Tornado Safety

  • If you are at home, go to a corner of your basement, under the stairs, or take cover under a sturdy workbench or table.
  • If your home has no basement, take cover in the center part of the house, on the lowest floor, in a small room such as a closet or bathroom, or under sturdy furniture. Stay away from windows to avoid flying debris.
  • If you live in a manufactured home, and underground shelter is not available within a few hundred feet, you should make arrangements to temporarily relocate to a pre-selected area of greater safety during a thunderstorm "warning" or tornado "watch." Friends or relatives with home basements should be considered. Don’t wait until a tornado "warning" is in effect to relocate. Traffic problems and the storm itself may delay your relocation, thus exposing you to serious danger. Caution: Tied down manufactured homes do not provide adequate shelter protection during high winds.
  • If you are at work in a building, go to an interior hallway on the lowest floor, or to the designated shelter area. Stay way from windows.
  • If you are outside, in open country or in a car, lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch, culvert, excavation or ravine.
Shelters in Minot
  • Edison School: 701 17 Avenue South West
  • Jim Hill Middle School: 1000 6 Street South West
  • Ward County Courthouse: 315 3 Street South East

Special Notes
Due to limited capacity, do not rely on public shelters as your main source of protection. Use only if other arrangements cannot be made with neighbors or relatives who have basements. Remember that traveling to a shelter during a Tornado Warning is extremely dangerous.

A NOAA Weather Radio can be purchased at any store that sells electronics and can be programmed to sound an alarm during severe weather or other emergencies. A weather radio is an excellent tool to augment our public siren and public broadcasting (radio and television) warning systems.