How to Survive a Tornado

March 2, 2007 — -- They can happen anytime, anywhere. They pop up about 1,000 times a year in the United States.

Tornadoes can strike so suddenly and violently that even with warning sirens, there's often no time to evacuate.

A tornado that hit central Florida in February came, as so many do, in the middle of the night. It obliterated Rudy Thomas' house.

Thomas' daughter, Dottie, thought her mother had been swept away and made this frantic 911 call: "Yes, my mom's gone. My mom's bed is gone! The tornado came and took the whole house she was in!"

A wall of Sheetrock, and the fact that Thomas knew how to take cover, saved her life.

"I ran straight into the bathroom. Before I could even close the door, the wind was pulling it out of my hands," she told "Good Morning America" in February.

Tornadoes can pack winds up to 250 mph or more. The key to survival is to get to the strongest, lowest place possible, in the hopes that what is around you will absorb the passing fury.

"If you have a basement, all the better, because that's the safest place to be," said Laura Howe of the Red Cross. "And have a family communication plan to be able to talk to your family members."

For most who survive, though, their greatest asset is luck.

In Missouri last March, Matt Suter was sucked into a tornado and landed more than 1,300 feet away. He walked away with only a few scratches -- and holds the unofficial world record for getting thrown by a tornado.

In a car, the best option is to pull to the side of the road, and try to do so in a ditch, low-lying area or tunnel. Outrunning a tornado moving at 50 mph across 50 square miles is unlikely.

In May 1999, an Oklahoma family had all but given up hope of finding an infant daughter when she was whisked away by a twister, until a sheriff's deputy found her in the mud 100 yards away, again, miraculously unharmed.

If you live in a tornado-prone area, keep a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's weather radio nearby, which will sound a warning alarm when a tornado is approaching.