Remember the flying cows in the disaster movie, "Twister" from a few years ago? Well, let me tell you about another animal who recently went airborne - without the help of any special effects experts. A Rottweiler named Chase was hanging out in a neighbor's backyard in Richton, Illinois - when a tornado suddenly picked up the perplexed pooch, put him in flight and brought him in for a safe landing in the woods a block or so away.

I'm Mr. Prepared, bringing Awareness to Tornado Preparedness, and I want you to know that Chase was definitely a lucky dog. We two-legged people don't do nearly as well as our four-legged friends when a tornado decides to play pick-up artist.

Take tree-trimmer Rick Boland and his son Craig in St. Mary, Missouri - they were in their house, not a 747, when they ended up in flight. Coming back to earth for them was a very rude awakening. Rick ended up with thirty pieces of wood from the broken house stuck in various parts of his body - while Craig ended up with a punctured lung, three cracked ribs, a busted shoulder blade, plus one of his ears was almost taken off.

Rick and Craig lived to tell their story - and it's a doozy - but you might not if a tornado comes to your town! So be aware if you live in an area prone to the wind devils (or even if you don't - in actuality, tornadoes can pop up anywhere at anytime!) you need to be prepared.

So, watch out for storm watches and warnings! Sure, those TV news people can go nuts sometimes about what just turns out to be a little rain - but sometimes, you see some big ugly colors on the weather radar and you know there's going to be thunder from above! And since tornadoes are often accompanied by thunderstorms, you know to be careful!

When Tornado Watches and Warnings begin to be announced, that's when you really need to pay close attention. If you don't know the difference, a Tornado Watch means conditions are right for a twister to form - and a Tornado Warning means there's already been one spotted. Obviously, then, it's time to put your emergency plans into action!

Wait - what's that? You say you don't have an emergency tornado plan? Well, Mr. Prepared is disappointed, but not surprised. Many people just don't prepare for the worst that can happen - then, when the worst does happen, it's the absolute worst, because you have no idea what to do!

So please, please, please, have a plan for you and your loved ones - decide where the safest place for shelter is - and be sure you have a survival kit stocked with food supplies and other crucial gear. If you lose your power, gas, water and can't get anywhere to buy food, you'll need that survival kit to get through at least a day or two.

This is Mr. Prepared, bringing Awareness to Preparedness!

Copyright (c) 2008 Mr. Prepared