3/26/12 6 Tips For Surviving A Tornado

In the last 2 years the U.S. has seen record numbers of tornadoes and tornado related deaths. While the scale of tornado outbreak days may not continue to go up, we certainly have to prepare for the worst. Here are some safety, planning, and survival tips for tornadoes.

1. KNOW WHERE TO GO
Having that safe spot already planned out helps you save time, which there isn't always a lot of when severe weather strikes. An underground location such as a basement is best, but other places such as closets, bathrooms, etc. are good as long as they do not have a window. In those locations you want to stay low to the ground, and crouch down almost like you are in the fetal position. Do not wait until severe weather strikes to figure this out. Have your plans set in motion ahead of time.

2. KNOW YOUR LOCATION
Do you know what county you live in? Do you know where in your county your town in located (southwestern edge, northeastern corner, etc.)? What time zone do you live in? These are very important things to know since ALL warnings are county specific, and often to only a portion of a county. For example, a tornado warning will usually read something like this, "Tornado Warning for eastern Smith county until 10pm Eastern Standard Time". You have to be able to listen or read those warnings and understand if that affects you or not because sometimes they do not list many specific towns in the warnings.

3. WINDOWS EQUAL DANGER
Do not stand or seek shelter by windows or glass doors. Not only is the glass very weak when it comes to flying debris, which can puncture through a window very easily. Also, that causes the glass to shatter and become a new weapon to cause injury. Also, there is a myth that states you should open your windows in a tornado to alleviate the pressure differences in your home, but this is not true, and can actually cause more damage to your home by providing a free entry point for flying debris.


4. DON'T STAY IN A MOBILE HOME
Mobile homes are not very safe at all. In fact, a mobile homes that is not tied down can be flipped or tossed in a 75mph wind. A trailer that is tied down can flip at speeds of 100mph. However, a minivan will not start to flip or be tossed around until winds hit a minimum of 140mph. So if you live in a mobile home, you need to get to a safe structure (even if it a grocery store or school down the street) before the storms hit. If you do not have enough time to do so, you should get in your car, as that will be a safer place than your mobile home. You should get in the back, and crouch down below window level and cover yourself with pillows and blankets in case the windows break.

 This picture shows a mobile home that was not tied down that flipped over onto the car, which did not roll over, have it's windows busted out, or get punctured by debris.







 5. HAVE A SAFETY KIT
You should have a Rubbermaid-like container of a few things set aside, in your safe spot if you have the room. Your kit should include things like flashlights, a blanket for every member of the family (including pets), a few pillows, bottled water, and essential prescriptions such as inhalers, diabetes medicines, etc.

6. WATCH vs. WARNING
A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable. Typically these are issued a few hours before the weather is supposed to hit your area so you have time to prepare. During this time you should start charging your cell phones, make sure you have fresh batteries in your flashlights and weather radios, and gather up your safety kit. A Tornado Warning means either a tornado/funnel cloud has been spotted and reported to the National Weather Service, or the radar is indicating that a tornado is imminent, so you need to seek shelter right away. The time for preparation is no longer an option here. When this happens you just need to grab your family and pets and get to your safe spot immediately. 

Sources: Chattanooga Times Free Press, National Weather Service, NOAA, Athens News

3/19/12 Holy Pollen Batman!

Most of the Midwestern and Southeastern United States have had unseasonably warm temperatures in February and March. Record high temperatures have been set the last few days in cities like Chicago, Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, Huntsville, and St. Louis to name a few. Many of those same cities and a few more are expected to tie op break record highs through Wednesday of this week.

Those warm temperatures have caused a lot of trees and flowers to bloom earlier than normal, and at a record rate. Atlanta's pollen count today was 8164 which is not only the highest recorded count in Atlanta ever, but it shattered the previous record of 6013 back in 1999. The thing to note is that the previous record was set on April 12, which is when the highest amounts normally occur in the southeast.

