Storm Preparation Checklist for Kansas City Homes

Severe weather season in Kansas City is not really a season so much as a long stretch. We get our worst in spring, but I have seen tornado warnings light up phones in Olathe and Overland Park in the fall too. The families who handle it best are the ones who did the boring work ahead of time, before the sky ever turned green. Here is the checklist I give my neighbors so a warning is a routine you already know instead of a scramble.

Before the season: set your plan now

The single most useful thing you can do happens on a calm day. Sit down with everyone in the house and agree on where you go and how you get there. Walk the route to your shelter spot so the kids know it in the dark. Make sure at least two people can get any pets. Program a couple of ways to get warnings, since a siren outside is meant for people outdoors and you cannot count on hearing it inside over a storm. A weather radio and phone alerts together cover you. If your home has no basement, this is also the moment to think honestly about whether a rated shelter belongs on your list.

Build a simple go-kit

You do not need a bunker's worth of supplies. Keep a small kit near your shelter spot with the handful of things you would hate to run around for while the wind is picking up: shoes for everyone, a flashlight and spare batteries, a phone charger, a little water, any daily medications, and a whistle so rescuers can hear you if the worst happens and debris blocks a door. Bike or sports helmets for the kids are a smart, cheap add that protects against the number one tornado injury, which is head trauma from flying debris. Toss in a copy of important documents in a zip bag and you are set.

When a watch is issued, move early

People mix up the two words, so keep it simple. A watch means conditions are right for severe storms or tornadoes, so stay alert and bring in anything that can blow around. A warning means one has been spotted or shows on radar, and you shelter now. The mistake I see most often is treating a watch like nothing and then rushing at the warning. Use the watch window. Get the car in the garage, charge the phones, put shoes on the kids, and move toward your safe spot so the warning is just a short final step, not a panic.

Where to actually shelter

Get to the lowest floor, in the most interior room you have, away from windows and exterior walls. A basement corner is best, then an interior bathroom or closet on the ground floor. Put as many walls between you and the outside as you can, and cover up with a mattress, blankets, or helmets. If your home sits on a slab or crawl space with no basement, which describes a lot of newer builds on the Kansas side, a rated in-ground storm shelter or a bolt-down above-ground safe room gives you the protection a hallway simply cannot. Kansas even helps offset the cost through its safe room rebate program.

Frequently asked questions