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Tornado checklist: What to do – and what myths to ignore

Here are six items severe-weather experts advise putting on your tornado-emergency checklist – along with four tornado-response myths to ignore.

Listen for NOAA tornado watches and warnings

Courtesy of Einstein Wireless / BusinessWire
In 2007, Einstein Wireless became the first carrier to launch a cellular broadcast emergency alert system. Find out if your cell phone or smartphone gets emergency updates, or know which radio stations, TV channels, or websites broadcast emergency information for your area.

  • By Pete Spotts Staff writer

Before a storm, make sure you know the various ways your community receives tornado watches and warnings and make sure you have access to them. A watch is issued when conditions favorable to tornadoes are imminent or present. A warning is issued when the local forecast office sees the signature of a tornado on its radar or storm spotters report a funnel cloud or its precursor. NOAA weather radios are particularly useful if you're indoors or if a storm system arrives overnight, when you're sleeping. The radios' warning tones are loud and annoying for a reason.

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