Tornado checklist: What to do – and what myths to ignore

Here are six items severe-weather experts advise putting on your tornado-emergency checklist – along with four tornado-response myths to ignore.

Myth: A tornado can't happen here.

Fact: It may seem that way because tornadoes in a particular part of the country are rare. "But they can occur anywhere," Carbin says, including Hawaii and Alaska. So-called tornado alley, which runs from Texas north through the central and upper Great Plains, tends to see more activity each year than any other region. But Florida also posts a large number of tornadoes compared with other states because of its frequent, intense summer thunderstorms as well as land-falling hurricanes, which can spawn tornadoes.

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