Tornado Watch for New Haven County

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for New Haven County. According to the Red Cross, with a tornado watch "Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans, and check supplies and your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Acting early helps to save lives!"

The American Red Cross offers these tornado preparedness tips:

• During any storm, listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio to stay informed about watches and warnings.
• Know your community's warning system. Communities have different ways of warning residents about tornados, with many having sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes.
• Pick a safe room in your home where household members and pets may gather during a tornado. This should be a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.
• Practice periodic tornado drills so that everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching.
• Consider having your safe room reinforced. Plans for reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection can be found on the FEMA Web site.
• Prepare for high winds by removing diseased and damaged limbs from trees.
• Move or secure lawn furniture, trash cans, hanging plants or anything else that can be picked up by the wind and become a projectile.
• Watch for tornado danger signs:
  • Dark, often greenish clouds-a phenomenon caused by hail
  • Wall cloud-an isolated lowering of the base of a thunderstorm
  • Cloud of debris
  • Large hail
  • Funnel cloud-a visible rotating extension of the cloud base
  • Roaring noise

If a tornado does hit, here are the American Red Cross's recommendations:

• The safest place to be is an underground shelter, basement or safe room.
• If no underground shelter or safe room is available, a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building is the safest alternative.
  • Mobile homes are not safe during tornadoes or other severe winds.
  • Do not seek shelter in a hallway or bathroom of a mobile home.
• If you have access to a sturdy shelter or a vehicle, abandon your mobile home immediately.
• Go to the nearest sturdy building or shelter immediately, using your seat belt if driving.
• Do not wait until you see the tornado.
• If you are caught outdoors, seek shelter in a basement, shelter or sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to a shelter:
  • Immediately get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter.
  • If flying debris occurs while you are driving, pull over and park. Now you have the following options as a last resort:
    • Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows, covering with your hands and a blanket if possible.
    • If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, exit your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.
  • Your choice should be driven by your specific circumstances.