If your bathroom is one of the most interior places of your house, go for it. But if your bathroom or bathtub is on (or even in a room with) an exterior facing wall — or if there are outside-facing windows — best to leave it for a more secure space.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that no place is “completely safe during tornadoes” but suggests that some places are better than others. The CDC advises people seek shelter in a basement or any windowless room on the lowest floor — including bathrooms, closets or center hallways.
Stay away from windows!
One basic rule is AVOID WINDOWS. An exploding window can injure or kill. The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If you don't have a basement, go to an inside room, without windows, on the lowest floor.
Closets and interior hallways are often best because of the lack of windows, which can explode or be blown in during tornadoes. Put as many walls between you and the exterior of your home as possible. Bathrooms are also often a good choice.
“Opening the windows in your house before a tornado will reduce damage by balancing the pressure inside and outside the structure.” False! Homes are damaged and destroyed by the extremely strong winds in a tornado, not pressure. If a tornado is approaching, you should seek shelter immediately.
Don't Take Shelter in a Large Open Space
Big rooms like cafeterias, gyms, and auditoriums do not make good areas to shelter in place. Staying in these spaces means there is no barrier between you and any flying debris. Being in open spaces outdoors also puts you at higher risk of injury from lightning.
Flying debris causes most deaths and injuries during a tornado. Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are much safer than others.
The bathtub and commode are anchored directly into the ground, and sometimes are the only thing left in place after the tornado. Getting into the bathtub with a couch cushion over you gives you protection on all sides, as well as an extra anchor to the foundation.
According to the NWS, bathrooms may be a good shelter, provided they are not along an outside wall and have no windows. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing magically safe about getting in a bathtub with a mattress. Bathrooms have proven to be adequate tornado shelters in many cases for a couple of reasons.
Bathrooms are generally in the center of a home. It means they have all the walls, which are extra barriers against debris. Pipeline pipes create an extra frame. You need all the barriers you can get because flying debris is the most significant danger of a tornado.
If you were picked up by a tornado, then the chances of survival are sadly slim. There are a handful of ways to not survive being picked up by the tornado. For one thing, if it lifts you high and lets you go, then the fall will likely kill you. Secondly, tornados pick up a lot of other things, not just humans.
Lopez said Wal-Mart has designated areas in stores that are deemed structurally soundest and used for tornado protection.
You can cushion yourself with a mattress, but don't cover yourself with one. Cover your head and eyes with a blanket or jacket to protect against flying debris and broken glass. Don't waste time moving mattresses around.
Safe rooms are created by building any room with ICF walls, pouring a “concrete lid” on top, and installing a steel door. A safe room built within the home is fire-resistant and is also great as a storage area for your valuables.
Go to the center of the room – corners tend to attract debris. Get under a sturdy piece of furniture; heavy table or desk, and hold on to it. Protect your head and neck with a blanket, if possible.
Homes built with insulated concrete forms (ICF), like Fox Blocks, maintain their integrity during the high winds of a tornado. Insulating concrete forms can withstand winds of over 200 mph.
If a hurricane is likely in your area, you should:
Homeowners with private wells should save as much water as possible since their well will not work if the power is out. Fill the bathtub with water to be used for toilet flushing during a loss of power.
In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands.
The scale of damage is massive. While basements provide adequate areas to seek shelter in, they can still not fight against F5 tornadoes. Your best bet is to stay in a basement, away from windows and doors, and hope you survive the storm. The most effective response to an F5 tornado is evacuation.
Yes, a man was swept up by a tornado, thrown 1,307 feet and survived. Here are the details. Missouri – Matt Suter was 19 years old when he had an experience that he will never forget. He survived after being swept up inside a tornado.
In homes or public buildings: go to the basement or a small interior room, such as a closet, bathroom or an interior hall on the lowest level. Close all doors to the hallway for greater protection. If possible, get under something sturdy like a heavy table.
But according to research, garages should not be considered as tornado shelters during a storm. Do you remember the garage scene in the movie “Twister”? There are various items in the garage that can be extremely dangerous if they fall over you due to the impact of high winds.
Flying debris causes most deaths and injuries during a tornado.
Most tornado deaths are caused by flying debris, which is why people are advised to go to a basement or an interior room in the home if one is approaching. People who live in mobile homes are advised to seek shelter underground or in a permanent building.
All tornadoes produce damage, but the most violent ones can cause automobiles to become airborne, rip homes to shreds, and turn broken glass and other debris into lethal missiles. The biggest tornado threat to human beings is from flying debris in the wind.