ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia’s statewide tornado drill is Tuesday—a day when the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service ensure people know what to do during a tornado.
“So actually go and find those safe places to be. And the drill is the time to kind of like make the mistakes so that when we do have a tornado warning, you’re not wondering or spending a lot of extra time trying to find where the safe place is to be,” said Community Outreach Coordinator Brian Clingenpeel with Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.
He encourages all schools, businesses and homeowners to practice during Tuesday’s tornado drill.
Clingenpeel said if a tornado hits, you want to get to the lowest level of your home, office or even school.
He said try to stay away from windows.
“The largest cause of injury from a tornado is flying glass and flying debris,” said Clingenpeel.
However, Clingenpeel said if your basement still has windows, that’s the safest place.
“If you can drag a mattress off of a bed and put it between you and the windows, or even a blanket, or some pillows or some couch cushions or something that’s going to shield you from the flying glass, that’s what we want you to do,” said Clingenpeel.
He said you want to get to the lowest level and cover your head to help protect you from debris and glass.
Meanwhile, if you’re in your car, Clingenpeel said seek shelter.
“We need you to be in some kind of big, safe building. If you’re just not able to do that, then the safest place to be if you’re in your car is to actually get out of your car and lie in a ditch and cover your head,” said Clingenpeel.
He also said it’s important to know what to do after a tornado hits.
“If it did hit whatever structure you’re in, there’s gonna be some damage. There’s gonna be some debris. There could be broken gas lines. So you just want to use a lot of caution when you’re coming out of your safe place,” said Clingenpeel.