Safer in the Bathroom

November 14, 2002

Tornadodamage copy

Provided by: NOAA
Summary authors & editors: David Bowler; Jim Foster

The photo above was taken the day after a powerful twister tore through central Oklahoma a few years ago. The innermost bathroom was the only room that stood in the wake of this devastating tornado. If you don't have a basement or storm cellar in your home, and a twister is approaching, seek shelter in an interior bathroom, closet or under a staircase. In Sunday's F-4 tornado that struck Van Wert, Ohio, patrons of a local movie theatre complex were shepherded into bathrooms and interior hallways by the alert theatre staff, less than 5 minutes before the tornado struck. Although there were several injuries, no one was killed, despite the fact that the theatre was virtually demolished by the twister. Note that on the above photo, the house in the background appears relatively unscathed by the tornado - a testament to the capricious nature of these storms.

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