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Home > Resources > Emergency Preparedness > Tornadoes
Tornadoes
Grainger can help you prepare for, respond to, and recover from all hazards, including Tornados and daily disruptions.
Generated from thunderstorms, tornadoes are one of the most violent storms known, and can strike with little to no warning. These funnels of rotating wind stretch from thunderstorm clouds to the ground and can reach 300 miles per hour, demolishing buildings and entire neighborhoods within seconds. The path of damage left can extend one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is potentially at risk.
Planning for a Tornado
A comprehensive emergency plan that has been communicated and tested with your personnel will help minimize loss to your business. Be sure to have personnel trained on CPR and First Aid, and compile an easily accessible emergency kit. FEMA, OSHA, and NIOSH have published recommendations on building preparedness plans.
If you are interested in more customized Business Continuity Planning assistance, contact your Grainger representative. One of our regional specialists work with you and your Account Manager.
Preparing for a Tornado
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Tornado Preparation Tips
- Monitor radio or television for weather updates, but stay alert to the sky.
- Look for a persistent rotation in the cloud base, and whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base
- Listen for a loud continuous roar
- Take shelter immediately if you see these danger signs
- Go to the basement or the lowest part of the building in the center of the building. Interior stairwells or small rooms with no windows are best. Avoid windows!
- Crouch as low as possible, face-down, and cover your head.
Responding After a Tornado
Although early detection and response capabilities are improving in the United States, we cannot control nature. However, you can mitigate losses with prompt action and a well-planned preparedness and response plan. Most importantly, make sure your communication plan is in place so you can reach all of your employees and confirm their safety.
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Tornado Response Tips
- As with any event, first aid the injured, moving them only if they are in danger by remaining where they are.
- Be alert to safety issues created by the devastation of the storm. Avoid entering any buildings with structural or other visible damage until authorized to do so by local officials.
- Report any gas leaks, downed or damaged electrical wires, and spilled chemical or other potentially hazardous materials to authorities or the utility companies immediately.
- Use caution when walking through debris. Watch for animals, broken glass and other materials, water and other spilled items that could cause injury or illness.
Recovering from a Tornado
Data from past disasters has shown that 40% of businesses that close after a disaster never reopen, so getting back to normal quickly is essential to your business and your employees.
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Tornado Recovery Tips
- First take care of your family's and employees' health. The speed and degree of devastation can be traumatizing. Activate your communication plan to ensure that everyone is safe and is receiving the support they need immediately after the event, and throughout the recovery phase.
- Repair and rebuild to mitigate damage to your facility from future disasters. Work with contractors to reinforce windows and doors.
- Reinforce and secure siding and roofs, and all tie-downs or anchoring for exterior equipment and movable structures.
- Remove trees and trim dead branches to remove potential windborne missiles
Quick Tips Technical Resources:
Grainger Services
Grainger provides special emergency services to our customers and their communities.
After-hours Emergencies
When an emergency occurs after business hours, call 1-800-CALL-WWG (1-800-225-5994) and we will open a branch for you. A $50.00 fee may apply.
Emergency Support Teams
When an emergency unfolds, we have a plan in place that quickly mobilizes internal and external resources to assist troubled communities.
Extended Hours and Personnel
During major emergencies, Grainger branches stay open 24 hours (unless curfews are imposed by local authorities). Additional personnel are brought in to take orders, assist customers at the counter, and load trucks. Our Call Centers are able to accept phone orders 24 hours a day.
Essential Product Availability
Within hours of an emergency, trailers containing critical products are dispatched to support the relief effort. Contingency plans with our suppliers allow us to provide additional equipment quickly
Additional Tornado Resources
The Ready Rating Program provides an easy, actionable framework to help any organization assess their readiness and build and implement response plans.
Ready When the Time Comes, a corporate volunteer program, taps the human resources of corporate America.
