Here's How to Prepare for a Storm

Yahoo

14-03-2025

A man cleans his house gutters before a storm comes. Credit - Nattrass—Getty Images
Severe thunderstorms are set to intensify and affect much of the Midwest region, growing Friday afternoon and striking overnight and potentially throughout the weekend.
The mid and lower parts of the Mississippi Valley, as well as parts of the Ohio Valley, will experience 'widespread damaging winds with gusts from 70 to 90 m.p.h., and scattered large hail up to baseball size will be possible,' according to the National Weather Service. They also warned that a tornado outbreak is possible in the Deep South and the Gulf States on Saturday.
Amid rising concerns about the big storm system threatening the U.S., here are the best ways to prepare for a storm.
Before a storm, try to trim trees and cut down branches near your home. By removing branches that are likely to break or fall during a storm, you can prevent them from damaging homes, vehicles, power lines, or causing injuries. Further, it can help prevent a tree from becoming uprooted and falling during a storm, and makes the cleanup post-storm less chaotic.
Beyond trees outside the home, the National Weather Service suggests that those preparing for a storm 'secure loose objects, close windows and doors, and move any valuable objects inside or under a sturdy structure.'
Those within an affected-area of a severe storm can stay updated with the forecasted storm, its intensity and movement through multiple avenues, whether that be through NOAA Weather Radio, The Emergency Alert System (EAS), or their local weather channel.
Oftentimes, communities have specific ways to send warnings, from outdoor sirens to alerts via smartphones. By learning how your community alerts residents to severe incoming weather—including warnings for storms and tornados tornados—you can make sure you stay updated in real-time.
During a storm, you want your gutters to move as much water as possible, as easily as possible. The best way to ensure this is to clean your gutters prior to the storm hitting, in order to prevent water build up during the weather event—at which point it likely wouldn't be safe to go outside and clear any blockages. Water build up can cause damage to home roofs, and create leaks and structural damage to your home.
To prepare for a storm—and the days after a storm passes, in which necessities like electricity may still be out—it's a good idea to build an emergency kit to help you and your loved ones power through. A disaster supply kit includes basic items that your household may need.
According to Ready.gov, a national public service campaign formed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dedicated to educating Americans to prepare for and mitigate emergencies, a disaster kit should include water, food, a flashlight, a first aid kit, a mask, garbage bags, a whistle, a can opener, a cell phone with extra chargers and batteries, and more. You can read the full list here.
After assembling the kit, Ready.gov recommends keeping canned food in a dry place and storing boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers in order to ensure they remain edible, should a severe weather event or disaster strike.
They also recommend keeping a kit in your car, in case you ever become stranded.
According to FEMA's preparedness sheet for thunderstorms, lightning, and hail, buying surge protectors, lightning rods, or a lightning protection system can help protect your home's appliances and electronic devices in the event of lightning strikes during the storm.
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