Fall Severe Weather Preparedness Week - Tornado Safety

According to the National Weather Service, the safest place to be in a tornado is a basement or interior room with no windows. Susan Perry and her family had to put this to the test when they took cover in their safe place during a tornado in Rolling Fork in March.
“I said I think we need to get down. So, we were right there at the door of my closet, and we walked in and got down. The roof was gone, and it was that quick. We didn’t even have half a second.
In that closet, Susan, her husband, and their dog waited out the storm while their home and everything inside of it was tossed around by an EF4 tornado.
“Our house was gone, it was leveled, and the closet wall fell on us which is actually what probably saves us from debris and being sucked out because everything just got sucked out.”
The Perrys are still recovering from that tornado and say their way of thinking about storms and being prepared for them at home and where they work has forever changed and they want others to prepare as well.
“Had we not been in a safe spot we would not be here. It’s very important to know your safe place because you don’t have time. We didn’t have time to think about it.”
To find out how to determine your safe spot and more on storm preparedness visit msema.org.