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Before storm season checklist for Oklahoma homes

Based on Ready.gov and FEMA's P-320 homeowner guide (checked October 2026). General preparedness, not a substitute for guidance from your local emergency management office.

1. Know where you will shelter

• Identify and practice going to a safe shelter: a safe room built to FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to ICC 500. Ready.gov says the next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room or basement on the lowest level of a sturdy building.
• Practice the trip so everyone, including children and pets, can do it quickly.
• Plan for your pets. Ready.gov says they need to be included in the family emergency plan.

2. Set up your warnings

• Sign up for your community's warning system. The Emergency Alert System and NOAA Weather Radio also provide alerts.
• If your community has sirens, learn the warning tone.
• Know the signs of a tornado: a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud, an approaching cloud of debris, or a loud roar like a freight train.

3. Check your shelter and the path to it

• FEMA says to locate a safe room so you can reach it as quickly as possible from all parts of the home, and keep it free of clutter.
• If you have an in-garage or in-ground shelter, check that the lid or door opens and that nothing is parked or stacked on it.
• Register your shelter where your city has a registry. Oklahoma City's is free (City of OKC), and Warr Acres asks for registration with its Police Department. After a storm, debris can trap people in a shelter, and registries help crews check on them.
• Keep a way to signal for help in case the exit is blocked. FEMA's kit list includes a canned air horn or whistle that works without power, plus tools to open damaged doors.

4. Stock the shelter kit

FEMA's emergency supply kit for tornado safe rooms includes:

• Water and food: 1 gallon of water per person per day (a 1-day supply for tornado use) and non-perishable food that needs no cooking, plus a manual can opener if you pack cans
• Medical: first-aid kit, necessary prescription medicines and equipment, and extra glasses or contact lens supplies
• Tools and communication: flashlight (at least one for every 4 occupants), battery-operated radio and NOAA Weather Radio, a phone with extra batteries and chargers, a wrench or pliers to turn off gas and water, and a crowbar or similar tool to open damaged doors
• Personal: hygiene items, a portable toilet receptacle, trash bags and ties, outer wear, and bedding
• Documents: insurance papers, contacts and proof of occupancy in a waterproof container
• Other: dust masks, an ABC-rated fire extinguisher, cash, and pet supplies

Check batteries and replace expired items each spring.

5. If you do not have a shelter yet

• Read in-garage vs above-ground and the mobility guide.
• Ask for a design tested to FEMA P-320 and ICC 500, and see questions to ask an installer.
• Check your city's permit rules (city-by-city table) and whether the contractor needs a city license.
• The SoonerSafe rebate is not open in 2026, so do not count on it.
• Ask each installer for their current lead time before you plan around a date.

6. After a tornado

Ready.gov advises listening to the Emergency Alert System, NOAA Weather Radio and local authorities, saving phone calls for emergencies and using text messages, staying clear of fallen power lines or broken utility lines, and wearing thick-soled shoes, long pants and work gloves during clean-up.

Related guides

• Permits by city
• Norman permit
• Moore permit
• Yukon permit
• Edmond permit
• Questions to ask an installer
• FEMA and ICC 500 standards
• Mobility needs and safe rooms