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Friday, October 30, 2026Oct 30

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Consumer Watch: How to be ready for the next storm

Staff photo by Troy Stolt / The home of Brad Jones is seen on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 in East Brainerd, Tenn. Late Sunday, an EF-3 tornado ripped through the Hickory Valley neighborhood in East Brainerd, lifting Jones' house off of its foundation, it landed several feet behind.
Staff photo by Troy Stolt / The home of Brad Jones is seen on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 in East Brainerd, Tenn. Late Sunday, an EF-3 tornado ripped through the Hickory Valley neighborhood in East Brainerd, lifting Jones' house off of its foundation, it landed several feet behind. Staff photo by Troy Stolt / The home of Brad Jones is seen on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 in East Brainerd, Tenn. Late Sunday, an EF-3 tornado ripped through the Hickory Valley neighborhood in East Brainerd, lifting Jones' house off of its foundation, it landed several feet behind.

None of us Chattanoogans will forget Easter Sunday of 2020 when horrific storms and tornadoes destroyed so much of the East Brainerd area, as well as other parts of Southeastern Tennessee.

Certainly, summer brings frequent thunderstorms, some of which are pretty damaging and can lead to extreme experiences like we recently suffered. While theoretically not a consumer issue, a Consumer Reports article about what to do before, during, and after bad storms made an impact enough on me to share with readers a great checklist to better protect ourselves.

Before:

1. Be sure to have enough chargers for more than one device at a time, especially cell phones. Also, buy a hands-free headlamp flashlight.

2. In case of an emergency, it is imperative to have a full gas tank. (I’ve previously mentioned the necessity of never getting below half a tank.)