When would I need to seek shelter?
A hazardous material release, dangerous person/hostile intruder in the area, severe weather that makes travel or outdoors dangerous, or when there is not enough safety to evacuate.
What should I know about seeking shelter?
- The basic concept is to get out of harm’s way through a means of creating a barrier between you and the danger, while still maintaining safety and communication.
- The best room in a building to use for seeking shelter is an interior room with as few windows as possible. The lowest portion of the building should be used in a tornado warning.
What should I do to safely seek shelter?
- In General:
- GO inside as quickly as possible or
- PROCEED to an interior room, if already indoors
- CLOSE all doors and windows
- LOCK all windows and close all blinds and shades if there is time.
- DO NOT use gas stoves, candles, or other fire sources due to the dangers of carbon monoxide and creating a fire hazard
- USE the phone only for emergencies
- If the emergency is hazardous material spill or gas release:
- STAY low and away from windows, in high winds
- BRING a disaster kit into the room
- TURN OFF air conditioners, furnaces, and fans if possible
- SEAL all windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheeting and duct tape, if possible, or
- IMPROVISE and use what you have on hand to seal gaps so that you create a barrier between yourself and any contamination
- TURN ON the TV or radio so you can hear emergency messages.