- Essential items: Distribute urgently needed items such as blankets, clothes, shelter supplies as well as hygiene and household kits, as often thousands of families lose everything they own.
- Shelter: Provide emergency shelter for families who have lost their homes.
- Child Protection: Set up child and adolescent friendly spaces to provide children with a safe place to play and continue their education.
WHAT ARE TORNADOS AND TWISTERS?
Tornadoes are vertical funnels of rapidly spinning air. Their winds may top 250 miles an hour and can completely destroy well-made structures, uproot trees and hurl objects through the air like deadly missiles.
These violent storms occur around the world, but the United States is a major hotspot with about a thousand tornadoes every year.
While the terms "tornado" and "twister" are often used interchangeably—with "twister" being an informal American term—meteorologists and emergency responders use "tornado" as the official designation.
Tornadoes can strike with little warning, giving families just minutes to seek shelter. For children, these disasters are particularly traumatic—destroying homes, schools, and the sense of safety they depend on.
What the Data Says
How Common Are Tornadoes?
The United States experiences approximately 1,200 tornadoes annually, making it the most tornado-prone country globally. However, tornadoes occur on every continent except Antarctica.
Even the UK experiences around 30-35 tornadoes each year, though most are relatively weak. When powerful tornadoes do strike populated areas, children bear unique vulnerabilities—they're less able to protect themselves, more likely to be separated from caregivers during evacuations, and more susceptible to the psychological trauma that follows.
How Tornadoes Form
Tornadoes develop when warm, moist air collides with cold, dry air, creating unstable atmospheric conditions. According to the Met Office, this instability—combined with wind shear (changing wind direction and speed with height)—can cause the rotating updrafts that form tornadoes.
The most destructive tornadoes typically emerge from supercell thunderstorms, which feature a persistent rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. While meteorologists can identify conditions favorable for tornado formation, predicting exactly when and where a tornado will touch down remains challenging, often leaving communities with only 10-15 minutes warning.
Impact on Children and Families
Why Tornadoes Are Especially Dangerous for Children
When tornadoes strike, children face distinct dangers:
Immediate physical risks: Children are less able to reach safety quickly or protect themselves from flying debris. In destroyed homes or damaged schools, they're more vulnerable to injury.
Separation from families: The chaos of tornado emergencies often separates children from parents or caregivers. Young children may not know how to identify themselves or find help.
Long-term displacement: Tornadoes can destroy entire communities in seconds. Families may lose homes, schools may close for months, and children face prolonged disruption to education and daily routines.
Psychological trauma: The sudden violence of tornadoes, combined with potential loss of loved ones, homes, or pets, creates lasting psychological impacts. Children may experience anxiety, nightmares, and difficulty concentrating long after the immediate danger passes.
HOW DO SAVE THE CHILDREN HELP CHILDREN AFFECTED?
When tornadoes devastate communities, Save the Children mobilises quickly to support affected children and families. Our response includes:
Oklahoma City Tornado 2013
Destruction caused by the tornado that hit Oklahoma in May 2013
In May, two tornados hit communities in the south and southwest of Oklahoma City, killing 44 people (10 of whom were children, including two infants) and injuring around 400.
12,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, two elementary schools were destroyed, and a hospital was severely damaged.
Our teams distributed family house hold kits, containing items such as blankets, torches, candles, and sleeping mats to families affected by the tornado. We set up essential Child Friendly Spaces to keep children safe and supported education centres to ensure children could continue to learn.
Preparing for Tornadoes
While we can't prevent tornadoes, preparation saves lives:
Know the signs: Dark, greenish sky, large hail, loud roar similar to a freight train, and low-lying, rotating clouds can indicate tornado formation.
Have a plan: Families should identify the safest room in their home (typically a basement or interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows) and practice tornado drills.
Build emergency kits: Keep supplies including water, non-perishable food, first aid supplies, battery-powered radio, and important documents in a quickly accessible location.
Stay informed: During severe weather, monitor Met Office warnings (UK) or NOAA alerts (US) and have multiple ways to receive emergency notifications.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tornadoes
What's the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
A tornado watch means conditions are favourable for tornado development—stay alert and prepare to take shelter. A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted or detected on radar—take shelter immediately.
Can tornadoes be predicted?
Meteorologists can identify conditions likely to produce tornadoes hours in advance, but predicting exactly where and when a specific tornado will form remains impossible. Most communities receive 10-15 minutes warning at most.
