Two mile wide Tornado heading toward OKC...wait...how big?!?

**Necronus** · 2013-05-21 11:32

Originally Posted by ronin sparthos

Considering every place in 'Murica has something that could potentially kill you given the proper intensity it isn't really something to understand. Tornadoes are just in a category of their own because you have virtually no recourse when one drops outta the sky and decides to take a jaunt through a populated center. Shit's scary but so is a hurricane that you get days to prepare for.

Blizzards, Heat Waves and Flash Floods all take their share of lives on a yearly basis in the "safe" Northeast regions anyway.

As someone from the northeast though, I'll take that because I sure as hell feel like I have more control of my safety. Many deaths from the things you mentioned in the NE are unfortunately due to people either not having the money to be safer (whether it be old housing or not able to clear away dangerous trees or simply not enough money to choose where to live, etc), being stubborn (living next to flood prone creeks, living in the middle of nowhere, or voting NOT to build a flood wall because it will "ruin the scenery"), stupidity (CO poisoning, crossing flood waters, etc). That's not to say you're immune to danger ... I've had tornado's pass fairly close to where I used to live in PA ... but it just feels a whole lot safer for someone fortunate enough to have the means to minimize risk ... Tornado though ... there ain't shit you can do but choose to NOT live in an area nicknamed "Tornado Alley"

**FNH** · 2013-05-21 11:42

Originally Posted by Coren

I wondered about why there were *only* 70ish kids at the school. Did they load em up and try to get them out, and only had a handful left that couldn't evacuate in time?

This hit at around 4? most school is out by 3. When they hold the buses here for weather the parents are allowed to pick up their children, so that may account for why there was only 70 at the school.

**FNH** · 2013-05-21 11:44

Originally Posted by Necronus

As someone from the northeast though, I'll take that because I sure as hell feel like I have more control of my safety. Many deaths from the things you mentioned in the NE are unfortunately due to people either not having the money to be safer (whether it be old housing or not able to clear away dangerous trees or simply not enough money to choose where to live, etc), being stubborn (living next to flood prone creeks, living in the middle of nowhere, or voting NOT to build a flood wall because it will "ruin the scenery"), stupidity (CO poisoning, crossing flood waters, etc). That's not to say you're immune to danger ... I've had tornado's pass fairly close to where I used to live in PA ... but it just feels a whole lot safer for someone fortunate enough to have the means to minimize risk ... Tornado though ... there ain't shit you can do but choose to NOT live in an area nicknamed "Tornado Alley"

It is pretty easy to build a shelter. If people chose not to live in "Tornado alley" that would make a large part of the US uninhabitable, along with it having a lot of industry located there.

**ronin sparthos** · 2013-05-21 11:49

I've always been ignorant on this (I'm not from Tornado Alley, duh) but wouldn't a good underground shelter protect you from all but the most powerful F4-5 tornadoes? I assume cash is the reason most people don't have one but perhaps I'm missing something that someone from the region might want to fill in for me.

We only see the worst shit on television and the interwebs anyway. How many F1 tornadoes get reported on? Seems like a light breeze compared to an F5 ripping your house off the face of the Earth.

**kuronosan** · 2013-05-21 11:52

Originally Posted by ronin sparthos

I've always been ignorant on this (I'm not from Tornado Alley, duh) but wouldn't a good underground shelter protect you from all but the most powerful F4-5 tornadoes? I assume cash is the reason most people don't have one but perhaps I'm missing something that someone from the region might want to fill in for me.

We only see the worst shit on television and the interwebs anyway. How many F1 tornadoes get reported on? Seems like a light breeze compared to an F5 ripping your house off the face of the Earth.

High-speed wind concentrated in a small area means a huge concentration of force wherever it hits. It's not so much the difference in wind-speed as it is the proportionate size. A mile-wide wall of high-speed wind moving in a uniform direction is much more damaging than something a hundred or so meters wide with hurricane-force winds. Most structures are so small in comparison that they can't take that sort of speed (doubly so if they aren't securely anchored with a solid, deep foundation).

