When a watch is issued, listen to broadcast advisories and be ready to take cover. It is wise to collect a battery-powered light and radio and have family members within earshot under watch conditions. Also, take your car keys; should a tornado hit your area, your car may still be operable-but keys would be lost in the rubble.

Take an inventory of all your household furnishings and personal belongings. In case of tornado or other disaster, this inventory will be valuable to you in settling your insurance claim. Make sure you keep your inventory in a safe place, like a bank safe deposit box.

DURING
A tornado sounds like the roar of hundreds of airplanes. You'll probably get a warning before that ominous sound approaches. We suggest you listen to the radio when the sky looks forbidding.

A tornado WATCH means tornadoes my be expected to develop.

A tornado WARNING means a tornado has actually been sighted.

For further protection, move to your basement. Get under a heavy table or work bench if possible. If you have no basement, take cover in small, windowless interior rooms on the lowest level, such as closets or bathrooms.

If you're in a office building or school, protect yourself in an interior hallway or a lower floor. Avoid auditoriums or gymnasiums or other structures with wide, free-span roofs.

In mobile homesm or vehicles, leave them and go to a substantial structure. If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine or culvert with your hands shielding your head.

AFTER
Closely inspect your property, including your automobiles, for damage. Report any gas leaks or electrical damage immediatly.

If your home is damaged, get in touch with your insurance agent or company.

In the meantime, secure your remainig property to protect it from further damage or theft. Take an inventory of the damage so you can file your insurance claim as soon as possible.

Notify your relatives of your safety. Local authorities may waste time trying to locate you if you don't send word. Limit your calls to one minute each. Do not tie up the telephone lines with unnecessary calls.

Cooperate in the general clean-up of debris. You are responsible for cleaning the debris from your own property.