Severe Weather / Tornado
Tornado warnings, severe thunderstorms, flooding, or ice storms.
Call First
911 (if trapped or injured)
What To Do
Monitor weather alerts
Watch: conditions are favorable. Warning: severe weather is occurring or imminent — take action immediately. Tornado Warning means take shelter NOW.
TORNADO WARNING — Take shelter immediately
If you are at the hub: move to the designated tornado shelter area (interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows). If on route: stop the vehicle, get out, and seek a sturdy building. If no building is available, lie flat in a low ditch and cover your head. Do NOT shelter under an overpass.
Contact your supervisor
Notify your Operations Manager of your location and status as soon as it is safe to do so. Do not call while actively taking shelter — your safety comes first.
Severe thunderstorm — reduce risk
If lightning is frequent and close, pull over and stay in the vehicle with windows up. Avoid metal objects. If hail is large, find cover (gas station canopy, parking garage). Resume route when the storm passes.
Flooding — never drive through standing water
Turn around. Do NOT drive through flooded roads — even a few inches can stall a vehicle and a foot of water can carry it away. Report flooded roads to your supervisor.
Ice / winter storms
If roads become impassable or unsafe, pull over and contact your supervisor. Do not continue driving on ice-covered roads. Slow down and increase following distance in winter conditions.
After the storm — assess before resuming
Check your vehicle for damage (hail, debris). Check road conditions. Report any damage to your supervisor. Do not resume your route until conditions are safe.
✅ DO
- •Take tornado warnings seriously — act immediately
- •Seek shelter in a sturdy building or interior room
- •Stay in the vehicle during lightning
- •Turn around at flooded roads — never drive through
- •Contact your supervisor when safe
- •Check your vehicle for damage after the storm
❌ DON'T
- •Shelter under overpasses during a tornado
- •Drive through standing water of any depth
- •Ignore weather warnings
- •Continue driving in zero-visibility conditions
- •Leave shelter until the all-clear is given
- •Touch downed power lines or drive over them
Key Contacts
North Hub management will make the call on whether to suspend or modify routes during severe weather. If you feel unsafe, stop and call your supervisor — no delivery is worth your safety. Per Section 4.5 of the handbook, inclement weather absences or delays will not count against attendance if communicated.