It was a hot summer day in july

The sky was buzzing as the birds fly

The smell of the forest in the air 

We were camping without a care 

It was the end of a long day

And we had no more time to play

As a fun day ends and the night begins 

We laugh out loud with huge grins

We had been camping for a week 

We were set up near a small creek

The dark sky sat there, looming 

As I listened to the wind booming

A storm cloud stretched way past me 

It covered all the sky I could see 

I felt something strange as people ran 

For the shelter, the wind pushed like a fan

A man yelled, “Get to the building. A storm is near.”

But I could feel it was already here 

Get the building! A storm is near!

I looked for the building as fast as I could 

I turned a corner, and there it stood

Safety Tip #1: Find Shelter 

One of the first things to do in a storm, especially in a tornado, is to find shelter. Structurally sound buildings will most likely withstand a storm, and that is the best chance you will have to survive the tornado. The best place to be is in a basement because if damage happens to the house because of the winds, you will be protected in a basement. After all, it is underground. Also, have sturdy and secure objects like a table or workbench, then cushion yourself with blankets to protect your head. Avoid windows that can break and spread glass around the room while letting the harsh storm come into your shelter.

Running to the door, I made a quick dash

But I turned around and heard a big crash

A branch had fallen, which made the blast 

The tornado had come here at last 

In the shelter, people were scared 

To go outside, no one dared

The children were screaming wild with fear 

But an adult told us it was safe in here 

We are safe, guys!

He told us to stay calm and be relaxed

He said that the building would never collapse

Stay calm! We are all safe!

So we all stayed calm so the storm could pass

And we sat and watched it rain on the grass

Survival Tip #2: Staying Calm

Staying calm in an emergency is one of the best ways to stay safe. In an emergency, the brain goes into a "fight or flight" response, which means that our brains either have to run away as fast as possible or stay there and fight the threat. It takes our brain a split second to make this decision, so our decision-making decreases as we need to think faster and not as thoroughly. Also, our brain releases hormones into our body to get ready for the flight or fight, so we stop digestion. We start to sweat to cool down from fighting or running; our pupils dilate to see the threats better, and our heart beats faster so our blood can pump more quickly; this makes us naturally panic, which prevents us from calming down. A way to help this is by taking deep breaths, taking more time to think problems out, and finding a safe place to relax.  

We got a report that the storm was moving 

And we were calm as are situation was improving

The Storm is moving!

♫Tornado! Tornado!♫

We sang a song for a distraction 

We sang about how are day had action 

We hear the wind blow on the door. 

And they blew wide open, and water got on the floor 

The door slammed shut when the adults pushed it back

We saw the skies as the clouds turned a dark shade of black  

The storm was getting worse as the strong winds blew

The tornado touched down, and our worst fears were true

Only a mile away, the tornado was close 

The storm was on the camp, and we were the host