Tornado safety: what to do and where to shelter
⏱ 2 min read
A tornado or extremely strong wind. Below: what to do right away, what next, when to call 112 and what to avoid. The same instructions are in the free SurvivalZone.app and work without internet.
First, right now
- Get inside a sturdy building. Go to the lowest floor and an interior room with no windows, such as a bathroom or hallway.
- Protect your head and neck with your arms, a blanket or a bike helmet. Stay away from windows.
- Follow official warnings: national alert system, weather service, radio.
Then
- Don't stay in a tent, caravan or light shed. Move to a solid building.
- In a car, if you can't reach a building, never shelter under a bridge or overpass. Get off the road into a ditch, or stay in the car with your seatbelt on and your head below the windows.
- In open country, lie flat in a ditch or low spot and cover your head.
- Afterwards, watch out for fallen power lines, broken trees and leaking gas.
- Check on neighbours. Photograph damage for insurance.
When to call 112
Someone is injured, trapped or buried, or you smell gas after the storm.
What not to do
- Don't go outside to watch or film the tornado.
- Don't open windows "to equalise pressure". It's a myth that wastes precious time.
- Don't touch fallen power lines.
See also
Frequently asked questions
Where is the safest place in a tornado?
The lowest floor of a sturdy building, in an interior room with no windows. Protect your head and neck.
Can I shelter under a bridge?
No. Winds under bridges and overpasses are even stronger and carry debris. A ditch or a car with your seatbelt on is safer.
Do tornadoes happen in Europe?
Yes, Europe sees hundreds of tornadoes a year, mostly in summer thunderstorms. Follow your weather service warnings.
Related topics
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Other scenarios
- ⚡ Power cut
- 🥶 Cold, no heating
- 🚱 No water or unsafe tap water
- 🌊 Flood, water coming in
- 🎒 Evacuation in 10 minutes
- 🔥 Fire in the building
- 🌡️ Heatwave
- ⛈️ Storm, strong wind
- 🚀 Air attack: missiles, drones, bombs
- 📢 Sirens, alarm, air contamination
- 📵 No signal, no internet
- ❤️ Someone is unconscious
- 🌍 Earthquake
- ⛵ Storm at sea, no internet
- 🚗 Road accident
- ☠️ Carbon monoxide or gas leak
- ❄️ Stuck in a car in a snowstorm
- 🌩️ Thunderstorm outdoors
- 🫀 Heart attack or stroke
- 🏊 Someone is drowning
- 🌲 Forest or grass fire
- 💳 Cards and cash machines not working
- 🦠 Epidemic, pandemic, dangerous disease
- 🧒 A child is missing
- 🫁 Choking
- 🩸 Severe bleeding
- 🔥 Burns and scalds
- 😷 Smog and poor air quality
- 🐻 Bear on the trail
- 🐗 Wild boar encounter
- 🏢 Fire at work: evacuation
- 🌧️ Flash flooding
- ☣️ Chemical incident
- 🏠 Quarantine at home
- 🛡️ Cyberattack
- 🔌 No power in your home
- 💨 You smell gas
- 😵💫 Someone faints
- 🏫 Alarm or evacuation at your child's school
- 🏜️ Drought and water restrictions
- 🌋 Volcanic eruption and ashfall
- 🛴 E-scooter accident
- 🛑 Attacker at school or in a building
- 🔔 An alarm goes off: home, flats, work
- ☢️ Nuclear attack and radioactive contamination
- 🧫 Suspicious package, powder, biological threat
- 💣 Bomb threat, suspicious item, explosion
- 💰 Robbery: shop, bank, street
- 💚 Suicidal thoughts: how to help yourself or someone else
- 🌲 Lost in the forest: how to survive
Sources
- US National Weather Service: tornado safety
- Polish Government Centre for Security: windstorms
- IMGW-PIB: weather and flood warnings (Poland)
- Polish government safety guide (MON, MSWiA, RCB, 2025)
- BBK (Germany): storms, thunderstorms and hail
- German Weather Service (DWD): weather warnings
Official sources are checked automatically every day. Last check: 2026-11-04.
General guidance only; it does not replace the emergency services. If a life is in danger, call 112.