Getting your car ready for tornado season

Alabama has two severe-storm seasons: March to May and November to mid-December. A car is not a shelter; here is what to know before you hit the road.

In Alabama severe storms arrive with minutes of warning, not days: hail that wrecks bodywork, wind that flips trailers and tornadoes a car cannot protect you from. Preparation here means knowing where not to be.

Before the season (spring)

• National Weather Service alerts enabled on your phone. They are the difference between 15 minutes and none.
• Decide where the car goes under a hail watch: garage, covered parking at work or the mall. A hail cover costs less than a deductible.
• Comprehensive coverage on your insurance: hail and wind go there, not under liability. Confirm the deductible.
• Trunk kit: flashlight, charger, water, blanket, first-aid kit, documents in copy.
• Photo of all four sides of the car every spring: hail claims are paid per dent.

Under a tornado warning

• A car is not a shelter. Get out and into a sturdy building, lowest floor, away from windows. If there is none, lie in a ditch away from the vehicle and cover your head.
• Never shelter under an overpass: the wind accelerates there.
• If you are driving and the tornado is far and visible, change course at a right angle to its path. If it is close, leave the car.

Hail and wind

• Hail while driving: slow down, lights on, stop under a roof if there is one. Not under a tree.
• Strong wind: firm hands, care when passing trucks and on bridges. Trailers and tall vehicles roll over.
• After a storm: avoid flooded streets and downed wires. A wire on the ground is still live.

After

• Photos of every dent and broken glass before moving the car.
• Insurance claim the same day: after a big hailstorm, body-shop appointments run out in 48 hours.
• Buying used in Alabama: a car with "repaired hail damage" can be done well (PDR, no paint) or badly (filler and repaint). Ask for before photos and run a paint gauge.