TORNADOS Oh My!!!! Someone calm me down please!

[asscherisme]

I moved to the midwest recently from the Washington DC area. NOT by choice I must add but for work for my husband.

Anyhow, yesterday I hear this loud siren going off and I had NO idea what it was. I thoght, hmmm how odd. Then something in the back of my head told me from movies I had seen, Oh my gosh, its a tornado siren!! So for a brief minute I panicked in my head thinking of a recent Extreme Home makeover show I had seen where the mother became paralized in a tornado saving her kids. Then after I composed myself I shooed my kids into the basement away from the windows until the sirens stopped.

I saw on the news that there were tornados that touched down in our town with significant damage.

OK, this east coast girl is freakng out today. I did not grow up with tornados and already did not like it here but now its one more thing to add to my list.

On the bright side, my husband has agreed to keep his eyes open for east coast jobs (yeah!!) but he is in a very specialized field so it could take years. But he did tell me this morning that he admits moving here was a mistake and he has not been happy here and we will eventually move back. We can't just pick up and leave since we have school age kids. We need to make sure the job is stable and schools are good.

Anyhow, for you midwest people, what the heck do you do if you are driving or away from home when the sirens go off?

My husband was at work and they had everyone go into the basement of his building. But what if you are shopping or driving somewhere, what then?

My kids told me that last week they had tornado training. Apparently every year before tornado season they do drills at school about what to do if it comes by during the school day. They go into the halls, away from furnature and windows and sit there until the sirens stop.

Aggg, what the heck did we get ourselves into! I found out from a neighbor today that about 15 years ago, the next town over was practically leveled by tornados and over 75% of the homes had to be rebuilt!!

Someone calm me down

edited to add, I realized I kept using the word hurricane even though it should read tornado throughout. I guess its the east coast becuase hurricanes are more common on the east coast!

 

[musey]

You''ll be okay! Do you have a basement?

I grew up in a farm town in the midwest--the elevation dipped from the land around us because it used to be a lake. So mostly, weather scooped around us (so weird). I loved tornado days, it makes the sky look so amazing!

Anyway, the warning systems in the midwest are top-notch now, and it''s rare for people ever to get hurt unless their house is outside of audible range of the warning sirens (as in, more than 8-10 miles outside the nearest town).

I''m sure it''s scary at first but you''ll get used to it... or move back to the EC soon

 

[FireGoddess]

That freaked me out when I moved to TX from the EC too. Aren''t you supposed to get in the tub, or stand in a doorway that is not near a window? That''s all I remember.

 

[asscherisme]

Yes, I have a basement. I asked around today the moms at school drop off and you are supposed to go to the basement away from windows.

But my question is what if you are driving or shopping or not near home or a basement??

I think the doorway thing is for earthquakes not tornadoes. But I could be wrong.

 

[strmrdr]

I go outside and try and find the twister and some times hop in my car and head towards it too check it out.
Have been outside in a f-1 and in a car in the middle of a f-2 as well as close to a multi-vortex f-4, and close to a bunch of others f-1 to f-3.
Id love to see a f-5 someday from a 1/2 mile away.

The scariest one was a series of 2 f-2s and a f-3 that no matter which way I drove I was going to go thru one, so stayed put in the car thru the f-2, with the car parked in a sheltered area.
Good thing it wasn''t the f-3 of the 3 or id have been in trouble.

 

[oshinbreez]

If you''re in a car, you need to get out and lay face down in a ditch. Out shopping, the store will inform you where to go.

It is something that you get used to.

 

[FireGoddess]

In Houston we didn''t have basements. I think that''s why I remember the door thing.

If you''re in a car....YIKES.

 

[monarch64]

I grew up with tornados, don''t get too freaked out! If you are driving and hear the sirens, that means the area is under a warning, which in turn means you would be best off pulling over and seeking shelter in a building. If you are nowhere near buildings and you can actually see a funnel cloud touching down you need to pull over and find a ditch or low area and get in it. You should not stay in your car.

If you are in a business such as a grocery store or shopping mall, the store manager on duty is responsible for making sure everyone is safe. You certainly have a choice to leave, but during this type of weather emergency it is best to stay put and follow emergency directions for the location. Your best bet is to find a bathroom or some interior part of the store where there are strong doorframes, and stay away from any windows/skylights, etc.

If you are at home, like FG mentioned it''s best to go to your basement. If you don''t have a basement Yup, get in the bathtub, and also stay away from windows. Make sure you have a battery powered radio and flashlights with you wherever your emergency tornado spot is so you can stay abreast of what is going on and still see when the power goes out.

Try not to freak out too much. Chances are your house is not going to be carried off a la Dorothy and Toto, and you probably have a better chance of being struck by lightning during the average electrical storm than you do being blown away by a tornado.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 4/27/2007 2:01:14 PM
Author: amylikesrocks
Yes, I have a basement. I asked around today the moms at school drop off and you are supposed to go to the basement away from windows.

But my question is what if you are driving or shopping or not near home or a basement??

