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Stay Weather Safe: How To Prepare For A Tornado In An Apartment In Indianapolis

October 07, 2025
Penrose on Mass exterior during a bright sunny day.

Living in the Midwest, you can expect severe storms every year. In all likelihood, your locale will even experience a tornado warning at some point. While everybody knows how to find safety in a house during a tornado, the advice for individuals in apartments is not as straightforward. In case you don’t have a basement to go to, here’s how to prepare for a tornado in an apartment in Indianapolis.

Tornado Sirens? Where To Take Shelter In Your Apartment Building

A bathroom with a shower on the left and towel rack and abstract artwork on the right. Then facing an open walk in closet with shelving and hangers

If the tornado alarms blare outside your Indianapolis apartment, where should you go? Not many apartments have basements. You might not even reside on the ground floor.

While not many tornadoes are powerful enough to demolish a large apartment building, smaller ones can still propel objects through glass, rip off roofs, or topple trees. You must take cover during severe winds or tornado warnings in one of these places:

  • The sub-level of an underground parking garage
  • The ground floor of your apartment building, and far from windows
  • A neighbor’s first-floor apartment
  • Interior hallways or stairwells without windows
  • A windowless room or closet of your apartment
  • Below a heavy table
  • In the bathtub with a heavy blanket for protection

When you shelter, wear a bike helmet or shield your head with a large pillow.

Prepare In Advance For Severe Weather

A contemporary apartment kitchen, dining room, and entryway

The best way to prepare for a tornado in your apartment in Indianapolis is to stay weather aware and plan ahead. Your plan should incorporate some critical supplies if you get stuck in your home or have to leave quickly. Choose a dedicated spot to store your emergency kit and include these items:

  • Handheld radio
  • Flashlight
  • Additional batteries
  • Extra set of house and car keys
  • Smartphone charger
  • Cash
  • Emergency medical kit
  • Photocopy of your driver’s license
  • Non-perishable snacks
  • Bottled water
  • Essential medications
  • Pet essentials

Inspect these items at six-month intervals to ensure they still work, and replace the water and food items. When you hear a tornado warning, take shoes and appropriate clothing with you when taking cover.

Tornadoes can easily take out utility lines in your community. For blackouts, keep these essentials ready:

  • Non-perishable food that you don’t have to cook
  • Battery-powered lights
  • A power bank for your smartphone

When prepared, you’ll endure any emergency better and feel more reassured.

What To Avoid During A Tornado

Everybody assumes it won’t happen to them. You can prevent bodily harm or worse during a tornado by playing it smart. Seek shelter as soon as possible and don’t

  • Get on an elevator during a tornado
  • Watch out the window
  • Stand outdoors
  • Take shelter under shelves, heavy decor, or tall furniture pieces like bookcases

Make StoneBridge Your Home In All Types Of Weather!

We can’t prevent a storm, but we can offer an incredible apartment lifestyle at StoneBridge Luxury Apartment Homes! You’ll feel perfectly at home in one of our spacious apartments complemented by life-enhancing amenities in a well-maintained community. Call 317-743-2959 or arrange a tour to discover why we’re a preferred place to live in Indianapolis.