We are in Oklahoma City and this week a round of severe storms and tornados ripped through the area. Heavy rain, high winds, and pea sized hail were all that we had at our location. We heard the tornado sirens to the south of us and softball sized hail hit just a few miles from the campground. So all in all I’d say we were extremely fortunate. This is the second year in a row heading through Oklahoma in spring that we’ve either hunkered down in a shelter or came close to it.
This is one of the things that scares the living daylights out of me living in an RV. I’ve lived most of my life in the midwest and never seen a tornado with own eyes. I’ve seen plenty on TV and I’ve seen the aftermath a few minutes after a tornado has gone through an area and have had friends lose their house while they were in the basement. RV’s are lightweight by nature and not bolted to the ground so heavy winds can easily knock over an RV. Hail can easily damage your RV roof and break skylights.
So what to do? How can you be prepared?
The first thing to do is be aware. If you can watch/listen to local weather do so since they’ll have a pretty good idea if severe weather is in going to be in the area and when. The tricky part is they mention cities and road intersections that may not mean anything to you. A weather radio is a good idea but honestly, I’ve had bad luck with them in the past. Our phones have several weather apps that warned us of severe weather near our this week. We had several tornado warnings and severe storm warnings. But, depending on where you are the radio is the best option since cell coverage and TV reception is very location dependent.
Does your campground have a designated storm shelter? If so, figure out where it is and make a plan on how to get there. In our current campground they were a ways away so when we knew a tornado was in the area (heard distant sirens and were watching a local TV station) we hopped in the truck and got to the shelters in two minutes, versus a ten minute walk, and joined the folks milling about waiting for the proverbial stuff to hit the fan.
So what do you do if your campground does not have a designated shelter? Bathrooms are the next logical bet and in a shower area if possible. The plumbing and heavy walls are better than nothing. Definitely stay away from windows to avoid flying glass.
When you leave your RV have a rain jacket, your phone, keys, wallet, flashlight and any medicines you may need soon. I know some people have a To Go bag with essentials including snacks, water, and copies of insurance and other important information. If you have a pet grab them, their leash, and some food for them. When the worst happens you want to be able to survive for the hours it takes for emergency personnel to get to you.
We’ve been in several campgrounds that have neither shelters or even public bathrooms or showers. So what do you do then? This is a tough one because nowhere is really safe. If there’s a tornado go to the lowest spot outside, a ditch and hunker down. If there’s not even that well I guess you need to find the strongest spot in your RV. For us in our fifth wheel I think it would be the closet in the front end cap. I’d grab blankets and pillows and try and build a nest hoping that we don’t take a direct hit. In motorhome I’d say the bathroom but not if it has glass shower doors. Either way, it’s definitely not ideal.
Storms are serious and being in RV is not ideal during a thunderstorm. Being prepared and having a plan is just the first step. What do you do to prepare for storms?