I think the doorway thing is for earthquakes not tornadoes. But I could be wrong.

in the tub is better than nothing but underground is much better.
standing is a no-no squat down or sit and cover your head with your arms.
up too f-2 a car is fairly safe park with the windshield facing the storm and get down.
The side windows are the weak link.
once it gets into the high f-2 range your better off outside the car laying on the ground with your hands over your head.
Do not get under a bridge!!! the bridge acts as a funnel and the wind is stronger there, go to the side of the bridge away from the storm approach and lay down well away from the road facing the bridge!!

 

[oshinbreez]

Here''s a link that might help.

 

[monarch64]

Anyone remember tornado drills in school when you were a kid? Storm you reminded me of them based on the sitting with your hands over your head thing...we used to have to go down to the rest rooms and sit inside along the walls with our hands over our heads to practice for an actual tornado. We never did have one during the spring while school was still in session, though, they always came around in June, 1990 and I think 1996 being the worst in my area.

 

[asscherisme]

Thanks for the info! My kids told me of tornado drills at school last week. So at least they are preparing at school. Thats a good thing.

 

[oshinbreez]

Date: 4/27/2007 2:19:07 PM
Author: monarch64
Anyone remember tornado drills in school when you were a kid? Storm you reminded me of them based on the sitting with your hands over your head thing...we used to have to go down to the rest rooms and sit inside along the walls with our hands over our heads to practice for an actual tornado. We never did have one during the spring while school was still in session, though, they always came around in June, 1990 and I think 1996 being the worst in my area.

Yeah, I remember tornado drills. The worst one I remember was about 30 miles from where we lived that destroyed the town where my sister''s boyfriend lived. His house had some damage but across the street was completely destroyed. The tornado destroyed the high school....where kids that had after school activities 30 mins prior. is a link for anyone interested.Here is a link for anyone interested.

 

[musey]

Date: 4/27/2007 2:19:07 PM
Author: monarch64
Anyone remember tornado drills in school when you were a kid? Storm you reminded me of them based on the sitting with your hands over your head thing...we used to have to go down to the rest rooms and sit inside along the walls with our hands over our heads to practice for an actual tornado. We never did have one during the spring while school was still in session, though, they always came around in June, 1990 and I think 1996 being the worst in my area.

Yes!! I actually miss those. I got asked to prom during a tornado drill, by the "cute boy" sitting next to me along the wall

 

[DMBsGirl]

oh my word, NYC girl here, my closest experience of a tornado was while I was in college in Syracuse. We had a small tornado freshman year, but I was inside a club with loud music and we had no idea what went on until we went outside and saw fallen trees and debris. I''m sure that tiny tornado was probably nothing compared to what is experienced in other areas of the country. I would freak out too. Stay safe guys!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 4/27/2007 1:44:34 PM
Author:amylikesrocks
I moved to the midwest recently from the Washington DC area. NOT by choice I must add but for work for my husband.

I found this so funny because I am in "the Washington DC area" now (northern Virgina), after having spent my entire life in Connecticut, and it is here that I encountered tornado warnings! I was as freaked out as you when I first enrolled my daughter in the public schools and I saw the signs posted in the office about what to do in the event of a tornado! I do not think we ever had a tornado in Connecticut when I was young, although once in a while I remember a freak tornado would be heard of having "landed" as far north as New Jersey. I am sure there must have been some freak tornadoes that spun off storms in Connecticut, but it must have been-and still must be-a rare occurrence. I have never heard of a tornado drill in Connecticut. When we were growing up there were three different variety of nuclear bomb drills, three drills for three amounts of time we had to get into position depending on the proximity of the bomb!

Deb

 

[diamondfan]

Living in L.A. earthquakes were a big thing and I lived through a few. It scared me to think hubby could be in a high rise building and I could be out, and the kids at school. Roads and bridges might be impassable and there might be no cell service or electricity. That was what scared me. The noise of one, sounding like a freight train barreling towards you, is just the most awful thing and a sound you will never forget. Just be prepared, have meeting plans in place. I am sure an area that might be prone to them is very well organized regarding school and store procedures, so just get familiarized with them and try not to worry. I did not mind, when we moved East, that there were really no earthquakes here!

 

[lumpkin]

Amy, you kind of learn to watch the weather reports and watch the sky if you happen to be out during a storm. If you are at home and have a basement you''re pretty safe. We have some blow up beds in the basement in case we have to spend the night downstairs, and the kids think this is great fun. If we are driving and the sky begins to look bad and the weather report has forcasted thunderstorms, we just head home. It''s not so bad when you get used to it. I think it will become second nature after you''ve been here awhile. I''ve lived in the midwest my whole life and I actually do not know anyone personally who has been affected.

 

[AmantdeChat]

All the suggestions above are great advice. Just for the record, I have lived in the heart of Tornado Alley most of my life and have never SEEN a tornado, let alone be affected by one. Not that it can''t happen, it''s just a lot rarer than people are lead to believe. Just heed the warnings and know what you will do in case one does come near you, and you will be fine. And, as someone pointed out, with this being an area prone to tornadoes, the warning systems and emergency procedures are top notch. No worries!!