Batten down the hatches!
Some tornado safety tips for Boston.
Yikes! A tornado watch has been issued for the City of Boston. Yes, a tornado! The following is from Mayor Marty Walsh’s office:
Tuesday, June 23, 2015 – A tornado watch has been issued for the City of Boston and surrounding areas until 11 p.m. and Mayor Martin J. Walsh is urging residents to take precautions:
- Storm cellars and basements provide the best protection in the event of a tornado.
- If you are in a mobile home, plan an escape to a nearby sturdy building for shelter.
- If you are in a home, apartment or small building, go to the basement or to a small interior room on the lowest floor, such as a hallway or bathroom closet.
- If you are in a school, hospital, factory or shopping center, go to the designated shelter area, or an interior hallway on the lowest level.
- Avoid large rooms, all outside walls and windows. Go the center of a room and stay away from corners.
- Use heavy furniture for shelter, and cover yourself with a mattress or a blanket.
- If caught in the open with no shelter nearby, find a ditch, culvert, or low area and lay down flat. Cover your head with your hands for protection.
- Never try to outrun a tornado in a vehicle, abandon vehicles to the side of a road if a tornado approaches and take shelter in a nearby sturdy building. Vehicles do not provide good protection.
The City’s Emergency Operations Center is open to monitor the weather conditions with City agencies present and ready to respond.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.