Tornado Warning

My first attempt to write this post got erased as I went to the basement due to a tornado warning siren. Now I have something different and more succinct to say.

Apparently there is something called the Four Stage strategy from the comedy Yes, Prime Minister, which I have not watched. I just read a blog post about and am now fairly expert. It is a simple four stage non-strategic strategy beginning with denial of the problem and ending with regret that any action is too late.

When a tornado warning comes, the wise course of action is to go to the basement or nearest shelter. It is not to look out the window to see if there is a tornado. It is not to try to film the tornado with your cell phone while you wait to see if it is really coming for you. Just do the cautious thing. And don’t assume that because the other ten tornadoes didn’t actually pull off the roof over your head you’re immune.

It costs relatively little to assume that a tornado warning means a tornado is, as my kids say, “out to get you.” By the time you know for sure it is out to get you, it’s too late. The right process is to heed the warning and, if you can, to hope for the best.