Lessons, best practices and recommendations after the tornado outbreaks of 24 March, 31 March and 1 April 2023 March certainly did not go out like a lamb in 2023. Across more than a dozen states, tornadoes affected a large number of communities on 24 and 31 March and 1 April 2023. More than 50 people lost their lives as a result of the severe weather. This was occurring while I was also finishing my Ph.D. dissertation at Mississippi State University which is focused on tornado shelter awareness and communication – something that really took hold during the outbreaks. The tornado shelter map website www.findyourtornadoshelter.com was used extensively by the general public and the limited responses have suggested that it has been very useful. Did it save lives? Possibly, but we may never know for sure. What did we learn from the events? Many things. It is clear that we need more tornado shelters to pro tect against the strongest tornadoes. As we saw in Rolling Fork, MS on 24 March 2023, when there is a violent tornado moving through communities, it is very difficult to survive such while above ground, as such tornadoes are capable of destroying homes com pletely and removing all walls, if not sweeping the home away. It is clear that there is a strong need for them, both for individuals and the communities as a whole , especially in lower income areas and communities with large numbers of mobile homes and we aker structures . That leads to the following lessons and best practices : 1) More shelters are needed in many different communities across the United States. Their value also came to light based on reports from several counties in Mississippi and Alabama repor ting that their shelters were over - utilized during the two tornado outbreaks, where they had to stuff residents into shelters well beyond their capacity due to high demand. That happened in locations such as Morgan County (AL), Lee County (MS) and Lafayett e County (MS). A typical small tornado shelter can hold between 40 and 100 people, but they can stuff more people inside them if needed. Additionally, counties that lack such shelters can learn from those counties for additional assistance in planning and d eveloping them. Recommendations: • Communities with shelters should be used as best practices and should be prov ided as example s for those with no current shelters. Even in those with many, the demand for more exists (as mentioned in the lesson) • In la rger , dense suburban area s, larger shelters are probably more economical. They usually have large parking areas and can be centrally located for large numbers of people . They can also provide additional use as school gymna siums , local convention centers and recreational facilities for a la rge number of people. • For smaller towns and rural areas in areas with medium to high tornado threats , especially with more mobile homes, sma ller shelters make more sense. They are much cheaper on an individual bas is and have more flexibility on location (so that they can be walkable for more people) , even if their c apacity is much lower and they lack multi - p u rpose ability. • There is very little precedence for tornado sheltering policies in urban (particularly inner city) areas, hence it is difficult to make im mediate recommendations. That said, tornadoes can and frequently do hit urban areas – including downtown areas on occasion – and th at needs to be investigated. Crime rates, local street networks and local housing stock must be conside red. • Regions without any tornado shelters – but where tornadoes happen at least on occasion – could also conside r such shelters. The larger ones in particular may have additional utilization for them during other weather events (such as h urricane s and extr eme winter weather) 2) There needs to be an affordable method to procure them and implement them. Installation of new tornado shelters can be an expensive proposition for local governments that have small tax bases. In general, a small tornado shelter (one similar to those mentioned in the previous lesson with capacit ies of 40 to 100 ) costs between $15,000 and $100,000 as they need to be built specifically for tornadoes in order to withstand winds of about 250 mph A large tornado shelter, one that is usable as a multi - purpose building such as a community center, a school gymnasium, a small convention center or a similar facility that can hold hundreds (or even a couple thousand people) can cost over $2 million. Such money is typically only available occasionally and often on a reactionary basis (i.e., in disaster relief). Funding needs to be available in some fo rm – private or public – on a proactive basis so that the benefits can be there when the next big tornado hits Recommendations: • A dedicated fund should be set up, using public and private donations and funds, to help procure and install tornado shelters which are suited for specific needs. • Corporate sponsorships should also be investigated, which could be used on a charitable basi s to separate causes , to he lp their own communities in their own areas or elsewhere across the United States. • Large - scale , multi - jurisdicti onal procurement should be undertaken to allow for their purchase at lower costs to local jurisdictions. For example, instead of one county purchasing three shelters at full cost , 50 counties could work together to purchase 150 shelters, allowing for mass production di scounts. • The funding formula should ensure that tornado shelters are available on a proactive basis. They should not be dependent on relief funding from previous tornadoes, which is often