ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — This national preparedness month, tornado survivors are sharing what they wish they knew before the April 26th tornadoes and what you should know now.
- One survivor emphasizes the importance of taking storms seriously
- Keeping important documents in a safe place is crucial during a tornado
- Omaha Rapid Response encourages having a plan in place
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
September is national preparedness month, a time when safety leaders want you to take stock of your home and consider if you're prepared for the worst.
That's what tornado survivors were faced with five months ago when storms ripped through their neighborhoods and homes.
Now they're sharing what they wish they knew then and what you should know now.
Kowenn Tourek says he feels lucky. His home is intact, yet he's still working with contractors to address some damage.
Looking back, Tourek says he wished he would've taken the storm more seriously.
"Because you never think it's going to happen to you. And then about 15 minutes before it came to our neighborhood, my sister was like, you should get to the basement right now,” said Tourek.
One thing he's learned going through this is to keep his important documents somewhere safe.
"Like we had neighbors roofs get ripped off and you know, documents probably lost for good,” said Tourek.
Neighbor Brandon Baxter agrees.
"Whenever the storm hits, you have 30 seconds, maybe a minute to get downstairs and that's not the time that you need to be thinking about, you know, where your mother's photo album is or, or anything like that,” said Baxter.
The most important thing though, is to make sure you are taking care of yourself and loved ones.
"If you get that warning head to the basement, at least you're in a position where you can take cover. You know, because you never know. I mean, we got three houses right down the hill here. It just totally leveled them all,” said Rocky Westerfield, a Ramblewood neighbor.
We spoke with Omaha Rapid Response President Ken Gruber who tells us it's better to have a plan than to wait until something bad happens to you.
"You just have to think of all those different situations where, you know, I need to eat. I need to go to the bathroom; I need to drink. I need to take my medicine. What time of year is it?" said Gruber.
And it’s not just tornadoes you should prepare for either because all the little things we take for granted can be important when it comes to keeping yourself safe.
For more information on how to keep you and your loved ones safe in the face of disaster, here are some helpful tips from Douglas County Emergency Management.
