Reconsidering tornado tips

Going to the basement isn’t enough; that much we’ve learned after Sunday’s tornadoes in Minnesota and, in particular, Iowa.

Consider this from an AP report just filed:

Parkersburg Mayor Bob Haylock said most of those killed in Parkersburg were in basements. All were adults, he said.

That prompted us to take another look at the tornado survival tips:

In a house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. Know where very heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc.) and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor and crush you.

On a related front: Check out this picture MPR’s Tom Weber just sent down from Hugo.

hot_tub.jpg

.. and this actually is someone’s basement…

basement_hugo.jpg