Northeast Ohio sees a little bit of everything: spring and summer thunderstorms, occasional tornadoes, flash flooding, ice storms and lake-effect snow. A few simple preparations can make a big difference in keeping your family safe and recovering faster when severe weather strikes.
1. Know how you’ll get warnings
- Make sure Wireless Emergency Alerts are turned on in your phone’s settings.
- Consider a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio, which can wake you for warnings overnight.
- Know the difference: a watch means conditions are favorable for severe weather; a warning means it is happening or about to happen, so act now.
- Outdoor sirens are meant for people outside. Don’t count on hearing them indoors.
2. Pick your safe places
- Tornado: go to a basement, or an interior room on the lowest floor away from windows, like a bathroom or closet.
- Flooding: know whether your home is in a flood-prone area and how you’d get to higher ground. Never drive or walk through flooded roads. Turn around, don’t drown.
- Winter storms: plan to stay home if possible, and keep a safe, ventilated backup heat source. Never run a generator indoors or in a garage.
3. Build an emergency kit
Keep these items together in a bin or backpack that’s easy to grab:
- Water (about one gallon per person per day for several days) and non-perishable food
- Flashlights, extra batteries and phone charging banks
- A first-aid kit and at least a week’s supply of prescription medications
- Copies of important documents (IDs, insurance policies, medical information) in a waterproof bag, plus digital copies stored securely online
- Cash in small bills, since card readers may not work during outages
- Supplies for babies, older adults and pets
- Warm clothing, blankets and sturdy shoes
4. Make a family communication plan
Decide ahead of time where you’ll meet if you’re separated, and choose an out-of-town contact everyone can call or text. Write important phone numbers on paper too, in case phones lose power.
5. Protect your home and finances
- Review your homeowners or renters insurance once a year. Standard policies usually don’t cover flooding, so ask your agent about flood insurance.
- Take photos or a video of each room and your major belongings now. It makes insurance claims much easier.
- Keep gutters and storm drains near your home clear, and test your sump pump before the rainy season.
If disaster strikes
Call 911 in an emergency. The American Red Cross can help with emergency shelter at 1-800-RED-CROSS, and 211 can connect you to local resources. When you’re safe, reach out to Wings of Grace. We’ll help where we can and walk with you through recovery.