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Cities are vulnerable to tornadoes, too. Here’s what to do if one is headed your way.

People walk past damaged buildings in the Arabi neighborhood of New Orleans on March 22 after a tornado struck. (Kathleen Flynn/Reuters)
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As the multivortex tornado that ripped through the New Orleans metro area late Tuesday showed, not all the roughly 1,200 tornadoes that strike the United States each year are in farmland or rural stretches of the Great Plains. Cities are equally vulnerable to tornadoes, despite what experts say is a persistent misconception that tornadoes can’t or don’t happen in them.

“[The belief that] ‘The buildings will stop it,’ or thinking cities don’t have tornadoes because of tall buildings, fewer trees or the urban heat island — those are all false,” said Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University.

“Tornadoes are agnostic,” he added. “The parent storm that causes the tornado — the supercell — doesn’t care what’s underneath it, whether it’s farm field or city.”

At least one dead following New Orleans-area tornado that left path of destruction; thousands without power

Population density and urban infrastructure create unique safety considerations in a tornado, experts say, and a myth of the tornado-proof metropolis can lead city dwellers to underestimate their tornado risk.

The United States has more tornadoes than anywhere in the world, and in the past 15 years, some of the most destructive ones have carved through major cities such as Dallas, Nashville and St. Louis.

“I think the misconception is largely a function of the fact that urban center of any city is a relatively small target — a pinhole on the dartboard,” Gensini said.

Not just funnel clouds over fields: Tornadoes cut paths of devastation across U.S. cities

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, urban areas — a developed place with more than 50,000 people — are home to 80 percent of the population but account for just 3 percent of the land space in the United States.

Density tends to make for a higher magnitude of destruction. And thanks to urban sprawl in the South, the target is growing.

Climate change is also making tornadoes more volatile: The Tornado Alley of the Plains states is now an outdated concept; states in the South and Southeast are growing more vulnerable, and tornadoes are touching down well outside of the typical span of late spring to early summer.

The record-breaking tornadoes that swept the United States, by the numbers

For rural residents and city dwellers alike, the basic tornado safety precautions are the same:

“Get away from windows, get to the lowest floor in your building and put as many walls between you and the tornado as possible,” Gensini said. “If you do that, you have a very good likelihood of surviving even a strong tornado.”

Experts shared additional precautions residents in metro areas can take to improve their safety in case a tornado strikes.

Have a plan

The time to think about where to head for safety in a tornado is well before there’s a storm system in the forecast, said Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist for AccuWeather.

“With tornadoes, we’re not saying they need a detailed, written-out plan,” Porter said. “But even a conversation with your family about what you’re going to do if awaken by a tornado at night — like ‘Where are we going to seek shelter?’ — can go a long way. Because those aren’t decisions you can make when the place is falling in around you.”

Porter and Gensini cited the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather-Ready Nation initiative as a helpful planning resource. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends having a first aid kid, flashlights, water and extra medication at the ready, and knowing how you’ll transport a family member who has limited mobility.

It’s impossible to anticipate every scenario, but building in a layer of safety planning around a tornado makes people more resilient as the nation faces more extreme weather, Porter said.

“If we can handle these events better, we’ll have less people injured, less people killed and less economic loss,” Porter said. “And that’s something we should all strive for.”

Heed tornado watches — and act immediately on warnings

Understanding the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning is key, Porter said.

A watch is when the conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop in the next several hours.

“It’s the early indication that you want to think about your activities that day,” Porter said.

Know your building

“If you’re on the 25th floor of a building and you get a tornado warning, get to an interior closet, or to a basement” if there’s no designated tornado shelter, Porter said.

For people who work in large facilities such as data centers, warehouses and big box stores, it’s critical to know where the safest place in a structure may be.

“Big distribution centers or warehouses … if the roof is compromised from a tornado, we’ve seen examples where that can cause the walls to collapse,” Porter said.

Gensini pointed to the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Ill., where six workers died in December after a tornado struck the building, which collapsed. Some workers took shelter in a designated safe space in the restrooms, while several workers could not reach the area in time.

Avoid vehicles and transit

“One place you don’t want to be is a mobile home or a vehicle — vehicles essentially become missiles,” Gensini said. Mass transit authorities should have tornado plans in place, but the best option is to get out of a train or car if possible and seek shelter indoors.

City cyclists should have a well-fitting helmet for regular road safety, and they should strap it on tight if caught in a tornado: Most tornado fatalities are blunt force trauma to the head, Gensini said.

In a tornado, one of the worst places to be is in transit or on the road. “If you can conveniently do them the next day, it’s something to consider,” Porter said.

While tornado watches provide a heads-up, tornado warnings require immediate action. And when a warning hits, seconds count.

“A lot of times people want to see something before it happens; people often want to look outside or film,” Porter said. “We strongly advice against that because that’s time you could use to get to shelter.”

Follow forecasts

Gensini said forecasts are getting “really good,” and he noted that the New Orleans metro area received a tornado watch about 10 a.m. Tuesday, hours before the twister hit.

“Twenty to 30 years ago, we were dreaming of the day we were able to alert people to a tornado tomorrow,” he said. Whether you download a weather app for your phone or get your updates from local news, Gensini urged people to take forecasts seriously, no matter how improbable a tornado may seem for the time of year or location.

“Even if it’s February and there’s snow on the ground,” he said. “As long as the conditions are there in the atmosphere, tornadoes can occur.”

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