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Tornado Preparation Checklist
Shelter room, family contact, yard, documents and supplies, with the checks that keep them ready.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
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These sources cover tornado preparation in several parts: choosing a shelter room, setting up a family contact plan, securing the yard, protecting documents and stocking a supply kit. Water is the figure that varies. One source gives 1 gallon per person per day for 72 hours, while Rainbow Restoration suggests five to seven days' worth if you have a shelter to store it in. This list assumes a house with an interior room or a basement. It leaves out mobile homes, workplaces and what to do once a warning is issued. Check local guidance for your area.
Why these items are on the list
- Pick an interior shelter room. Without underground or above-ground shelter, use a windowless lowest-floor room, such as a bathroom or closet.
- Make the shelter reachable for everyone. Check that older relatives and young children can get in, and keep heavy furniture off walls that could collapse inward.
- Keep sturdy shoes in the shelter. Post-tornado ground is covered in glass, nails and debris. Bare feet or socks won't protect you.
- Name an out-of-state contact. Local cell networks often fail, but long-distance calls may still connect. Everyone calls that one person.
- Copy important documents. Waterproof copies of insurance, ID, deeds and medical records, kept in the shelter or a fireproof safe.
- Write down cloud account passwords. Survive-A-Storm advises keeping passwords accessible in case your phone is destroyed.
- Anchor or bring in yard items. Patio furniture, grills and trash cans can become projectiles in 100+ mph winds.
- Look into garage door bracing. Standard garage doors fail at low wind speeds. One source puts bracing kits at around $200.
- Water, 1 gallon per person daily. Survive-A-Storm gives 12 gallons for a family of four over 72 hours.
- Nonperishable food, no cooking needed. Gas and electricity will likely be out. Add formula and pet food if your household needs them.
- Manual can opener. Needed if you stock canned food. Keep it in the shelter.
- First aid kit and manual. Survive-A-Storm advises inhalers, EpiPens and at least a 30-day supply of prescription medications.
- Battery-powered NOAA weather radio. Warnings still reach you without cell service. Models with SAME technology can alert for your county only.
- One headlamp per person. Headlamps keep your hands free and nobody has to share a light. Pack spare batteries.
- Charged phone power bank. Survive-A-Storm says a 20,000mAh bank can recharge most smartphones four to five times.
- Cash in small bills. ATMs don't work without electricity. One source says FEMA suggests several hundred dollars.
- Warm clothes, hat and gloves. You won't know the conditions when you leave, or how long before you can return home.
- Whistle, duct tape, work gloves. Rainbow Restoration lists the whistle and duct tape as camping gear, and work gloves under clothing.
- Comfort items for children. Favorite toys, books or card games can reduce anxiety during long waits in a cramped space.
- Check the shelter space. Survive-A-Storm says most prepared homeowners check monthly, like testing smoke detectors. Flashlights stay in that space, not in a drawer.
- Rotate water and food. Sources differ: every six months, or every few months for shelter water. Survive-A-Storm suggests quarterly medication expiry checks.
Tick it off on your phone while you walk through the house, and share it so the other adults know what is already done.
When to use it
Use it before tornado season, or on any calm day when you haven't yet picked a shelter room.