How to Prepare Your Property for Tornado Season: 9 Essential Tips for 2025

Tornado season has already begun in many parts of the U.S., and with the increasing unpredictability of severe weather, preparation is no longer optional; it’s essential. As a property owner, manager, or real estate investor, you have a responsibility to safeguard your property and the people who rely on it for shelter.

While you can’t prevent a tornado from striking, you can minimize damage, prevent chaos, and respond quickly with a well-organized plan. This guide outlines nine essential steps to help you get tornado-ready in 2025, covering everything from physical reinforcements and emergency kits to tenant drills and automated alert systems like DialMyCalls.

1. Assess Vulnerabilities in Your Property

Before you can prepare for tornado season, you need to understand where your property is at risk. Start with a top-to-bottom property audit, checking both structural elements and surrounding areas. Key points to inspect include:

Roofing

Look for loose shingles, gaps, and signs of deterioration.

Windows and Doors

Are they properly sealed, reinforced, and shatter-resistant?

Outdoor Features

Fences, signs, carports, playgrounds, and HVAC units should all be secured or braced.

Basements or Crawl Spaces: Ensure drainage systems are functional to prevent flooding during storms.

Bringing in a licensed building inspector or local contractor can help identify hazards you may miss. Additionally, FEMA’s Tornado Risk Maps offer insight into how your region ranks in terms of tornado frequency and severity. These maps can help guide your investment in fortification or evacuation planning.

2. Reinforce and Retrofit Structural Elements

Reinforcement isn’t just about protecting the building; it’s about saving lives. Tornado winds can exceed 200 mph, and flying debris poses serious threats to both people and property. Here are key retrofits and reinforcements to consider:

Storm Shutters

Install roll-down or accordion-style shutters over all windows. These are especially important for multifamily buildings or properties with large glass panels.

Reinforced Entry Points

Replace lightweight or outdated doors with solid-core or storm-rated models. Add deadbolts or secure latch systems.

Roof Anchoring

Use hurricane straps or roof trusses to reduce the risk of your roof being torn off by uplift forces.

Safe Rooms or Designated Shelters

If your property includes a basement, clearly mark shelter zones. For slab-on-grade structures, consider installing a prefabricated safe room per FEMA’s guidelines.

Secure Outdoor Equipment

HVAC units, satellite dishes, and signage should be anchored with steel brackets and weather-resistant fasteners.

Outbuildings, storage sheds, and playground equipment should not be overlooked; these are often the first structures to collapse in high winds and can become dangerous projectiles.

3. Create a Detailed Emergency Plan for Tenants

An emergency plan is only helpful if tenants know it exists, can understand it, and know how to follow it in real time. Your tornado preparedness plan should include:

Shelter Locations

Specify where residents should go during a tornado warning. Identify internal hallways, windowless rooms, or community basements marked for easy identification.

Evacuation Procedures

Include stairwell routes for upper-floor residents, accessibility accommodations for those with limited mobility, and clear, well-lit exit points.

Visual Aids

Use large-print diagrams, multilingual instructions, and color-coded maps posted in common areas, hallways, and near elevators or entrances.

QR Codes and Digital Access

Post QR codes in high-traffic areas that link directly to your complete tornado plan, emergency contact list, or a quick-reference safety guide.

You may also want to create a one-page safety flyer for new residents as part of their move-in package, so they’re informed and prepared from day one, not just during storm season.

4. Set Up Emergency Alert Systems

When severe weather hits, speed matters. Sirens may not be enough, and email isn’t reliable when seconds count. That’s where DialMyCalls comes in.

DialMyCalls lets property managers send voice broadcasts, text alerts, and MMS messages to every resident, instantly. Use it to:

• Notify tenants of tornado watches or warnings
• Share shelter-in-place instructions or safe room locations
• Deliver post-storm updates, such as access limitations or water/electricity outages

Because you can customize messages and automate triggers, you’ll never have to scramble to get the word out. Messages can even be pre-written and stored in your dashboard for rapid deployment.

5. Build and Distribute Emergency Supply Kits

Your tenants may only have minutes to take cover, and not everyone will have a flashlight or bottled water on hand. Help bridge that gap by assembling emergency kits for strategic locations across your property:

Basic Kit Contents:

• Flashlights and extra batteries
• First aid supplies (bandages, antiseptics, gloves)
• Bottled water and non-perishable snacks
• Emergency contact cards
• Local maps and shelter information

Place kits in leasing offices, stairwells, safe rooms, and community areas. You might also provide each tenant with a checklist of recommended items for their kits, especially if they have young children, pets, or medical needs.

6. Schedule a Tornado Drill

Even the best plan falls flat without practice. Scheduling at least one tornado drill annually helps tenants understand what to do under stress and allows you to test your communications and response flow.

Here’s how to run a successful drill:

Notify Residents in Advance

Use DialMyCalls to send a scheduled text or voice alert 24–48 hours before the drill begins.

Simulate Real Conditions

Conduct the drill at different times, during business hours, after dark, or on weekends.

Monitor Participation

Track response rates and gather feedback on what worked and what didn’t.

Refine Your Plan

Adjust signage, access points, or instructions based on tenant behavior and survey responses.

Frequent drills create familiarity, reduce panic during real emergencies, and demonstrate your commitment to safety.

7. Keep Tenant Contact Info Updated

Even the best alert system fails if your contact list is outdated. Routinely requesting updated information is essential, and you should build it into your lease renewal or maintenance request process.

What to request:

• Current mobile phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Preferred language (for multilingual alerts)
• Emergency contacts

DialMyCalls makes it easy to upload, organize, and segment your contact lists. You can tag residents by building, floor, or special needs, ensuring your messages reach the right people at the right time.

Remind tenants that keeping their information current is about more than convenience; it’s about their safety.

