What Do You Do?

Or, what would you do, if you encounter extremely severe weather while you are away on a camping trip....such as a hurricane or even worse, a tornado? (With a hurricane, you usually get plenty of notice.)
Your answers will certainly help me and maybe others that might find themselves in a bad situation.

A weather alert radio would probably be a good idea but, I'm pretty sure that you would always have to tune it in to the local stations for the area that you are in. Then again, that would be a small inconvenience to pay to have sufficient notice of approaching severe weather.

Thank you
Dick

Tornados: Know what the local warning systems are. Ask the camp ground if they have a storm shelter. Several around here do. Watch the local news and no matter what get out of the trailer! You are better off in a ditch when the twister comes than being in a trailer.

If there is no storm shelter:

Find a hard structure and get in a hallway. Small rooms or areas with no windows as close to the center of the structure as possible. Closets, bathrooms, under stairwells.

Culverts or low bridges if nothing else is available.

Do not try to out run a twister in your vehicle, they can move up to 90 mph and are not restrained by roads. Many people are killed trying to escape.

I have a power point presentation that I use to teach with. I'd love to be able to make it available to all my Heartland friends. But I don't know how to put it on the forum.

Hastey said:

I have a power point presentation that I use to teach with. I'd love to be able to make it available to all my Heartland friends. But I don't know how to put it on the forum.

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Sounds to me like a good rally seminar!

As a Industrial Safety Trainer, I present this a lot during this time of year. I would be more than happy to present it at Gillette if that's what the Rally folks want. I think it would be a great thing for folks to see. Especially those who do not live in but travel to tornado ally. I don't know if it's just me but seems that tornado ally is expanding.

Hastey said:

As a Industrial Safety Trainer, I present this a lot during this time of year. I would be more than happy to present it at Gillette if that's what the Rally folks want. I think it would be a great thing for folks to see. Especially those who do not live in but travel to tornado ally. I don't know if it's just me but seems that tornado ally is expanding.

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When Dexter, Michigan, gets hit with an EF-3 affecting 200 structures, I'd say you're correct. I just finished presenting the lecture portion of a Trench Collapse Rescue class. Structural Collapse is next.

I've got a weather radio in our rig, and have used it. It automatically scans for the strongest signals from the Weather Bureau. The bad thing that I've noticed is that unless you are familiar with the counties, towns in your area, you'll need a map handy to figure out where they are talking about. The campgrounds we like to stay at are usually away from town, and there usually are no warning devises, sirens, etc in the area. I think it would be "unusual" for the campground owner, host, or worker to go around & wake everyone up if something happened. So we are back to the weather radio & a map!

X2 on the weather radio.

When we check into a campground, we always ask what county we are in and where their tornado shelter is - usually the bathhouse.

Last summer we were staying at Hidden Ridge Campground in Hopkins, MI - they did come around to each RV and herded everyone to their shelter - pets included!

mlburst1 said:

X2 on the weather radio.

When we check into a campground, we always ask what county we are in and where their tornado shelter is - usually the bathhouse.

Last summer we were staying at Hidden Ridge Campground in Hopkins, MI - they did come around to each RV and herded everyone to their shelter - pets included!

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This is something DH and I have been discussing recently. I'm extra cautious around tornadoes, having in Georgia most of my life. I was going to ask about pets, but having seen how shelters turn away animals during hurricanes in Florida, I was sure I knew the answer. Your post gave me hope. If I'm ever in that area, I will certainly give that campground my business. I'd rather lay in a ditch with my pets than be in a bathhouse without them.

~Alice

I purchased an app, "imap weather radio". You can select up to 5 locations to monitor, including "your location". It sends alerts that you designate (watches, warnings, advisories, etc) to your phone with an audible tone alarm, as well as the NWS voiceover report, telling you what type of alert.

It also provides a local current radar with the watches and warnings clearly marked.

The app for iPhone was $9.99. Well worth it to have a weather radio that follows me around.

Erika

Iphone App RadarScope. It shows the radar from your GPS location. This is a great app to have.

ericandalice said:

I'd rather lay in a ditch with my pets than be in a bathhouse without them.

~Alice

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I totally agree with you.
Tornado's are just one more reason to stay in the Rocky Mt's.

I'd rather lay in a ditch with my pets than be in a bathhouse without them.

~Alice[/QUOTE]

At twister time, take the pets in the bath house, the rules don't apply then. Everyone moves to a hurricane shelter. It's a mad scramble to get into a tornado shelter because of the warning time. That's one of the reasons we teach the classes is to avoid panic.

ericandalice said:

I'd rather lay in a ditch with my pets than be in a bathhouse without them.

~Alice

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Hastey said:

At twister time, take the pets in the bath house, the rules don't apply then. Everyone moves to a hurricane shelter. It's a mad scramble to get into a tornado shelter because of the warning time. That's one of the reasons we teach the classes is to avoid panic.

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I'd have to agree, the rules are off when emergency conditions are present. The safety of all will matter more.