We live in southeast TN. My kids spent most of the morning in the basement while I stood & watched out the door. Right now, we're waiting until the next batch of storms comes through!
We never used to have to worry about tornadoes in this area of the country... but, for the past 5 years or so, it's gotten worse each spring. It's like we're living in a new tornado alley or something!
Anyway, I've always wondered how I was supposed to grab a mattress & wrestle it into the bathroom during the middle of a storm! It seems like my DH is NEVER home during a tornado warning. So, here's what I do (& did earlier this morning) --
When they 1st issue a tornado warning for my county, I get dressed if I'm not already & make sure I have my shoes on. If it's during the day, I also make sure my kids are dressed w/ shoes on. (If it's during the middle of the night, I don't worry about getting them dressed & will normally wait until I really feel like we're in danger before I wake them up to go to the basement - but I hunt up their shoes, so, once we're in the basement, they can put them on.)
I get a flashlight & my cell phone & put both in my pockets.
I get my purse & diaper bag & put them in our basement in our "safe" area. Our basement is a walk-out basement w/ a door & a window, but the back corner is underground - so that's our safe area. The back corner is also not in direct line to the window or door.
Then, instead of trying to wrestle w/ a mattress, I get 2-3 blankets & put them in our safe area. The blankets are for us to cover up w/ so that we aren't hit by glass from blown-in windows. Sometimes, I also take pillows.
I take a radio down to our safe area as well.
I also close all the interior doors in the house.
Then, I watch the news until our satellite goes out. Then, I try to track things via the internet. Earlier today, our satellite went out, then our power went out, & then we lost our internet connection - both on our laptop & my phone. Right before, the satellite went out, they tracked the tornado & predicted it hitting my area at 9:21 am.
So, I sent the kids w/ the cat down to the basement, & I stood at the door & watched for hail. It never hailed & I never really heard any thunder. When it started lightening back up, I had the kids come back upstairs. Apparently, the storm hit just south of our downtown area & then hit just north of us about 2 miles. It "jumped" right over us.
If I were you, my "safe" area would be either a bathroom or maybe a coat closet on the ground level. Being around plumbing is supposed to be good (I think) because of how the plumbing is anchored. I wouldn't worry about a mattress but get some blankets & pillows to cover up w/. Make sure you have your cell phone, a flashlight, a radio, & your shoes. I also take my purse so I have my ID & keys & the diaper bag because it's prepacked w/ various medicines, DS's inhaler, & other things I might need in an emergency.
Like others have said, just because they issue a tornado warning for your area (or county) doesn't mean it's coming straight for you - you kinda have to track it & listen to what direction they're saying it's going. Also, a "doppler indicated tornado" is different than an actual tornado. In my area, though, if we hear sirens, it means a tornado has been spotted on the ground. Our local meteorologists are really good about informing the public what areas/cities are in the direct line & they'll say things like, "If you live in the Red Bank area, you need to take cover now." Of course, the power (& the satellite) has to stay on for that to be effective! So, then, like today, I stand & watch out the door for the sky to turn green.
I know, though, it can be scary!!