8. Prepare for Power Outages and Property Access

Tornadoes can knock out power for hours or even days, and that impacts everything from lighting and HVAC to elevator access and internet service. Preparation means thinking ahead:

Install Backup Lighting

Use battery-powered LED lights in stairwells, hallways, and common areas.

Secure a Generator

Power your leasing office or shelter zone to maintain communication during extended outages.

Pre-Print Signage

Create weatherproof, high-visibility signs that indicate closures, hazards, or detours.

Communicate Clearly

Use DialMyCalls to send SMS updates about what’s open, what’s closed, and when tenants can expect access to return.

Also, ensure that any gates, garages, or secure buildings have manual overrides, so residents and emergency personnel aren’t locked out if the grid goes down.

9. Post-Tornado: Rapid Recovery and Communication

The moments after a tornado passes are often the most chaotic. Tenants are confused, frightened, and looking for clear direction. The faster you communicate, the smoother the recovery becomes.

Post-storm tasks include:

Safety Check-Ins

Use voice or MMS broadcasts to ask tenants to confirm they are safe or need assistance.

Repair and Access Updates

Let residents know when it’s safe to re-enter units or when contractors will be on-site.

Insurance Coordination

Document damage thoroughly and notify your insurance agent immediately.

Debriefing and Support

Follow up with residents about temporary housing (if needed), mental health resources, or property status.

DialMyCalls is invaluable in this phase. You can create targeted lists (e.g., tenants in damaged buildings), send recurring updates, and collect response data in real time.

How DialMyCalls Supports Tornado-Ready Communication

When disaster strikes, communication can’t be a scramble; it needs to be immediate, organized, and accessible. DialMyCalls offers a powerful, scalable communication system specifically designed for property managers, HOAs, and landlords to keep residents informed before, during, and after a tornado.

Here’s how it supports your tornado preparedness strategy:

Multi-Channel Messaging

Reach every resident with just one broadcast. DialMyCalls enables you to send mass alerts via:

SMS for fast, direct warnings

• Voice messages for accessibility, especially helpful for elderly tenants or those without texting capabilities
• MMS for visual messages like evacuation maps, emergency kit instructions, or damage photos

By using multiple formats, you ensure that every tenant receives the alert in a way they can understand and act on immediately.

Message Scheduling

Tornado prep isn’t just reactive, it’s proactive. With DialMyCalls’ scheduling features, you can:

• Set up reminders for tornado drills, including exact start times and instructions
• Schedule seasonal preparedness alerts at the start of tornado season
• Automate pre-storm warnings when a weather alert is issued in your region

This means no scrambling to send alerts while managing other urgent issues, your communications are prepped and ready to go.

Real-Time Analytics

During and after a weather event, insight matters. DialMyCalls gives you access to real-time reporting that shows:

• Who received your messages
• Which numbers failed
• Who responded, if using interactive voice broadcasts or text replies

This feedback helps you identify tenants who may need in-person follow-up or emergency support, and it allows you to keep a record of your communication efforts for legal or insurance purposes.

Contact Management

Organize your contact list in a way that mirrors your property’s layout. You can:

• Create groups based on building, floor, unit number, or region
• Tag tenants with specific needs (e.g., medical conditions, language preferences)
• Keep everything up-to-date with easy CSV uploads or manual edits

In an emergency, you can send building-specific messages, such as alerts for only those units affected by storm damage or power loss.

MMS Campaigns

Sometimes, words aren’t enough. DialMyCalls supports rich MMS messaging so you can:

• Send evacuation maps with color-coded routes
• Share damage photos to inform tenants of building closures
• Provide checklists or flyers to prepare tenants in advance of a storm

This visual communication can reduce confusion, speed up response times, and improve trust during high-stress situations.

Pro tip: Use DialMyCalls to pre-record emergency messages in multiple languages, so you’re always ready to send the right message to the right people, in the language they understand best.

Bonus: Tornado Prep Checklist for Property Managers

Want a ready-to-use guide to help you cover all the essentials before, during, and after a tornado? Below is a practical tornado preparedness checklist you can use to protect your properties and tenants.

Tornado Preparedness Checklist for Property Managers

Structural & Site Safety

• Inspect roofs for loose shingles or weak spots
• Reinforce windows with shutters or impact-resistant glass
• Anchor signage, HVAC units, and outdoor furniture
• Trim overhanging trees and remove dead branches
• Check drainage systems in basements and crawl spaces

Emergency Planning

• Designate shelter-in-place zones or safe rooms
• Create multilingual evacuation maps and exit routes
• Post QR codes linking to digital emergency plans
• Schedule and promote a property-wide tornado drill

Communication Readiness

• Use DialMyCalls to schedule emergency SMS/voice alerts
• Segment tenant contact lists by unit, floor, or building
• Pre-record voice messages and prepare MMS templates
• Confirm tenant contact info is current and complete

Emergency Kits

• Place emergency kits in common areas and leasing offices
• Include flashlights, batteries, bottled water, and first aid
• Provide each tenant with a tornado prep checklist for home use

Post-Storm Response

• Develop a vendor list for roofing, plumbing, and electrical repairs
• Pre-print signage for building closures and hazard notices
• Plan follow-up messaging for safety updates and wellness check-ins
• Document pre- and post-storm property conditions for insurance

You can print this checklist as a flyer, include it in new tenant welcome folders, or use it as part of staff training during peak storm months.

Conclusion: Take Action Before the Sirens Start

Tornado season is unpredictable, but your response doesn’t have to be. With these nine essential steps and the right tools to communicate clearly and instantly, you can protect lives, limit damage, and lead with confidence.

Start your tornado preparedness now with a plan that puts people first and a platform like DialMyCalls that keeps everyone informed at every stage.

• Previous Article
• Next Article