Tornadoes

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) may notify you of tornado danger in your area—if you receive a tornado warning, take immediate action to protect yourself.

Before a tornado

• Make an emergency plan and gather supplies.

During a tornado

• Seek immediate shelter: Go to a small, windowless interior room on the lowest floor of your building. Bathrooms, closets, or hallways away from exterior walls are often the safest options. Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls.
• Protect yourself by covering your head or neck with your arms and putting materials such as furniture and blankets around or on top of you.
• If you’re in your car, do not try to outrun a tornado.
• Do not go under an overpass or bridge. You’re safer in a low, flat location.
• Watch out for flying debris that can cause injury or death.

After a tornado

• Even after a tornado passes, hazards such as falling debris, downed power lines, and gas leaks may remain.
• Severe storms may continue even after tornado warnings end. Check weather.gov/mtr or the storm and flood hazard map for the latest weather hazards.
• Wear appropriate gear during clean-up, such as thick-soled shoes, long pants, and work gloves, and use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris.
• Do not enter damaged buildings.

Learn more

• Find out about how disasters and emergencies can affect San Francisco.
• Review the steps to get prepared for any emergency.

About

Brought to you by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (DEM). DEM manages San Francisco's everyday and not-so-everyday emergencies.

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