Tornado Encounter After Action Report - Prepping Tool Example

Taken from the US military, After Action Reports are a handy dandy way of advanced Prepping. How? By analyzing one's experience, behavior, preps, tools, mistakes, achievement's, etc. in a situation you can be better prepared not only for the next similar situation but one more severe. I never miss out on an opportunity to test my readiness and the Tornado encounter I has was a perfect opportunity because I filmed what happened.

So, let's look at the footage and do an After Action Report. See it for yourself and see if you agree with my Assessment or not.

Here's the video we are analyzing:

Positives:

Good communication and teamwork between Squirrelbait and Hubby.

Squirrelbait followed prior established protocol and went to the safe zone and sat in her designated spot.

Both were concerned but neither panicked or lost control of themselves.

Both handled the shaking of the house and the "thud' well and reacted appropriately.

Both assessed the situation before anyone went back upstairs and communicated effectively.

Negatives:

Sirens sounded too soon and were then turned off. They did not turn on again until we were being hit. Sirens were unreliable. Sirens were not going off while we were outside watching the sky.

Hubby did not follow prior established protocol and get into his designated safe spot. He recorded through the window. At Squirrelbait's coaxing he did move way from from the window. It wasn't until it was obvious damage was occurring that he moved to his designated safe spot which he did quickly at that time.

There was another bucket in the basement with the camping gear. Squirrelbait should have taken a moment and assess resources already in the basement before deciding the bucket in the kitchen was the solution to the leaking problem. A quick mental assessment would have given her the ability to act on that right away and without the risk of someone going upstairs.

Conclusions:

Sirens are not an indicator of the "all clear" nor level of immediate threat. Sirens were silent as we were being hit. Stick with heightened awareness and Squirrelbait's headaches. Last time we had a tornado warning(with a close call to the town), Squirrelbait reported a nasty headache then too. Sudden drop in barometric pressure seems to be a trigger for her. In fact, she reported an intense headache right before the "thud" and shaking of the house. This is good to note for future events. Intense headache means seek cover.

There was no lightening nor sounds of thunder with this event even though it was a line of thunderstorms moving through the area. Something to take note of.

Hubby needs to be better about following protocol.

Squirrelbait needs to remember to do a resource assessment of what's available on hand before deciding any actions especially if they require leaving the designated safe area. Take a moment, center, and problem solve wisely.

What do you think? See what I mean about this being a prepping topic? It's not just about gear, food and water. It's also about people and teams. Need them as sharp as your knife and hatchet! Tuned and dialed in. Practice makes perfect. Your most precious prepping item is YOU!!!! Use situations in your life this same way.