans know to get there as soon as possible. If no basement, find a windowless interior room and in both cases protect yourselves from falling debris with a mattress or some other large object overhead.
But what if a tornado hits and you must be on your own to survive for a period of time? That's what Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas tried to answer in her front page story Tuesday. Experts say too many people are not prepared, instead thinking they can rely on emergency services to help them out. Let this be a warning - you may be waiting a long time.
"It is just so out of whack," said Mike Rullman about thinking firefighters or police will be able to help in lieu of being prepared to help yourself. Nationally in 2013, Sarkauskas reported, there were 6.46 firefighters per 1,000 people covered by a fire department or a fir district, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
What should you do? Make preparations to be able to be on your own for three days. And get trained properly on search-and-rescue, first aid, debris removal, chain-saw safety, food preparation and other survival topics. Communities as small as Elburn and as large as Naperville provide that kind of training through volunteers.
A week from today on April 30, is the Federal Emergency Management Agency's designated "America's PrepareAthon" day. "Being prepared for disasters is a shared responsibility. It takes the whole community working together to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from the destructive forces of nature and other emergencies and disasters," according to FEMA's website.
Indeed, by preparing basic kits that include things like flashlights, portable radios, batteries, a gallon of water, nonperishable food, first aid and a change of clothing, you can get through the first 72 hours on your own. To get a complete list, go to FEMA's site. ready.gov or redcross.org. Your survival and that of your family depends on it.