Business continuity teams can’t afford to not have threat plans for tornadoes as part of their response capability. These environmental hazards don’t follow a set pattern and can occur anytime, anywhere. Many tornadoes also strike simultaneously. So a threat plan is absolutely essential.

Establish a place where you can shield yourself from harm.

Know how to operate your local warning system.

Outline procedures for taking a headcount of all individuals who are on location.

Make a list of equipment and resources required to execute response measures.

Train employees regularly on deploying plans to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.

How to Prepare Threat Plans for Tornadoes

You can adopt the following recommendations while developing threat plans for tornadoes.

Shelter

Shelters are a crucial component while preparing threat plans for tornadoes and should be ideally located underground. If underground options such as basements or cellars cannot be included in your tornado threat plan, then you can:

• Use a small, compact room on the floor closest to the ground
• Avoid proximity with doors, windows and exterior walls
• Avoid the corners while taking shelter in a room as debris tend to collect there
• Use rooms that have no windows and that are made of concrete or bricks
• Avoid using spaces with flat and expansive roofs
• Protect yourself in the nearest available building when outdoors.
• Use any available vehicle to get to the nearest place of protection.
  • Fasten your seatbelts.
  • If there is a threat of flying debris, crouch beneath the windows or take shelter in any area that is at a lower level than the road.
  • Cover your head with your hands in both cases.

Safety

While developing threat plans for tornadoes, you must ensure that employee health and safety are prioritized.

• Design a mechanism for taking headcounts that can be deployed immediately during a tornado emergency.
• Install an alarm warning mechanism to notify employees of an approaching tornado. Incorporate workaround options into the threat plan for communicating with people who have physical impairments or don’t speak English.
• Keep track of all individuals in the shelter – employees, clients, visitors and so on.
• Delegate roles and responsibilities in the tornado threat plan with checklists for employees.
• Establish alternate staff options.

Tornado Response & Recovery

Activities include:

Cleaning

Restoring utilities

Removing toxic material and spills

Conducting search & rescue operations

Threats

The health and safety of employees come under serious threat after a tornado has occurred. Post-incident threats include:

• Unsafe driving conditions and blocked roads
• High probability of individuals getting injured due to slippery surfaces
• Falling structures such as heavy branches and poles
• Nails, splinters, broken glass and debris
• Damaged electricity lines
• Fires ignited by malfunctioning equipment
• High temperatures and loss of body fluids

General Guidelines

• Tune in to radio and television channels for the latest tornado news and update your tornado threat plan accordingly. Stay alert for when official agencies issue a tornado watch
• Identify structural damages to buildings, electrical faults and gas leaks that can be exploited during the tornado
• Stay away from disrupted power lines
• Use protective gear in danger prone zones
• Ensure easy and instant access to first aid and medical attention

Tornado Emergency Plan for Business

Risk Detection

This involves forecasting, based on possible risks:

• Damage to assets, resources and infrastructure
• Disruption to sales, business opportunities and processes

Preparedness evaluation

Assess if your organization can continue operating when there is an impact on the availability, production output and quality of specific segments of your infrastructure, such as:

• Facilities, systems, equipment, communication infrastructure, raw materials and other assets
• People such as employees, vendors and suppliers

Plan Development

Threat plans for tornadoes must include solutions to stay prepared, respond to and mitigate the impact of different types of risks. This involves assigning a project lead who will spearhead the entire process. The plan can be segregated into specific segments for:

Employees

• Shelter zones
• Business continuity and crisis communication
• Raising awareness amongst staff
• Training and knowledge transfer
• Exercise drills
• Putting together:
  • An essential supplies kit
  • Weather monitoring equipment
  • Relevant insurance coverage programs

Surroundings

• Installing signposts, flagpoles, protective barriers and railings
• Adapting the surrounding environment – for instance, clearing debris and removing loose branches and twigs – to mitigate the impact of tornadoes

Systems

• Safety measures for protecting
  • Mechanical, electrical and lightning protection systems
  • Communication equipment, utility connections and antennas

Structure

• The tornado threat plan must specify how to prepare the shelter zone as per FEMA Guidelines or ICC/NSSA 500 standards
• Identify the Best Available Refuge Area (BARA) as part of your tornado response if a safe room or shelter zone is not feasible
• Fortify roof structures to provide the necessary protection from external winds and rains
• Protect vents, windows and other openings from water intrusions
• Replace conventional skylights with impact resistant ones
• Install the necessary support framework for walls with gable-ends and soffits

Service

Business establishments never work in silos as they form part of a community. So, it is always advisable that corporate threat plans for tornadoes include a service component as part of the business continuity solution and extend solidarity to others in the vicinity during testing times. Some of these initiatives include:

• Stocking up on relief and emergency supplies to be distributed to volunteer groups and NGOs
• Sharing basic utilities such as electricity and fuel
• Providing food, water and other refreshments
• Reaching out to your local Emergency Manager for locality-specific suggestions

Implementation

In the case of leased or rented office spaces, obtain approval from the building owners on your tornado preparedness and safety measures.

Create a tornado preparedness checklist and follow up on the completion of necessary actions related to:

• Shelter zones
• Business continuity and crisis communication

Staff training, awareness and exercise drills

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