Information on tornadoes
What Is A Tornado?
A tornado is a violent windstorm characterized by a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud. It is spawned by a thunderstorm (or sometimes as a result of a hurricane) and produced when cool air overrides a layer of warm air, forcing the warm air to rise rapidly. The damage from a tornado is a result of the high wind velocity and wind-blown debris. Tornado season is generally March through August, although tornadoes can occur at any time of year. They tend to occur in the afternoons and evenings: over 80 percent of all tornadoes strike between noon and midnight.
When a tornado threatens, individuals need to have a safe place to go and time to get there. Even with advances in meteorology, warning times may be short or sometimes not possible. Lives are saved when individuals receive and understand the warning, know what to do, and know the safest place to go.
What Should I Do?
| Risk Reduction Programs & Activities |
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Tornado Safe rooms
Specific guidance is available from FEMA on this website for the construction of both residential and community shelters.
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The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants to States and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the program is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster. |
| Software Applications & Tools |
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FEMA worked in partnership with NOAA, through the Multihazard Mapping Initiative, to create multihazard mapping web pages. The objective of HazardMaps.gov. is to maintain a living atlas of hazards data and map services for advisory purposes supplied from a network of hazard and base map providers. |
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