Have a landline phone in your basement – When a tornado strikes, you want to be able to get to shelter quickly. Having a phone already hooked up in your basement (or bathroom or other pre-set area), means you don’t have to worry about finding a cell phone. Land line phones are also less likely to face “signal jamming,” which occurs when too many calls are made at one time, than cell phones. Most land line phones also have an indefinite or much longer battery life.
Store a small, battery-powered TV with cable reception in your basement – It’s the same principle as mentioned above. A battery powered TV will allow you to watch network news to monitor the storm. With a wider range of coverage, TV stations are more likely to stay operational than local radio stations.
Keep your records safe – When severe weather strikes, you don’t want to worry about having access to digital copies of your insurance policies, receipts to make insurance claims, or even just family photos stored on your computer. Make sure you set up an online backup system now, so that you don’t have to worry about your most important data during a disaster.