Tornadoes often cause death or bad injuries more often than not in the head. Many safety advocates have started telling people to wear helmets when they hunker down during tornado warnings.
Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that while there's no good research on the effectiveness of helmets in tornadoes, “we do know that head injuries are common causes of death during tornadoes, and we have long made the recommendation that people try to protect their heads.” If one decides to use a helmet for that purpose, the agency says, just make sure it doesn't slow them down on their way to the basement or other shelter, “Looking for a helmet in the few seconds before a tornado hits may delay you getting safely to shelter.” “Helmets should not be considered an alternative to seeking appropriate shelter,” CDC says. However, families should consider adding helmets to their storm survival kits, CDC says.
“This is very sensible advice,” says Mark Baker, an pediatric emergency physician at Children's of Alabama. Baker and colleagues at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, began advocating helmet use in tornadoes after an outbreak on April 27, 2011, killed 21 people in their community. Any sturdy bike or sports helmet with a chin strap should work, Baker says.