Robert Acosta, President Helping Hands for the Blind (818) 998-0044 www.helpinghands4theblind.org _____________________________________________ From: dan thompson [mailto:dthompson5@xxxxxxxxx] Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2014 6:52 AM To: dan thompson Subject: myths and reallities regarding tornados and a special note Good morning friends, From now on, Dan's tips will arrive in your in-box no later than noon Monday through Friday. I am now jup and going with the restored computer from the crash on Saturday. Very lot of work. Have a great day. Myths and Reallities regarding Tornados National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html Updated March 27 2014 No place in the United States (or even the world - except maybe Antarctica) is completely safe from tornadoes. Every one of the United States has experienced at least one documented tornado, and many states are hit multiple times each year by a twister. A tornado may occur at any time of day, and on any day of the year. It may hit in the middle of the night, or in the middle of winter. However, the most common timing for a tornado is in the late afternoon of warmer months. Unfortunately, for most communities outside of Tornado Alley (in the central and Midwest US), a tornado is such a remote possibility, that cities or towns may not have warning systems in place, and few people are prepared when a tornado does strike. However, knowing what to do in case of a tornado warning can save your life and the lives of your family. [Top of Page <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Overview <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Myths and Facts | Safety: [ Preparation <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Watches <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Warnings <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Outdoors <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Afterwards <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> ] Tornado Myths and Facts "When confronted by a tornado warning, you should open all the windows in your house to equalize the pressure." MYTH: This just wastes valuable time. Don't worry about equalizing the pressure, the roof ripping off and the pickup truck smashing through the front wall will equalize the pressure for you. "I live in a big city, a tornado wouldn't hit a big city." MYTH: Tornadoes have hit several large cities, including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Wichita Falls, St. Louis, Miami, and Salt Lake City. In fact, an urban tornado will have a lot more debris to toss around than a rural twister. A tornado approaches downtown Dallas, TX on 02 April, 1957 <http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/wea00254.htm> NOAA library page The path of the May 3, 1999 F5 tornado that tore through downtown Oklahoma City From KFOR-TV, Oklahoma "Tornadoes don't happen in the mountains." MYTH: Tornadoes do occur in the mountains. Damage from an F3 tornado was documented above 10,000 feet, and a hiker in the mountains of Utah photographed a weak tornado in the mountains. "Tornadoes may occur in the middle of the night and even during the winter." FACT: Although the likelihood is lower at night and during colder months, tornadoes have caused death and destruction during these times of day and year. Violent tornadoes, while very unlikely during the winter months, do occasionally occur at night. When severe weather is forecast, ensure your NOAA weather radio is on and working properly before you go to bed. "My city doesn't get tornadoes because it is protected by a river." MYTH: Many tornadoes have crossed rivers and even gone on to cause widespread damage to riverside cities. For example, the Nachez, Mississippi tornado of 1840 <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html> tracked directly down the Mississippi River, killing hundreds, mostly on the water. view the photo here: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornado-clima tology Others have crossed large rivers without losing speed (they momentarily became water spouts) and devastated cities that folklore had thought immune to tornadoes. An example was the Waco, TX tornado of 1953 <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html> that crossed the Brazos River, seen at this link. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornado-clima tology or the Great St. Louis Cyclone of 1896 <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html> that jumped the Mississippi River. Seen at this link. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornado-clima tology "Tornadoes have picked people and items up, carried them some distance and then set them down without injury or damage." FACT: People and animals have been transported up to a quarter mile or more without serious injury. Fragile items, such as sets of fine china, or glass-ware have been blown from houses and recovered, miles away, without any damage. However, given the quantity of airborne debris, these occurrences are the exception, rather than the norm. "Hiding under a freeway overpass will protect me from a tornado." MYTH: While the concrete and re-bar in the bridge may offer some protection against flying debris, the overpass also acts as a wind tunnel and may actually serve to collect debris. When you abandon your vehicle at the overpass and climb up the sides, you are doing two things that are hazardous. First, you are blocking the roadway with your vehicle. When the tornado turns all the parked vehicles into a mangled, twisted ball and wedges them under the overpass, how will emergency vehicles get through? Second, the winds in a tornado tend to be faster with height. By climbing up off the ground, you place yourself in even greater danger from the tornado and flying debris. When coupled with the accelerated winds due to the wind tunnel (Venturi Effect), these winds can easily exceed 300 mph. Unfortunately, at least three people hiding under underpasses during tornadoes have already been killed, and dozens have been injured by flying debris. If you realize you won't be able to outrun an approaching tornado, you are much safer to abandon your vehicle, and take shelter in a road-side ditch or other low spot (see Tornado Safety <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> ). http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html#safety For more information on the use of highway overpasses for shelter, please see this NWS discussion on highway overpasses <http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=safety-overpass-slide01> . http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=safety-overpass-slide01 Note: If a highway overpass is your only shelter option, only consider it if the overpass has sturdy roadway supports, next to which (at ground level) you can take shelter. Avoid the smooth concrete, support-less spans at all costs. "I can outrun a tornado, especially in a vehicle." MYTH: Tornadoes can move at up to 70 mph or more and shift directions erratically