the case in how they are built today 3) Awareness has increased, and it must continue to do so. Meteorologists across the country have been promoting tornado shelters more and more, which is especially important for those who live in mobile homes and weaker structures. Websites for television stations routinely post such locations within their local viewing areas, which can include those built to FEMA standards, as well as other locations such as church basements and courthouses (which are usually the next best options). Meteorologis ts and news anchors have also reported from such locations during storm coverage. Those provide better knowledge that such locations do exist. Recommendations: • Television stations should continue to encourage the use and promote the locations of tornado shelters where the y a re available, subject to the travel time caveats • Meteorologists at stations should not be afraid to speak out on the needs of tornado shelters in communities – particularly among those who otherwise have no option during tornado threats (those who live in mobile homes and weaker structures). • They should also work to help identify shelters beyond their viewing area, or post links on sites for other areas (through sister stations). That way, those travel ling between television markets can become aware of options in those areas, which may not be well known. • Reporting from such locations is a best practice that was undertaken by several station s during those events and should continue. 4) T he shelters need to be available to the community when they are needed. Each community sets their own policy for the operation of tornado shelters, some of which are located within school buildings. One challenge is that many school districts focus their sheltering on students and staff – and limit their use during school hours for such students. That is understanda ble for priority and security reasons, but leaves residents of the community – many of whom have no shelter at all available – unprotected and highly vulnerable. Additionally, some shelters at certain locations (such as at college campuses) were also only available during business hour s. Tornadoes can and do occur at any time of day or night. In Mississippi and Alabama, tornado shelters were heavily used on 31 March – 1 April 2023 according to news reports even though the event was primarily in the late evening and overnight hours Solutions need to be considered that ensure that they have access when needed, while also ensuring that sufficient time is provided to allow for travel to such locations as opening when a tornado warning is issued means that (on average) only 13 minutes is provided to travel from home to the shelter, fin d parking and enter the shelter. Recommendation s: • Locations should be strategically chosen to ensure that they are available at all times of day or night when needed. • A ll shelters should be accessible to those with mobility impairments and devices, such as wheelcha irs. Existing locations without accessibility should be replaced as soon as possible or retrof itted to allow for accessibility. • Future school - based tornado shelters should be designed to ensure there are safe outdoor entrances with separate sections to allow community members to utilize them during school hours , while ensuring that the students and staff who are present are safe as well during the tornado threat. • Timing for opening should be set to either when a t ornado watch is in effect, or when a tornado warning is in effect upstream, utilizing either a switch activated through the local emergency management agencies or manually by law enforcement or emergency management. 13 minutes is not enough time to provide a high degree of safety and security for residents. • Pet - friendly shelter space s hould be provided at least on some basis if at all possible. That way, pet owners will have a safe place to t ake their cats, dogs and other pets. They could be separated (by walls) so that those with allergies and sensibilities are not affecte d , or if multiple s helters are built on site, some of them could be designated as pet friendly 5) Shelters for individuals are helpful but are not sufficient on their own. Some residential units have been built with storm shelters inside their homes or properties, and some residents have installed such within their own homes Oklahoma in particular strongly favors such constructi on over the development of shelters in local communities. In some communities, that is a reasonable priority as it keeps families safe and keeps them from having to travel. However, despite tax credits, the cost of such (at least $5,000 and up to $25,000 for some models) are prohibitive for many families, p articularly those with low incomes, and some homes cannot easily be retrofitted with such (especially in the Deep South where there are many mobile homes ). As a result, having more homes with shelters themselves can reduce, but certainly not eliminate, the need for shelters in the communit y. Recommendation s: • T ax credits should continue to be undertaken to allow for homeowners to build shelters within their own home or property • Locations with a greater presence of private home shelters registered should not be prioritized as much for tornado shelters, compared to those where there are fe w er such shelters – those would tend to be lower income areas. • Even for those with registered storm shelters at home, public shelters can sometimes provide a quick option when they are away fr om home. Smaller ones, in particula r , can be reached on short notice in a sud den tornado threat.