Tornado Shelter - Which Side of Your House?

Several weeks back I shared a few tornado related misconceptions that many people hold as truth.  These included tornadoes being stopped by rivers (NO!), keeping your windows open (NO!), and tornadoes avoiding cities (NO!).  Here's another common misconception.

"Which side of your house should you go to when taking shelter from a tornado?"

The misconception states you should take shelter in the southwest corner of your basement.  Why?  The misconception states tornadoes come from the southwest and therefore are more likely to dump debris in the northeast corner of your house.  Not true.  The basement part is right.  Always take shelter in a basement.  Position yourself under something sturdy if possible and stay away from windows if possible.  The important thing, however, is get to the basement if your house has one.  If your house doesn't have a basement, take shelter in an interior room of your home away from windows and exterior walls.

Once in the basement, the direction doesn't matter.  You are just as safe in the northeast corner of your home as the southwest or middle of your home.  So don't waste time going to a specific corner.  Get to an area in the basement away from windows and under something sturdy, if possible, to protect yourself from falling objects.

Also, tornadoes do not necessarily come from the southwest.  So even if the part about debris falling in a certain direction, it wouldn't matter as tornadoes move around and can come from any direction.

Stay safe out there!!!