Severe Weather Safety: How To Prepare For A Tornado In An Apartment In Indianapolis
Living in the Midwest, you can expect dangerous weather annually. Odds are, your region will even have a tornado warning at certain times. While everybody knows how to find safety in a house when tornado sirens go off, the guidance for apartment inhabitants is not as clear. If you don’t have a cellar to go to, here’s how to prepare for a tornado in an apartment in Indianapolis.
Tornado Sirens? Where To Seek Shelter In Your Apartment Building
If the tornado alarms go off outside your Indianapolis apartment, where should you take shelter? Not many apartments have basements. You might not even reside on the bottom floor.
While few tornadoes are powerful enough to level a sturdy apartment building, smaller twisters can still rip out trees, tear off roofs, or drive loose debris through glass. Be sure to seek shelter during tornado warnings or strong winds in one of these locations:
- An underground level of your parking garage
- The ground floor of your building, and away from windows
- A neighbor’s first-floor apartment
- Interior hallways or stairwells with no windows
- An interior room or closet of your apartment
- Below a heavy table
- Inside the bathtub with a heavy blanket as protection
When you hunker down, wear a bike helmet or cover your head with a thick pillow.
Prepare Ahead Of Time For Severe Weather
The smartest way to prepare for a tornado in your apartment in Indianapolis is to stay weather aware and plan ahead. Your plan should incorporate essential supplies if you are confined to your home or have to evacuate. Pick a dedicated place to keep your disaster kit and include these supplies:
- Handheld radio
- Flashlight
- Additional batteries
- Spare set of house and car keys
- Cell phone charger
- Cash
- Emergency medical kit
- Photocopy of your license or identification card
- Shelf-stable snacks
- Bottled water
- Vital medications
- Pet essentials
Examine these items every six months to make sure they still work, and replenish the food and water. When a tornado warning goes off, take shoes and appropriate clothing with you when you shelter.
Severe winds can easily take out electrical lines in your area. For power failures, keep these items on hand:
- Shelf-stable food that you don’t need to cook
- Battery-powered lights
- A power bank for charging your cell phone
When you’re ready, you’ll weather any situation better and feel more reassured.
What To Avoid During A Tornado
Most people think it won’t happen to them. You can avoid injuries or worse during a storm by avoiding certain situations. Take shelter right away and don’t
- Use an elevator during heavy winds
- Track the storm by looking out the window
- Go outdoors
- Take cover under tall furnishings, shelves, or heavy wall art
Make Block 20 Your Home In All Sorts Of Weather!
We can’t prevent tornadoes, but we can give you an exceptional apartment living experience at Block 20! You’ll feel right at home in one of our distinctive apartments accompanied by life-enhancing amenities in a well-maintained community. Contact 463-777-2762 or book a tour to discover why we’re a preferred place to come home to in Indianapolis.