**Plow** · 2013-05-21 11:52

Originally Posted by FNH

This hit at around 4? most school is out by 3. When they hold the buses here for weather the parents are allowed to pick up their children, so that may account for why there was only 70 at the school.

most of the schools around here end at 3:30 and the tornado was on the ground from about 3:20-3:45 as best I can tell

**Plow** · 2013-05-21 11:54

Originally Posted by kuronosan

High-speed wind concentrated in a small area means a huge concentration of force wherever it hits. It's not so much the difference in wind-speed as it is the proportionate size. A mile-wide wall of high-speed wind moving in a uniform direction is much more damaging than something a hundred or so meters wide with hurricane-force winds. Most structures are so small in comparison that they can't take that sort of speed (doubly so if they aren't securely anchored with a solid, deep foundation).

the strongest hurricanes peak at about half the wind speed of an f5 tornado

**FNH** · 2013-05-21 11:55

Originally Posted by Plow

most of the schools around here end at 3:30 and the tornado was on the ground from about 3:20-3:45 as best I can tell

Ah, but I imagine most parents came earlier in the day to pickup, or were there only a small amount of students attending the school?

**Boyiee** · 2013-05-21 11:55

As far as safe places to live go, I'd have to say central NJ is pretty good. The shore got hit bad from sandy, but 10 minutes from the shore there is no flooding and no damage except for loss of power and a few downed trees. In areas that do flood deaths are rare. No tornado's, rare for a hurricane which is the worst, and if you aren't on the shore or a bay you're fine. Literally 5 minutes from water is enough to have no damage from Sandy. Always thought the people that build as close to the water as possible were stupid, and the ones rebuilding in the same place are even stupider. There are still over 80 abandoned homes in one part of my town that need to be torn down, and since people can't afford to redo the foundations they are burning them down 1-2 a week.

A friend in northern NY was discussing with me how he'll take shoveling snow any day over the chance of a Tornado. I would too. Nothing really as destructive as one, and there isn't really anything you can do. Hurricanes can spawn them, so I'll take my non-tornado, non-hurricane area any day.

**FNH** · 2013-05-21 11:59

Originally Posted by ronin sparthos

I've always been ignorant on this (I'm not from Tornado Alley, duh) but wouldn't a good underground shelter protect you from all but the most powerful F4-5 tornadoes? I assume cash is the reason most people don't have one but perhaps I'm missing something that someone from the region might want to fill in for me.

We only see the worst shit on television and the interwebs anyway. How many F1 tornadoes get reported on? Seems like a light breeze compared to an F5 ripping your house off the face of the Earth.

Lack of money is a large reason. Also, the trailer park stereotype would also include not being able to construct a shelter of your own. But most towns and place around here build community shelters for this reason. F4's and F5's aren't as common(1 every decade or so) as the lower end, we experience F0-F2 often during our 2 tornado season here, which are easily survived inside a site built home, high end of the scale you need to be underground.

**Meresgi** · 2013-05-21 11:59

People in that region just need to live like molemen and venture underground 100%. Creating darkly lit catacomb cities and industry straight out of some sci-fi movie shit. Like the city in Bioshock except not underwater.

**Plow** · 2013-05-21 11:59

Originally Posted by ronin sparthos

I've always been ignorant on this (I'm not from Tornado Alley, duh) but wouldn't a good underground shelter protect you from all but the most powerful F4-5 tornadoes? I assume cash is the reason most people don't have one but perhaps I'm missing something that someone from the region might want to fill in for me.

We only see the worst shit on television and the interwebs anyway. How many F1 tornadoes get reported on? Seems like a light breeze compared to an F5 ripping your house off the face of the Earth.

A ton of people do have shelters. I'm pretty sure in Kansas trailer parks are required to build an underground shelter. Tons of the people in Moore have shelters, seeing lots of footage and stories of people crawling out of their shelters to complete destruction.

I don't have a shelter but I know the spots in my basement that are safest, and where to avoid (i.e. where my chimney would fall if it got pushed into the house).

My neighbors built their own house not long after the Andover tornado, they have a steel reinforced several foot thick concrete shelter in their basement.

