Spring weather can be unpredictable, so here are some tips to help you stay safe if severe weather strikes:

• Go to an underground shelter, basement or safe room.

• If that isn’t available, go to a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building.

• Flee mobile homes. Seek other shelter.

• Agree with your family about where you will gather after a disaster. Choose a place near your home and another outside your neighborhood.

• Pack a disaster kit.

• Know the signs of an approaching tornado: a dark, often greenish sky, large hail, a loud roar similar to a freight train.

• If you’re caught in your car, do not seek shelter under a highway overpass. If you can get to shelter in a sturdy building, go there. As a last resort you can either: Stay in the car with your seat belt on, putting your head below the windows and covering with a blanket; or if you can get safely to an area that’s lower than the road, leave your vehicle, lie in that area and cover your head with your hands.

Some items for a disaster kit for your basement:

• Three days worth of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won’t spoil. Don’t forget a can opener.

• A change of clothing. And don’t forget to wear your shoes.

• Medicine and a first-aid kit.

• Blankets, sleeping bags.

• Weather radio, flashlights, lots of batteries. Don’t forget: an extra set of car keys, a credit card and cash.