What should you do in case of a tornado? Here are ways you can be prepared.

BALTIMORE -- If a tornado pops up in your neighborhood, you need to be prepared.

A tornado that touches down could cause destruction and injuries to those in its path.

Be ready

According to the National Weather Service, these are ways to get ready for a tornado:

• Check the weather. Find out if severe weather has a chance to strike in your community. Follow WJZ's First Alert Meteorologists for updated weather details.
• Sign up for App Notifications: If severe weather breaks, the WJZ News app will alert you. Here's how you can download our app. Some phones alert residents of severe weather and tornadoes.
• Prepare an emergency kit. Some of the items you might need are water for drinking and sanitation; food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food); battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert; flashlight; first aid kit; extra batteries; whistle (to signal for help) 

• Create a Communications Plan: Have a family plan that includes an emergency meeting place and related information. If you live in a mobile home or home without a basement, identify a nearby safe building you can get too quickly, such as a church or family member.
• Pick a safe room in your home, such as a basement, storm cellar, or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. 
• Practice Your Plan: Conduct a family severe thunderstorm drill regularly so everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching. Make sure all members of your family know to go there when tornado warnings are issued. Don't forget pets if time allows.
  
• Prepare Your Home: Consider having your safe room reinforced. You can find plans for reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website.
• Help Your Neighbor: Encourage your loved ones to prepare for the possibility of tornadoes. Take CPR training so you can help if someone is hurt.

During a tornado

When a tornado strikes, here are ways to stay safe, according to the National Weather Service.

• Stay Weather-Ready: Continue to listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio to stay updated about tornado watches and warnings.
• At Your House: If you are in a tornado warning, go to your basement, safe room, or an interior room away from windows. Don't forget pets if time allows.
• At Your Workplace or School: Follow your tornado drill and proceed to your tornado shelter location quickly and calmly. Stay away from windows and do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, or auditoriums.
• Outside: Seek shelter inside a sturdy building immediately if a tornado is approaching. Sheds and storage facilities are not safe. Neither is a mobile home or tent.  If you have time, get to a safe building.
• In a vehicle: Being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. The best course of action is to drive to the closest shelter. If you are unable to make it to a safe shelter, either get down in your car and cover your head, or abandon your car and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine.

Tornado aftermath 

After a tornado strikes, according to the National Weather Service, here's what you can do:

• Stay Informed: Continue to watch or follow the WJZ First Alert Weather Team. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes are possible during severe weather outbreaks.
• Contact Your Family and Loved Ones: Let your family and close friends know that you're OK so they can help spread the word. Text messages or social media are more reliable forms of communication than phone calls.
• Assess the Damage: After the threat of tornadoes has ended, check to see if your property has been damaged. When walking through storm damage, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes. Contact local authorities if you see power lines down. Stay out of damaged buildings. Be aware of insurance scammers if your property has been damaged.
• Help Your Neighbor: If you come across people that are injured and you are properly trained, provide first aid to victims if needed until emergency response teams arrive.

Watch or warning?

What's the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?

The National Weather Service breaks down these three alerts:

• Tornado Watch: Be Prepared!  Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans, take inventory of your supplies and check your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Acting early helps to save lives! Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur. The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states.

• Tornado Warning: Take Action! A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. There is imminent danger to life and property. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office. Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area (around the size of a city or small county) that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is watching the storm.

• Tornado Emergency: Seek Shelter Immediately! A tornado emergency is the National Weather Service's highest alert level. It is issued when a violent tornado has touched down in the watch area. There is a severe threat to human life and property, with catastrophic damage confirmed. Immediately seek refuge in the safest location possible. Call friends and family who are within the watch area to ensure they are aware of the situation. If you see a tornado approaching, do not attempt to outrun it in a vehicle; shelter in place. Once safe, be sure to monitor your local forecast for the latest updates.