Do you suffer from allergies, here's a few tips from WebMD: 

• Try to stay indoors whenever the pollen count is very high (pollen counts usually peak in the mornings). 
• Keep your doors and windows closed whenever possible during the spring months to keep allergens out. An air purifier may also help. 
• Clean the air filters in your home often. Also, clean bookshelves, vents, and other places where pollen can collect. 
• Wash your hair after going outside, because pollen can collect there.
• Vacuum twice a week. Wear a mask because vacuuming can kick up pollen, mold, and dust that were trapped in your carpet.
• Leave your shoes at the door. Pollen can be tracked inside on shoes, therefore it’s important to leave them outside or at the door during the peak of pollen season.
  

Sources: Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta Asthma & Allergy Clinic, The Examiner

3/16/12 Tornadoes vs. Mobile Homes

Last year was one for the records books concerning tornadoes and tornado fatalities, but so far, this year isn't far behind. Kentucky had the most tornadoes in January history this year. Then, only 2 months later the state was hit by even more devastating tornadoes, along with 12 other states. Since tornadoes are becoming a more frequent occurrence, the question becomes how to survive them. Despite what many people believe, tornadoes do NOT seek out trailer homes to destroy them, however, the fatality rate is exceptionally higher for people in mobile homes compared to conventional homes. Here is an excerpt of statistics from the Montgomery Advertiser from the storms on March 2nd:

 

"Near Paintsville, Ky., a double-wide mobile home was blown off its foundation and over a 25-foot embankment into a rushing creek, where it "just disintegrated," the county coroner said, killing two people, including a 16-year-old boy. In Lawrence County, Ky., a woman and her 14-year-old granddaughter were crushed when their double-wide trailer was slammed against a nearby hill by winds reaching 140 mph.

In Scott County, Ind., a man was killed when his mobile home was blown about 80 feet feet across a highway and into adjacent Clark County. And in New Pekin, Ind., a family of five died after being blown out of their single-wide trailer by winds that left it flattened."

 

 

 

A mobile home photographed March 3 was obliterated in the tornado that hit the Henryville, Ind., area. Courtesy: Pat McDonogh, Gannett

A total of sixteen people in Kentucky, and eight in Indiana, died from a direct result of their mobile homes not being able to withstand the strong winds from the twisters. Those 24 deaths make up about two-thirds of the 34 people killed from the tornado outbreak on March 2nd. Weather experts say this information is not surprising at all. In fact, the National Storm Prediction Center  found that people who live in these manufactured homes, which are lighter weight, and not very well anchored, are 20 times more likely to be killed in tornadoes than those in conventional homes.

However, the safety concern is not just for tornadoes, but hurricanes as well. Back in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew hit Florida, 97% of all manufactured homes in Dade County were destroyed, compared with only 11% of conventional homes. As of now, no states are looking to implement new legislature demanding stricter requirements for mobile homes, but once more surveys of tornado damage are conducted that may change. 

 

Sources: Montgomery Advertiser, Chattanooga Times Free Press, USA Today, Lousiville Courier Journal

3/12/12 Hawaii Record Hail, Tornado, & Flooding

Just about all of last week and this past weekend, Hawaii was bombarded with very heavy rainfall, and some thunderstorms. The Governor of Hawaii declares disaster on 2 islands due to the flooding.Sections of Oahu, where the capital city Honolulu is, saw over 15 inches of rain. The city of Wainiha on Kauai, has seen more than 35 inches. The city of Lihue have seen over 15 inches. So many streets were either closed or covered in water on the island of Kauai, that the island of paradise became a traffic nightmare.

Hail the size of lemons and tennis balls were also a common occurrence in Hawaii in several locations. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Honolulu will compile the data they have later this week, but are already saying that they believe this was the largest hail ever measured in Hawaii.  Because many homes in Hawaii have metal roofs, several residents reported that as the hail started to fall, it sounded like the neighborhoods were being bombed.

