Tornado Safety Without a Basement

Here’s a question from Megan:

we dont have a basement but we have a crawl space would it be safe to get into the crawl space in the event of a tornado. thanks i would really appreciate a responce especially after last night that was scary and we were concerned about weather we should go to the crawl space last night.

These questions are always difficult... because everyone has a different situation and every storm is different.

When a tornado warning is issued, the safest place to be is in a basement under something sturdy like a well-built staircase or a solid workbench. The corner you’re in isn’t really all that important. It’s more important to protect yourself from debris.

If you don’t have a basement, get to the lowest floor in a central room with no windows. Bathrooms and closets can be good. So can smaller, interior hallways. Under a stairwell may be good. If you go to a bathtub, cover yourself with a mattress or a sleeping bag. Don’t choose a bathtub surrounded by a glass enclosure.

Mobile homes, cars and trucks are not safe places. Get out and find a sturdy building for shelter. If that’s not available, find a low place like a ditch (without water in it) where you can “duck and cover.”

USA Today’s Weather Experts Bob Swanson and Doyle Rice have a great response for crawl spaces:

A crawl space doesn't seem like a safe place. Tornadoes often shift houses on their foundations, maybe only a few feet. Imagine being between the beams in a crawl space with only a foot or two of space between the ground and the floor when a tornado shifts the house a couple of feet. Also, creatures such as snakes, that you wouldn't want to meet, have been found in crawl spaces.

The bottom line is... have a plan. When you create a plan before the storm, you’ll know what to do when the warnings are issued. Your plan may not be perfect, but it should be the best available for your safety.

More on Tornado Safety:

Tornado Project Safety Site

Tornado Safety from the NWS’s Storm Prediction Center

Tornado Info from FEMA

Tornado Safety from the American Red Cross

Tornado Safety from the Oklahoma Climatological Survey

Tornado Safety from NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory