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Surviving Tornadoes
SharkJumper writes "We here in central Oklahoma, USA are just climbing out of the wreckage of another series of tornadoes. Unlike the tornadoes of May 3rd, 1999, which killed 47 and injured more than 800, we now have much better tornado information and prediction technology. Largely because of this, there have been far fewer injuries, and (as of this morning) no reported deaths. Here in the greater Oklahoma City area, we can even register our storm shelters with the city. After a severe storm, GIS technology is used to create a map for rescuers detailing location and type of the shelter as well as emergency contact information. Rescuers can then use these maps to search for survivors that may be trapped by debris in their shelters."
Don't live where they happen.
We had Tornado shelters in South Dakota.
Storm cellers, basements, crawl spaces. It's all good.
Bathtubs are good not because of the material, but because it's one piece, they usually survive and it's a place you can get down and cover your vital organs and noggin while having some side protection.
Tubs usually were cast iron with a porcelain coating over them, now they are usually fiberglass.
but, seriously... I have often wondered.
... again... next may. Hell, maybe in two months?
Why do people live in places like this when they get hit _every year_ by tornados? I mean, holy crap - what kind of stress must it be to know that, next year, come May, you or someone near you has almost a 100% chance of having their new house flattened
I live in CO - we have snowstorms, but you either shovel, or wait for the snow to melt, and that's that.
What is it that draws you people to live there, why do you not move from such an obviously inhospitible place to live, and why do you insist on FEMA paying your (collective Kansas and Oklahoma) asses money to rebuild your houses in the same Goddamned spot so the next Chet-chasing twister can blow you to hell all over again?
Okay, that started sounding callus toward the end, sorry.
I serously don't get why people live there, and why they expect taxpayers to buy them new trailers every few years. Its silly, and its insane, and its expensive for everyone.
guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat.
What is it that draws you people to live there, why do you not move from such an obviously inhospitible place to live
There was a documentary about Tornado Alley on Channel 5 last week, which showed horrific devastation from past tornadoes that seemed mainly to hit trailer-parks and cheap housing in places like Oklahoma.
I infer from this that many/most people who live in those areas of the US are not able to move elsewhere, because they are simply too poor to do so.
(not a Troll, by the way, I'm sure there are plenty of affluent people in OK too - but the rural community really isn't well-off, as I understand it)
Mod early, mod often.
This tornado is the 5th that I've helped clean up after. I grew up 2.5 hours west of here, south of Wichita. I cleaned up from 4 different tornado incidents back home, including my grandfathers farm/ranch. Back home those families that weren't hit help those that were. That very night or early the following morning the community decends on the destruction in mass to help clean up. I was surprised by what happened in Franklin. I went up there expecting to help people dig out like I'd done before. I couldn't get into the town. The police were guarding all the entrances to the town and only permitting entrance to those people with photo ID that proved they lived in the affected area. As it turns out, within 30 minutes of the tornado city folks swamped the city streets looking for damage. They were rubbernecking. They couldn't stay home and watch it on TV. They had to get in their cars and drive through the affected areas looking for death and destruction. This prevented emergency vehicles from being able to gain access to those areas. Hence, the city was shut down. Damned city folk. In the end I donated some clothing and rode an Red Cross IRV and served food all day. I would have felt more useful doing something else but someone had to feed the people and workers.
Back on topic. There is no such thing as a tornado proof building. NOAA has done hundreds of studies into building material. They have yet to find anything that can withstand the winds of even a strong F3 tornado. A F3 tornado damaged reinforced concrete. A F4 ripped reinforced concrete apart. A F5 crumbles it into little bits. What needs to be focused on is tornado shelters and getting people into them. Homes and possessions can be replaced. People can not.
Let me first say that Experiencing a Tornado must ne terrifying and devostating but why are houses made of wood ?
In Earthquake zones there are requlations on buildings to protect them as much as possible from the affects. So why oh why don't they make at least 1 room of the house from a good sturdy brick construction?
hey, welcome to the party. i'm here in lawrence, kansas and we got hit thursday. no deaths and only minor injuries, thank goodness.
:/
o ry /131328
we had the rubberneck syndrome last night really badly. i'm an emergency service volunteer, and traffic just started -pouring- into the area. people were on foot just walking around, taking pictures, blocking traffic, you name it. if nothing else, i'd beg people to please, for the love of god, stay clear of the disaster area if you don't live there.
http://www.ljworld.com/section/severeweather/st
However, the radar can rarely (if ever?) tell for certain if a rotation in a storm is actually a tornado or if it is on the ground
Actually to be entirely technical only when a funnel cloud touches down on the ground is it called a tornado... prior to that it's called a funnel cloud
There are only 10 kinds of people in this world... those who understand binary and those who don't