How do I use a safe room?

Once your safe room is completed and stocked, practice retreating to your safe room several times. Run “safe room drills” periodically, and at different times during the day, including during the middle of the night. You should be so familiar with the process of retreating to the safe room that you can do it almost without thinking, even in the dark.

 

Everyone in your home should know how to get to, open, and seal the safe room. If you have children in your home, make it fun for them so they don’t worry but also stress the seriousness of emergencies so that they hurry to the room. Give them instructions on what they should do during an emergency, including what they should do if you are not present.

 

If an emergency forces you to retreat to the safe room, contact the police immediately and wait for help. Do not come out of the room until you are confident that help has arrived or that the storm has passed. In the case of a tornado or hurricane, use your battery-powered radio to listen for the signal that you can emerge from your shelters.