The photo below shows students taking cover in a school hallway. Note that although there is a door with windows at the end of the hall, it appears to lead to a stairwell or entrance hallway, not directly to the outside. The students are covering their heads with their hands and making themselves as small a target as possible to flying debris that might be blown into the hall.

Also notice the blur caused by the teacher's foot as she ran down the hall. She was running because this was not a drill! This photograph was taken during a real tornado emergency. The teachers and students reacted quickly and correctly. Not a one was injured.

No matter how boring and useless it sometimes seems to run tornado or fire drills in a school, it may make the difference between living and dying. The less you have to think about the correct course of action, the more automatic the reaction, the less you are likely to panic and make a poor decision about what to do and where to go.

Remember, stay away from long span roofs, such as in a gym, an auditorium, or a cafeteria. Stay away from free span walls. They can both collapse, crushing anyone underneath. Stay away from glass--flying glass kills and maims in a tornado.