• Help people with special needs to a safe place.
• Stay indoors, do not exit the building or use elevators.
• Remain calm and alert.
• Listen for information and instructions from emergency personnel.

Indoors

• Stay indoors. Do not exit buildings or use elevators. You could be trapped in an elevator if power is lost. Locate an interior room.
• Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building. Corners or building support columns are best. Avoid the middle of interior walls.
• Stay away from all windows and large glass objects.
• Crouch down and cover your head. Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter, and if not crowded, allow you to get to a lower level quickly.
• Avoid being underneath heavier objects such as lights, wall hangings and other items, which may fall.
• Remain inside until storm has passed or you are cleared to leave.
• Do not use matches or lighters in case of leaking natural gas pipes or nearby fuel tanks.
• Help direct people with special needs to a safe place, if necessary.

Outdoors

• Move away from trees, buildings, walls and power lines.
• Seek the lowest possible ground (i.e., ditch or small trench). Lie flat in a ditch or low-lying if its the only area available. Never enter an open trench where a cave in or flooding may be possible.
• Stay away from power lines and puddles with wires in them. They may be live.
• Do not use matches or lighters, in case of leaking gas pipes or fuel tanks.
• Remain in position until noise and high winds have stopped.
• Do not enter any building that is deemed or looks unsafe.

Lightning

• Seek protective shelter immediately.
• If outdoors, do not stand underneath tall isolated objects. Avoid projecting above the surrounding landscape. Seek shelter in a low area under a thick growth of small trees. Avoid open areas, and seek low areas such as a ravine or valley.
• Get off or away from open water as well as metal equipment or small metal vehicles (motorcycles, bicycles, golf carts, etc.). Stay away from wire fences, clotheslines, metal pipes and rails. If you are in a group in the open, spread out, keeping people several yards apart.
• Remember, lightning may strike many miles from the parent cloud. If you feel your hair stand on end, lightning may be about to strike you. Drop to your knees and bend forward putting your hands on your knees. Do not lie flat on the ground.

Hail

•  Seek protective shelter immediately.
•  Remain indoors or under protective shelter until hail has stopped, usually 5-10 minutes.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is issued when conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms. A severe thunderstorm a thunderstorm that produces 3/4 inch hail or larger in diameter and/or winds equal or exceed 58 miles an hour. Watches are usually issued for a duration of 4 to 8 hours, and are normally issued well in advance of the actual occurrence of severe weather. During the watch, people should review severe thunderstorm safety rules and be prepared to move a place of safety if threatening weather approaches.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

A Severe Thunderstorm Warming is issued when either a severe thunderstorm is indicated by radar or a spotter reports a thunderstorm producing hail 3/4 inch or larger in diameter and/or winds equal or exceed 58 miles an hour. People in the affected area should seek safe shelter immediately. Severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes with little or no advance warning. Lightning frequency is not a criteria for issuing a severe thunderstorm warning. They are usually issued for a duration of one hour. They can be issued without a Severe Thunderstorm Watch being already in effect.