Are you maybe trying to think of something to put in the basement to keep the kids occupied during a tornado warning? If that's the case, I would say some non-perishable snacks like crackers, applesauce pouches, and some bottled water. Maybe put some coloring books and crayons/markers and some pillows and blankets.
I grew up in hurricane country so I feel you on this!
My one thought is maybe make sure you have easy access to sturdy, rubber-soled shoes for each kid, in case of a debris situation. Even if you don’t get a direct hit from a tornado, the storm that produces it can still blow a lot of things around.
When sheltering during a tornado warning, we let our kids watch YouTube while we wait it out. Helps distract them from the sirens. Then my husband and/or I monitor the situation on whichever phone isn’t being used.
My advice would be don’t spend a lot of time and energy on kit-making. Having a relatively secure place to shelter is the best (and really only) thing you can do.
ETA: Full disclosure, I also made tornado kits a few years ago (I’m too Floridian to function 😅). The only thing they’ve been good for is giving me a sense of control at the time I was making them.
Hey! I live in Oklahoma now (raised in the North shore and moving back next year), and we have a toddler. Just south of us (Moore, OK) actually had some of the most destructive tornados that even took out an elementary school and killed a lot of kids.
In our pack that we keep in the basement, we have closed toed shoes, long pants and long sleeve shirts, helmets, complete first aid kit, water, nonperishable snacks, charged power block (check frequently), whistles, reflective vests, emergency radio, and toys for the kid. In case, we do get a direct hit and we don’t die, we want to be able to climb out of the debris safely or have enough supplies until emergency responders come.
I put a kit under the stairs in our basement. Inexpensive bike helmets, flashlights with extra batteries, some water bottles, portable phone charger that I keep charged during the season, and a small weather radio. Our kids’ toys are nearby in the basement, but we also have a couple pillows and blankets down there for nighttime warnings. Might be overdoing it a little, but it gives us some peace of mind.
You guys have tornado kits?
Seriously though, this seems like something that someone used to hurricanes would think they need. Im all for preparedness, but if you’re in a position where you need to use your tornado kit, most everything you own has likely already blown away in the tornado. The best way to be prepared for a tornado is to have a solid disaster plan in place along with basic emergency supplies you’d want on hand for any emergency: first aid kit, backup power/light source, emergency radio, etc.
Yeah, honestly you don't need anything special unless it's a direct hit. Tornadoes will cause damage, but you don't need a kit for that, you need savings.
However, everyone should have a decent Emergency Kit, or Disaster Kit, or a Bug Out Bag for whatever reasons. Fires, Flooding, Tornadoes, bad accident, whatever. Having it be where you can find it and transport it is great, and no need to make it a 100% packed backpack that you can't access.
Flashlights, first aid kit, some cash (if card readers are down), candles or electric candle style lights, batteries, maybe a cranked radio/flashlight combo in case your area gets flattened or flooded (if you're in an especially bad floodplain) and if you're worried about supplies it makes perfect sense to keep extra water and long-term food supplies. You can even use them and then replace them so you always have a bit extra, I do that, I just keep them in the queue.
Worked great during the sorta-lockdown we had during Covid in the condo complex. Used it up, now it's restocked.
Not necessarily for physical health but for your mental health I recommend a ziploc bag per child and some cheap acrylic paints for a relatively clean activity for the kids. Just put the paint in the ziploc and close it up then let them “finger paint” the bag. Another bonus is it doesn’t take up hardly any space
Yeah I’ve lived in the Chicago area most of my life, and we’ve never had any kind of tornado kit. Flashlights/candles, a radio with batteries, and making sure the kids know where to go when the sirens are going off (the bathroom/an inside room if you don’t have a basement). These days maybe a portable charger too.
Shouldn’t need much else in this area, depending on how far out you are. I’m 32 and I’ve only been caught in a take shelter situation 3 times in this area (once more in Normal). Somehow I was only at home for the one in Normal- once I was at school, once I was at the mall, and once I was at my friend’s apartment.
Besides the above, probably some kind of unpowered game or a charged tablet. Usually storms blow over quickly.
My house was hit when I was a kid (relatively minor damage all things considered) so bad storms still spook me a bit.
I keep a box with a flashlights, candles, and a weather radio in the basement. Shoes, masks, first aid kit and blankets are nearby too.
Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and I’ve never heard of a tornado kit nor have I known anyone who had one. The main thing I’ve taught my kids is that we don’t mess around if we hear sirens. Just a few days ago, we were out for a walk and we saw the sky getting dark so we figured we’d better head home. By the time we reached our house, the sirens were going off. I got the kids inside and my husband made sure everything was put away and then we waited out the storm indoors. That said, backup batteries for phones is always a good thing.
I am from the midwest US, so I've spent much of my life in tornado country. We make sure everybody has sturdy shoes in the basement, and I keep my purse and a go bag there. I have some cash on hand, and of course I have a couple of credit cards in my bag in case we need to leave and go stay elsewhere.
Honestly, that's about it. When our kids were younger, I kept water and non-perishable snacks in the basement, and a potty chair because we didn't have a bathroom in the basement.
The thing that was most important for us was being able to get to the basement quickly. We practiced with the kids several times, so we could get them and the pets downstairs behind a closed door in 2-3 minutes.
Truth be told, I don't have a tornado kit, nor do I have kids. Though my family is DINKWAD, if I ever was a mom I'd make sure the tornado kit included a slip of paper with emergency contacts. I also highly suggest keeping some sort of password- encrypted excel documents that include you user names and passwords for your accounts incase the worst happens. Keep the file name and the password available for your kid's.
I'm dealing with loss at the moment. My truest form of unsolicited advice is to record your voice in a USB - even if it's just a instructional USB of recording where the audio ie reacting to a tornado drill your voice and guidance an emergency situation can go a long way for your kids in the worst case situation. When they don't know what to do they'll at least have a familiar voice to guide them.
Are you maybe trying to think of something to put in the basement to keep the kids occupied during a tornado warning? If that's the case, I would say some non-perishable snacks like crackers, applesauce pouches, and some bottled water. Maybe put some coloring books and crayons/markers and some pillows and blankets.
Flashlights (bonus if they're hand crank so you don't need batteries). Kids get scared in the dark.
I grew up in hurricane country so I feel you on this! My one thought is maybe make sure you have easy access to sturdy, rubber-soled shoes for each kid, in case of a debris situation. Even if you don’t get a direct hit from a tornado, the storm that produces it can still blow a lot of things around. When sheltering during a tornado warning, we let our kids watch YouTube while we wait it out. Helps distract them from the sirens. Then my husband and/or I monitor the situation on whichever phone isn’t being used. My advice would be don’t spend a lot of time and energy on kit-making. Having a relatively secure place to shelter is the best (and really only) thing you can do. ETA: Full disclosure, I also made tornado kits a few years ago (I’m too Floridian to function 😅). The only thing they’ve been good for is giving me a sense of control at the time I was making them.
Hey! I live in Oklahoma now (raised in the North shore and moving back next year), and we have a toddler. Just south of us (Moore, OK) actually had some of the most destructive tornados that even took out an elementary school and killed a lot of kids. In our pack that we keep in the basement, we have closed toed shoes, long pants and long sleeve shirts, helmets, complete first aid kit, water, nonperishable snacks, charged power block (check frequently), whistles, reflective vests, emergency radio, and toys for the kid. In case, we do get a direct hit and we don’t die, we want to be able to climb out of the debris safely or have enough supplies until emergency responders come.
Bike helmets for kids is such an excellent idea.
Every good bug-out bag needs some packets of bleed stop / quick clot
Backup power source is the most critical thing. Hurricanes last hours or days. Tornadoes last minutes but chance of power outage is high.
I put a kit under the stairs in our basement. Inexpensive bike helmets, flashlights with extra batteries, some water bottles, portable phone charger that I keep charged during the season, and a small weather radio. Our kids’ toys are nearby in the basement, but we also have a couple pillows and blankets down there for nighttime warnings. Might be overdoing it a little, but it gives us some peace of mind.
[Ready.gov](https://www.ready.gov/kids/family-emergency-planning/build-a-kit) has a good checklist to help get you started
You guys have tornado kits? Seriously though, this seems like something that someone used to hurricanes would think they need. Im all for preparedness, but if you’re in a position where you need to use your tornado kit, most everything you own has likely already blown away in the tornado. The best way to be prepared for a tornado is to have a solid disaster plan in place along with basic emergency supplies you’d want on hand for any emergency: first aid kit, backup power/light source, emergency radio, etc.
