Hurricane Emergency Preparedness
Identifying Safe Areas
- At Home – Seek shelter on the lowest possible floor or in the basement. Under the stairs or in a bathroom or closet are good shelter spots. Stay away from windows. Don’t bother with the windows! Crouch on the floor in an egg position.
- At Work – Seek shelter on the lowest possible floor or basement, if there is a basement. Stairwells, bathrooms, and closets are good spots. As a last resort, crawl under your desk.
- At the Mall – Seek shelter against an interior wall. An enclosed hallway or fire exit leading away from the main hall concourse is a good spot. Stay away from skylights and large open areas.
- At School – Seek shelter in interior hallways, small closets, and bathrooms. Stay away from windows. Get out of mobile classrooms. Stay out of gymnasiums, auditoriums, and other large rooms with a large expanse of roof. Bus drivers should be alert for bad weather on their routes.
Shelters at Home
Knowing where to go in your home when a tornado or other strong storm threatens can be the difference between your surviving or becoming a statistic. The safest place to be during a tornado is in a below-ground shelter.
If you don’t have a below-ground shelter, go to an inside room on the lowest level of the home, away from windows and exterior walls. (The example below was provided by Texas Tech University and FEMA, and is available on the FEMA web site. Shaded areas are best available tornado shelters.)
Identified Shelters for Alamance County
Baptist Temple (2224 S Anthony Ct, Burlington)
Clover Garden School (2454 Altamahaw Union Ridge Rd, Burlington)
Fairchild Community Center (827 S Graham Hopedale Rd, Burlington)
First Church of the Nazarene (802 Chapel Hill Rd, Burlington)
Grove Park Baptist Church (108 Trail One, Burlington)
Mayco Bigelow Center (849 Sharpe Rd, Burlington)
St. Marks Church (1230 St Marks Church Rd, Burlington)
YMCA (1346 S Main St, Burlington)
Graham Recreation Center (311 College St, Graham)
Swepsonville Baptist Church (2754 Darrell Newton Dr, Graham)
Lamb's Chapel (415 Roxboro Rd., Haw River)
Mebane Arts Center (622 Corregidor St., Mebane)
Preparation Tips:
https://www.alamance-nc.com/em/mission_areas/prepare/preparation-tips/
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