and without warning. It is unwise to try to outrace a tornado. It is better to abandon your vehicle and seek shelter immediately. "While there is no such thing as a category 6 hurricane (the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml> only goes to category 5), there can be an F6 tornado." This tornado scale can be seen here: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php FACT: The Fujita Tornado Damage Intensity Scale <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/educational/fujita.html > actually goes up to F12! Check out the photo here: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/educational/fujita.html The F12 level only begins at wind speeds exceeding Mach 1.0 (or around 738 mph at -3°C), so the probability of a tornado having winds of this speed is infinitesimally small. Could a tornado be an F6? Yes, however, the Fujita scale is based on wind speeds that are estimated from the damage the tornado produced (because no one has been able to stick an anemometer into a tornado to measure the actual wind speeds). Since the winds of an F5 tornado (up to 319 mph) are sufficient to completely destroy just about everything in its path, an F6 really wouldn't do much more damage than that, and therefore could not be definitively labeled as an F6. When accurate measurements of wind speed inside an extreme tornado are eventually obtained, it is not impossible that they may exceed 319 mph. "Tornadoes are more likely to hit a mobile home park." MYTH: Not so. It just seems that way for two reasons. First, mobile home parks are a ubiquitous part of our landscape. There are tens of thousands of mobile homes in tornado alley, so there is a pretty good likelihood that some of them will be in the path of a tornado. Unfortunately, the second factor is that mobile homes offer little to no protection against even the weakest tornadoes, so when a tornado does strike a mobile home park, the damage is more likely to be significant. Winds that would only lift some shingles on a frame house can easily flip a mobile home. "Strong, sturdy brick or stone buildings will protect me from a tornado." MYTH: While such buildings will provide more protection in a tornado than a mobile home or timber frame structure, the winds of a tornado can easily launch a 2x4 through a brick wall, and can cause even the sturdiest of buildings to experience roof or wall failure. Remnants of a brick building after a tornado hit St. Louis, MO on 27 May, 1896 <http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/wea00269.htm> Visit the NOAA Library Page to view this photo. http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/wea00254.htm "To keep from being sucked into the tornado, can tie myself to a well pipe, just like they did in the movie "Twister"." MYTH: While it is unlikely that a tornado will dislodge a deeply buried pipe, the rope you tie around yourself is more likely to act as a combination tetherball and cheese slicer. Lighter winds will likely cause you to be whipped around at the end of the rope, banging against anything within the radius of the rope. Stronger winds inside the tornado are just as likely to pull your body from the rope (and possibly not in one piece). "A tornado can drive a straw through a telephone pole." FACT: The forces inside a tornado are incredible, and still poorly understood. But they are certainly strong enough to turn otherwise harmless items into deadly missiles. Anything can become a deadly projectile. "A tornado is not coming directly at me, I am safe." MYTH: Tornados have been known to act erratically, often changing directions quickly. Sturdy shelter is the only safe place to be during a tornado. Although it may be tempting to follow a tornado to get a cool photo, please leave the tornado chasing to trained meteorologists. Preparation | Watches <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Warnings <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Outdoors <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> | Afterwards <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadosafety.html> ] Tornado Safety Preparation * Get a NOAA Weather Radio. While the local media (radio or television) are a great source of relaying NWS tornado watches and warnings, they are only useful if you happen to have them turned on. The NOAA weather radio is on standby all the time, and will sound an alarm the moment a tornado watch or warning has been issued. If you are expecting severe weather, turn up the volume so you can clearly hear the alert (especially important if you are a sound sleeper). * Have a plan. If a tornado warning is issued, or you spot a tornado heading for you, what will you do - if you are at home, at work, in your vehicle. Spend a moment to think about it and review it each spring. During imminent danger is not the time to have to think up a plan. * If your home does not have a safe place that can be used as a tornado shelter (as is the case with mobile homes), find out where in your neighborhood is recommended as a tornado shelter. Most properly managed mobile home parks should have a severe weather plan in place, and such a plan is useful for any neighborhood or subdivision. At work, ask your employer for a copy of their severe weather safety plan. They should have a location where employees can seek shelter in the event of a tornado or other severe weather. * Put together a tornado/severe weather kit. At the least, the kit should include: o a battery powered radio (preferably with weather channels) o a flashlight in working order (do not store with batteries installed) - there are battery-less flashlights now available o immediate first aid needs (bandages, antibiotic wipes, tweezers, etc.) o food (energy bars) and bottle of water o emergency blanket (foil lined to retain warmth) o large marking pen or bottle of spray paint (to write your address on the driveway, remains of structures for rescue personnel) o copies of any critical medical records o whistle (to help rescuers locate you) * Place your tornado kit inside the place you have designated as your tornado shelter. * If you own a home with a concrete foundation, a water/fireproof safe, bolted to the house foundation, for storage of any irreplaceable documents can be a good choice. These documents should be in the safe at all times. Do not wait until a tornado warning is issued before trying to put things in the safe. * Practice a tornado drill at least once per year for your family, school, or workplace. Ensure everyone knows what to do without having to think about it. This message was scanned with Norton 360 dthompson5@xxxxxxxxx with dan's tip or daily devotional in the subject line. "O Lord, our God, grant us, we beseech you, patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all our spiritual foes. Grant us sorrow for our sins, thankfulness for your benefits, fear of your judgment, love of your mercies, and mindfulness of your presence; now and for ever." (Prayer by John Cosin)
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