How to Stay Safe in Severe Weather While Shopping

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- On February 10, the first tornado of 2009 touched down in a busy Oklahoma City business district.

"Everything went dead silent and best way to describe it was a shockwave," said Cricket Wireless employee Nicholas Nobles.

Nancy Lausser was inside a Target store on NW Expressway when the roof was damaged.

"It got really quiet and you could hear people yelling, ‘Run, run, run to the back. It's here,'" Lausser said.

Many others that day were also trapped inside a number of businesses and restaurants when the wicked weather hit.

"They were saying get to the freezer and there were probably 20 of us that made it into the freezer," Lausser said.

The backroom freezer likely saved lives. Sgt. Frank Barnes of the Oklahoma City Emergency Management said shoppers and employees should use the same shelter procedures as if they were at home.

"Anytime you're in a business or commercial structure, you want to go to the interior room of the building, away from exterior walls, away from exterior windows, away from doorways," Sgt. Barnes said.

Sgt. Barnes said bathrooms are often the best place to seek shelter if a tornado strikes.

Lausser said her encounter with a twister at Target convinced the rest of family to purchase a storm shelter for their home. She's hoping her first close call with Mother Nature is her last.

The Target store that was damaged in last month's storm is scheduled to re-open on March 27.