***Ddz*** · 2013-05-21 12:29

Originally Posted by Acevalefor

I hear the Willamette Valley is a great place to live. The only thing we have to worry about here is flooding on very rare occasions and it is always predictable. No flash flooding around here at all. Snow is never a problem beyond creating traffic problems every few years. It's too wet for wildfires. Earthquakes are rare and small in magnitude. Yep. It's decided. The Pacific Northwest is the best place to live if you dislike natural disasters. Just stay out of the low lying areas on the coast if you fear tsunamis.

I live in Seattle and yeah, it's pretty ideal as far as natural disasters go but don't forget we have some dormant volcanoes hanging around that are inevitably going to blow up (Mt. Rainier, for example, that is pretty close to two major metropolitan areas) and we have some pretty bad avalanches that kill people yearly in the mountainous region, and landslides too due to the climate being so wet. Go ahead and google "Whidbey island landslide 2013" lol. We are due for another significant earthquake as well.

Some on-topic comments: Holy shit at the amateur tornado footage. That shit is insane. I can't even look at the rescue photos without tearing up a little bit

**Dimmauk** · 2013-05-21 12:46

I've lived through several types of disasters(hurricane, floods, fires, tornados) and a Tornado is easily the scariest. The sounds of wind and trees and sirens is absolutely frightening. Many prayers to the people that have been affected. That picture of that neighborhood completely wiped out is insane.

**Plow** · 2013-05-21 12:48

also people that keep talking about sirens freaking them out makes me giggle a bit...

I've heard them every monday at noon for pretty much my entire life, lol.

***Ddz*** · 2013-05-21 12:57

Originally Posted by Plow

also people that keep talking about sirens freaking them out makes me giggle a bit...

I've heard them every monday at noon for pretty much my entire life, lol.

lol yeah, also we have some pretty crazy wildfires in the PNW. Sirens for that too. Here are a couple of pictures of my hometown last summer. Homes lost, and tons more evacuated. Pretty scary stuff - I've been evacuated from my home before due to a wildfire. I'd say that competes with tornado on the scary scale, but at least you have time to prepare when a fire is heading toward you.

Spoiler: show

**Plow** · 2013-05-21 12:58

there's footage that's not being spread for some reason that a local weather helicopter got of the tornado, at one point they're talking about how the inflow is so strong it's sucking them in

good bit of it is in this from about 0:10-0:30

reeeeeeeally interested to see that whole vid, I'm sure it'll be coming out at some point

**Boyiee** · 2013-05-21 13:09

pretty sure that's been posted like 5 times early on in the thread. The main broadcast was from that helicopter for a long time.

**Acevalefor** · 2013-05-21 13:18

Originally Posted by Ddz

lol yeah, also we have some pretty crazy wildfires in the PNW. Sirens for that too. Here are a couple of pictures of my hometown last summer. Homes lost, and tons more evacuated. Pretty scary stuff - I've been evacuated from my home before due to a wildfire. I'd say that competes with tornado on the scary scale, but at least you have time to prepare when a fire is heading toward you.

Spoiler: show

Was that the Cle Elum fire? If so, that was started by a construction project. I think Seattle and the surrounding areas are much more dangerous to live near than the Willamette Valley. I just hope that Rainier doesn't blow any time in the next 1000 years. The outflow from that mountain funnels straight into Seattle. As far as mud slides, it comes with the rains and casualties can be completely avoided by not building your house on stilts hanging off the edge of a dirt hill. I would take the very small risks associated with rainy climates over random tornado outbreaks every year.

**Plow** · 2013-05-21 13:38

Originally Posted by Ddz

lol yeah, also we have some pretty crazy wildfires in the PNW. Sirens for that too. Here are a couple of pictures of my hometown last summer. Homes lost, and tons more evacuated. Pretty scary stuff - I've been evacuated from my home before due to a wildfire. I'd say that competes with tornado on the scary scale, but at least you have time to prepare when a fire is heading toward you.

not to debbie downer or anything, but yeah it's just not even in the same league in terms of intensity and the speed at which it's upon you

here, have some fucking freaky tornado shit, from other events:

Spoiler: show

Thread: Two mile wide Tornado heading toward OKC...wait...how big?!?

Thread Tools

Similar Threads

Massive solar flare headed towards Earth (Not even trolln' ya)

Wait a minute, you mean that Square can listen?

Latest Threads

Up & Coming Threads

Hottest Threads