If the flooding and hail weren't enough for the islands, the first tornado in four years struck the island of Oahu near the town of Kailua (about 12 miles north of Honolulu). It started off as a waterspout, but around 7:30am local time, it moved inland. It was a weak tornado, rated an EF0 with around 60-70mph winds. Luckily, it was only on the ground for about 15 minutes, and caused very minor damage. Some roofs were damaged, trees lined the streets, and a resident's trampoline was twisted and tossed down the street.

Thankfully, more tranquil weather is expected for the middle and late parts of this week. Hawaii will finally be able to go back to the paradise it is known to be.

Sources: KHON-TV, Yahoo News, MSNBC, Honolulu Star Advertiser, Chicago Tribune

03/10/12 Early March Tornado Outbreak Recap

Friday March 2nd, a tornado outbreak moved across the Midwest and Southeast. In addition to the tornadoes, there were also dozens of reports of baseball size hail or larger. Below is a look at a map showing all 954 storm reports for the day.

In the towns of Cleveland and Harrison, TN which are just east of Chattanooga, there were 36 injuries from an EF3 tornado that ripped through the area. In Fredricksburg, Indiana 5 people were killed from an EF4 tornado that continued through Indiana to kill another person in New Liberty, Indiana. A total of 5 more people were killed by that same tornado that stretched across 49 miles of the state. Then an EF3 tornado struck the towns of Mariba and West Liberty, Kentucky killing 8 and injuring dozens. More tornadoes continued to rip across 11 states killing an additional 10 people.Below is a picture of a car flipped into a pile of debris in West Liberty.

One area in particular took a hard hit. Henryville, Indiana. The entire town was demolished by an EF4 tornado. All of the schools the area had were destroyed. In West Liberty, Kentucky the town was hit by a second tornado in one week (they had a smaller previous one hit just two days before an EF3 hit Friday). Below is a picture of a school bus that was tossed from a school into a home across the street in Henryville.

In January and February of this year there were 130 tornadoes that touched down across the United States. Now this new outbreak adds several dozen more to that list. Below is a map of comparison between the March 2-3 outbreak compared to last years April 27-28 major outbreak. You can see that despite the fact that this recent outbreak was bad, it does not even compare to the scope and intensity of last years event.

2/29/12 Faster Tornado Warnings in the Future?

A new program developed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) called Warn-On Forecast aims to help provide more warning time for tornadoes, flash flooding, and severe thunderstorms. Current data shows that trends in yearly-averaged tornado warning lead times are starting to plateau (average lead time right now is 13-15 minutes), and any further increases in that lead time is becoming more difficult to obtain. This new program, however, would allow meteorologists to predict severe weather simply by inserting current radar data into a computer model. That computer then uses that data combined with algorithms, formulas, and statistics to determine probable directions and behaviors of a storm.  Unfortunately, this program is not ready to be used right now.

Left image: May 22, 2008 tornado in Kansas. Courtesy: NOAA










"The [obstacle] is just computer speed," explains David Stensrud, the chief of Forecast Research and Development at NSSL. "To make a forecast valid, you have to get the model very quickly. You need computers that are very fast, and they need to be fairly inexpensive."

In other words, while the NSSL has access to very good computers, they are not quite up to the speed of what they would need to implement this project in the next 1-3 years. And while the technology may advance enough to have those computers available in that time frame, they will simply be too expensive right away for the NSSL to be able to afford them.

"This is a 10- to 15-year project," Stensrud reveals. "One could imagine in 10 years from now that you could actually get weather service warning information on your cell phone or on your GPS unit for your car. No matter where you are, you could get information telling you where the threat is relative to where you are."

Left image: rope tornado Courtesy: NOAA











The problem is, you don't want too much warning time because then people become complacent. In a survey done by the CAPS program at the University of Oklahoma, they asked that very question to 136 National Weather Service Center visitors.

Even though the majority of people polled said they would think the situation was less threatening is they had more lead time, another poll question of the same group of people said that there was no such thing at too much lead time.

The new program will have to take into account that just because new technology may be out there to give people better lead time for tornadoes, it doesn't mean people will use that time for what it was intended for....getting to a safe shelter early.