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A tornado watch was just announced for my area. Just this month, Mom stopped walking and I have no way to get her down to the basement, can't get her off the front porch to go around the house to the basement door. (Ironic that I had a home elevator consult earlier this afternoon. One more reason to get one, methinks...)
Just try to get her to the hall closet?? Pull a mattress over us?

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The general recommendation for people without access to a basement is to go to an interior room without windows. If there's something bigger than a closet, you might want to go there.
I can get into and out of my basement. One thing I've added to my disaster preparedness is having my bike helmet handy. I put it on when there's a tornado warning, whether or not I'm in the basement. Bike helmets would help protect you and your mom regardless of where you seek safety during a watch or warning.
Have you asked your mom whether she would be okay with you getting her to that safe place and then going to the basement yourself?
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Reply to Rosered6
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ravensdottir Jul 28, 2026
Nice idea about the helmet!
My mom has moderate stage dementia, so leaving her isn't an option.
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I’m in CA so no tornado experience but a home health nurse once mentioned to me that in a dire emergency (such as a fire) we could get my paralyzed dad out of his bed quickly by using the bottom sheet of the bed and dragging him off the bed with it.
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Reply to SnoopyLove
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Your County should have an Emergency Management Dept. My DH is on their list because he is almost deaf and would not hear if our neighborhood was being evacuated. They use Firetrucks to go around and tell people to evacuate. My nephew has physical disabilities, he is on their list too. People are placed on the list if electric is needed for oxygen. They can probably give you suggestions.

The suggestion I always heard was the bathroom and sitting in the tub with something over you.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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I got the bike helmet idea from a neighbor. She and her husband are my age (mid 60s). The husband, who has been using a wheelchair for many years, recently retired from his job as a meteorological researcher at the nearby university. He keeps a close eye on weather reports. The wife had expressed to him her concern about what to do during tornado warnings, which are happening with increasing frequency where we live. She didn't want to go into the basement without him. He said she should and that both of them should wear bike helmets, to give their heads some protection in case of getting hit by debris.
If there's a person in your household who is limited in mobility and uses furniture or a bed powered by electricity, have a plan for what to do if the power goes out. My mom was stuck in her rocking chair for an hour or so a few years ago when this happened.
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Reply to Rosered6
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SnoopyLove 5 hours ago
“If there's a person in your household who is limited in mobility and uses furniture or a bed powered by electricity, have a plan for what to do if the power goes out.”

Great reminder! After doing some research my sister recommended my father purchase a power bank which we kept charged up to have power to operate his hospital bed, alternating pressure mattress pad, etc. in case of an outage and it did come in handy a few times. We purchased an EcoFlow from Costco and it was approximately $900 as I recall. I still have it and it’s nice to have for peace of mind in an emergency (for example: hey, if the power’s out due to some disaster at least I can make a cup of coffee!).
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