Live Smart: Health and Safety Activities for Youth Clubs

Bulletin 907

Twisting into Safety

YOU WILL TEACH CLUB MEMBERS

How to prepare for a tornado.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Ruler, pencil, paper, pen, bingo chips

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Ask club members: Has anyone seen The Wizard of Oz? Who has watched Twister? What do both movies have in common? Is that really what a tornado is like?

Answer: Yes and no. Here are the facts.

• A tornado is shaped like a funnel.
• Tornadoes can occur at any place at any time, but they happen most often in the spring and summer.
• Tornadoes can travel up to 70 miles per hour.
• Tornado winds can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour or more.
• The average tornado is 425 yards wide. Large tornadoes may measure up to a mile or more.
• Tornadoes can pick up and move entire buildings.
• They can destroy homes, buildings, farms, and cities.
• In Ohio, some 20 tornadoes occur each year.
• In the United States, an average of 42 people are killed each year by tornadoes.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?

Tell club members: Tornadoes approach very rapidly and generally do not give much warning. The best defense is to be prepared.

Ask club members: How do you prepare for a fire?
Answer: Make a fire plan.

Tell club members: To prepare for a tornado, make a tornado plan. Choose a place where family members can gather if a tornado is headed your way. Basements are the safest place. If there is no basement, go to the lowest floor. Then get under a table in the center of a room, or find an inside hallway, bathroom, or closet without windows.

Ask club members: Who has a first aid kit at home?

Ask club members: Why do you have a first aid kit?
Answer: To use to treat minor cuts, scrapes, and other injuries.

Tell club members: Kits can be helpful when tornadoes strike, too. You should assemble a Tornado Safety Kit. The kit should contain:

• First aid kit and essential medications
• Battery-powered radio
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Instructions on how to turn off your home's utilities

Optional: bottled water and nonperishable food

Ask club members: What do you do at school to prepare for fires?
Answer: Have fire drills.

Tell club members: You can conduct tornado drills so everyone knows what to do when a tornado is approaching. Just as you know that fire alarms warn people about fires, you should know the different tornado signals, too. There are two kinds of signals: TORNADO WATCHES and TORNADO WARNINGS. A TORNADO WATCH means that conditions are right for a tornado to form in your area. When a WATCH is issued, you should listen to local radio and television stations for further updates. Also watch for tornado warning signs that include a dark, often greenish sky, large hail, and a loud train-like roar. A tornado WARNING means a tornado has been sighted and may be headed your way. Some communities use sirens to warn people that a tornado is coming.

When a tornado WARNING is issued and you:

• Are at home, go to your "safe place" immediately!
• Find yourself outside and cannot get to your "safe place," lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area.
• Are in a car or mobile home, get out immediately and seek shelter in a nearby building.
• Are in a mall or large building, seek shelter in the designated area or inside a hallway on the lowest level.

Lightning is often associated with tornadoes. To protect yourself from lightning, follow these tips.

• Stay indoors.
• Do not use electrical equipment like hair dryers amd televisions.
• Avoid taking showers or baths.
• Do not use the telephone.
• Get out of the water immediately if swimming or boating.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Let's play STORM Bingo! Before the meeting, make bingo cards for all of the club members. Using a piece of paper, ruler, and a pencil, draw five columns vertically and six columns horizontally. Your grid should look like a regular Bingo card. Put one letter of S-T-O-R-M in each of the top squares. Under "S" write, "Signs of a Storm." Under the "T" write, "Take Cover." In the "O" square write, "Getting Organized." Under "R" write, "Risky Behaviors," and in the "M" square write, "Meteorology Terms." Select words from the following lists and fill in the squares below each heading. You may want to create a few words on your own. Be sure to place words under the correct headings. Make a variety of cards. You do not want everyone to have the same cards.

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