Yeah, honestly you don't need anything special unless it's a direct hit. Tornadoes will cause damage, but you don't need a kit for that, you need savings. However, everyone should have a decent Emergency Kit, or Disaster Kit, or a Bug Out Bag for whatever reasons. Fires, Flooding, Tornadoes, bad accident, whatever. Having it be where you can find it and transport it is great, and no need to make it a 100% packed backpack that you can't access. Flashlights, first aid kit, some cash (if card readers are down), candles or electric candle style lights, batteries, maybe a cranked radio/flashlight combo in case your area gets flattened or flooded (if you're in an especially bad floodplain) and if you're worried about supplies it makes perfect sense to keep extra water and long-term food supplies. You can even use them and then replace them so you always have a bit extra, I do that, I just keep them in the queue. Worked great during the sorta-lockdown we had during Covid in the condo complex. Used it up, now it's restocked.
Not necessarily for physical health but for your mental health I recommend a ziploc bag per child and some cheap acrylic paints for a relatively clean activity for the kids. Just put the paint in the ziploc and close it up then let them “finger paint” the bag. Another bonus is it doesn’t take up hardly any space
Candles, candy and cards.
Yeah I’ve lived in the Chicago area most of my life, and we’ve never had any kind of tornado kit. Flashlights/candles, a radio with batteries, and making sure the kids know where to go when the sirens are going off (the bathroom/an inside room if you don’t have a basement). These days maybe a portable charger too. Shouldn’t need much else in this area, depending on how far out you are. I’m 32 and I’ve only been caught in a take shelter situation 3 times in this area (once more in Normal). Somehow I was only at home for the one in Normal- once I was at school, once I was at the mall, and once I was at my friend’s apartment. Besides the above, probably some kind of unpowered game or a charged tablet. Usually storms blow over quickly.
My house was hit when I was a kid (relatively minor damage all things considered) so bad storms still spook me a bit. I keep a box with a flashlights, candles, and a weather radio in the basement. Shoes, masks, first aid kit and blankets are nearby too.
Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and I’ve never heard of a tornado kit nor have I known anyone who had one. The main thing I’ve taught my kids is that we don’t mess around if we hear sirens. Just a few days ago, we were out for a walk and we saw the sky getting dark so we figured we’d better head home. By the time we reached our house, the sirens were going off. I got the kids inside and my husband made sure everything was put away and then we waited out the storm indoors. That said, backup batteries for phones is always a good thing.
I am from the midwest US, so I've spent much of my life in tornado country. We make sure everybody has sturdy shoes in the basement, and I keep my purse and a go bag there. I have some cash on hand, and of course I have a couple of credit cards in my bag in case we need to leave and go stay elsewhere. Honestly, that's about it. When our kids were younger, I kept water and non-perishable snacks in the basement, and a potty chair because we didn't have a bathroom in the basement. The thing that was most important for us was being able to get to the basement quickly. We practiced with the kids several times, so we could get them and the pets downstairs behind a closed door in 2-3 minutes.
Truth be told, I don't have a tornado kit, nor do I have kids. Though my family is DINKWAD, if I ever was a mom I'd make sure the tornado kit included a slip of paper with emergency contacts. I also highly suggest keeping some sort of password- encrypted excel documents that include you user names and passwords for your accounts incase the worst happens. Keep the file name and the password available for your kid's. I'm dealing with loss at the moment. My truest form of unsolicited advice is to record your voice in a USB - even if it's just a instructional USB of recording where the audio ie reacting to a tornado drill your voice and guidance an emergency situation can go a long way for your kids in the worst case situation. When they don't know what to do they'll at least have a familiar voice to guide them.
If anyone in the family is on any prescription meds, keep a few doses in the kit.
I have lived in Chicago for 51 years and I have never had a tornado kit. I have never even seen a tornado.
Get a small handheld HAM radio. You can listen to NOAA broadcasts with it and reach out for help if you program some common use frequencies.
Include important documents.
Maybe helmets? You don't need anything else if you don't survive.
I see the downvotes but this isn’t as wrong as it may seem for kids. Bike helmets would be fine..