For my children, when we sheltered in the basement during that F5 that hit Parkersburg, one thing that reassured them was an electronic chem light...in case the lights went out, they felt like they had a ward against the darkness. Since we just moved into this house, I hadn't thought much about preparing for this eventuality, but since then I put a case of juice pouches and some bottled water in our space under the stairs...I plan to add some snacks and kid things to do as well.

We drove through the damaged areas of Parkersburg so the kids could see what a tornado can do. We kept telling them, "This is why it's important to stay in our safe place under the stairs during a tornado". We tried to emphasize that we are safe when we're in that place in our basement, but in truth there were a lot of empty basements in Parkersburg...meaning the contents got sucked out once the house was gone.

I also found that the tiny weather radio I had already unpacked from moving was very static-y unless I was standing next to the egress window. I need to test whether this happens with our other weather radio, or any radio in general. I have noticed that with all the trees a block away from us, the local classic rock station fades out.

Last night the tiny NOAA radio woke me up, but even upstairs next to a window, I heard nothing but static. I went to check the TV just after 130 and sure enough we were under another tornado warning. DW is at a conference and I'm home alone with the three young ones. I thought about getting them all into the basement, but the tornado was small and had dissipated by that time...passed a few miles south of us. I'll wake them up to get them to safety if I have to, but I really want them to develop respect for the weather (like the Van Halen tune from Twister, Respect The Wind) but I don't want them to develop anxiety. DW still has childhood memories of her Dad herding them into the basement every time the wind blew hard...he is paranoid about weather, and now so is she.

I also thought that it would be good to grab to BOB's for the safe spot...in Parkersburg, a lot of people were safe in their basements, but when they dug out, they found everything else was gone...at least we'd have some provisions for a little while with the BOB's...

I want my kids to be prepared, not scared.

Thanks for the suggestion. She's looking into it now. They are near Wichita Falls where their county's warnings originate, so that's a good thing.

That's a great idea. I know my nephews think the snap chem lights are fun to play with. My niece is too young to care yet, but she might like the lights too. I think I'll send her some and mention having snacks available. Thanks.

Good point. My sister is really good about staying calm in various situations, but this is one she isn't used to. I think once she feels more comfortable with her preparations it will have a better impact on the kids.

Regarding the NOAA radio service, I have found that I can't get a signal in my basement. It works ok upstairs but even then for some reason I can pick up Lincoln, better than Omaha and Im in Omaha. They need to up the power or something. Does anyone know of a weather radio that picks up a good signal in a basement.

Most of them I've seen have a way to hook up an external antenna - why not do that. Antenna upstairs/on the roof, a drop of either twin lead or coax to the radio, and away you go