Today I Survived a Tornado! It All Started When I Was Watching My Favorite Show So You

Dear Diary,11/17/2009

Today I survived a tornado! It all started when I was watching my favorite show “So you think you can dance.” The TV started beeping and suddenly the screen went blue. Along the bottom there was an alert that said, “Emergency Alert System . . . A Tornado Warning Has Been Issued For The Following Counties: Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware until 19:01 EST.” Momma and Daddy immediately hopped off the sofa. “We need to find the family emergency storm kit,” daddy said. Our emergency kit includes 4 food bars, 4 solar blankets, 24 pouches of water, 4 dust masks, 4 ponchos, 1 flashlight, 2 code red batteries, a two person tent, a twelve hour light stick, a pair of leather palm gloves, a 51 piece first aid kid, 50 water purification tablets, a utility knife, a whistle, a radio, and a campers stove, all stored inside a special backpack that we keep in the upstairs hallway closet. Everyone in my family knows where our emergency backpack is stored. A minute after my dad grabbed the backpack,the tornado siren went off outside our house. It was at this moment that I knew trouble was coming for us. When the tornado siren goes off, it is telling you to stop what you’re doing, stay inside, and seek cover. Whenever the tornado’s come, we head straight for the basement. The basement is the safest place to be during a tornado. Momma and Daddy tell my brother and I not to worry and that we are safe, but I know tornados are no laughing matter. When we hear the winds pick up we hid under tables and other heavy objects. We don’t want to be hit by debris or anything falling from or through the ceiling. Hiding under something will protect us. Momma says we are lucky to have a basement. People who don’t have basements need to go to the lowest level of their home and hide in a hallway away from windows and doors. The house started shaking and I could hear the wind howling. It was scary. My school taught me about tornados and how to survive. They told me to go to the basement and hide under something heavy and to always have an emergency kit. Knowing how to survive a tornado has saved my life. I wouldn’t have done anything different!I’ll be sure to write again soon! –Alisa Silverman