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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Lester Holt reports on the destruction, while TODAY's Al Roker looks at the next severe weather system.
As towns cleaned up and survivors recalled near-death tornado experiences, forecasters on Thursday warned of a new round of severe weather Thursday night and Friday that could produce even more twisters.
"We've got a really bad system starting to develop, just as bad if not worse for tomorrow," NBC weather anchor Al Roker reported on the TODAY show, citing "a strong risk of storms from Huntsville, Alabama, to Indianapolis and on into central Ohio."
Parts of Illinois and Mississippi are also at risk, he noted, and any twisters could be several miles long due to the system's strength.
Thirteen people were killed Wednesday in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and Kansas by a system that spawned more than a dozen twisters across the Midwest. Hardest hit was Harrisburg, Ill., where six people died, some 300 homes were destroyed or damaged, and residents had stories of survival and tragedy.
Son finds bodies of parents
Jeff Rann had ample warning early Wednesday. A frantic call to his wife from his mother-in-law alerted them to reports that a tornado was barreling down, and Rann heard the deafening wail of storm sirens.
Rann's home was untouched, but just two blocks away, his parents were not as fortunate.
Rann raced through the darkness to his parents' duplex, but saw instantly there was nothing left, natural gas whistling eerily as it spewed from the property's severed meter. In the mud of a debris-strewn field, Rann found the body of his dad, 65-year-old Randy Rann, and his mother, 62-year-old Donna Rann.
"She just said, 'It hurts. It hurts,'" Rann said of his mother, who had been looking forward to early retirement next month but who died a short time later at a hospital.
The National Weather Service preliminarily listed the tornado as an EF4, the second-highest rating given to twisters based on damage. Scientists said the tornado was 200 yards wide with winds up to 180 mph.
Across the road from the Ranns, a co-worker of Donna's, Amanda Patrick, was roused by the sirens about five minutes before all hell broke loose. She called Donna Rann — her co-worker at the U.S. Forest Service — to alert them but got no answer, then thrust herself into a bathtub as the twister she described as sounding "like a bulldozer and Hoover vacuum at the same time" ripped through.
How to help tornado victims
PHOTOBLOG: Destruction across Midwest
"Not trying to be holy, I got on my knees and said, 'God, watch over me,'" she said.
The winds shifted the tub as the walls buckled above her. In a gray T-shirt and pink-striped pajama pants, she crawled shoeless out into the rain and muck.
She called out for the Ranns but heard nothing back.
Hours later, tears streamed down Patrick's face as she grieved for the late couple.
"A couple weeks ago, there was a bad storm and I looked out the window to check on them," she said, sobbing. "Donna texted me and said, 'I saw you in the window.' She was checking on me. That's the way we were, always just looking out for each other."
This time, she said, "they didn't have a chance."
Hospital patients moved in time
At Harrisburg Medical Center, staffers were alerted to the tornado's approach by the sheriff's department some 20 minutes before the severe weather finally threw its punch, the center's CEO Vince Ashley said.
"We get these calls periodically, and often it's a false alarm," Ashley said. "But we get them often enough that everyone knows what to do."
Nurses hustled the patients into the hallways and away from their room's windows, closing the doors behind them, and were fighting to close the last of the heavy, steel fire doors at the end of the hallway when the tornado came, Ashley said. Seconds later, he said, windows started shattering, walls shook and ceiling tiles rattled.
The fierce winds blew some walls off some rooms, leaving disheveled beds and misplaced furniture but miraculously no injuries. Hours later, Ashley said some of the destroyed portions of the hospital will have to be razed and rebuilt.
Adding to the danger, it hit as many slept — a timing research meteorologist Harold Brooks called unusual but "not completely uncommon."
Brooks, with the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., said perhaps 10 percent of tornadoes happen between midnight and 6 a.m., a time when the danger level rises because the storms are harder to spot and it's harder to get the word out.
"If you're asleep, you're less likely going to hear anything, any warning message on the danger," Brooks said.
Deaths, damage elsewhere
In southern Missouri, one person was killed in a Buffalo trailer park while two more fatalities were reported in the Cassville and Puxico areas.
A tornado hopscotched throughthe main thoroughfare of Missouri country music mecca Branson, damaging some of the city's famous theaters just days before the start of the town's crucial tourist season.
It went "bouncing from business to business to business -- tens if not hundreds of millions in property damage," Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon told NBC.
Three people were reported killed in eastern Tennessee — two in Cumberland County and another in DeKalb County.
And in Kansas, much of tiny Harveyville was in shambles from what state officials said was an EF2 tornado packing wind speeds of 120 to 130 mph.
A man whose Harveyville home collapsed on him was taken off life support Wednesday evening.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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There are strict building codes in areas prone to disasters such as earthquakes... why don't they enforce building codes with storm shelter requirements in tornado-prone areas like the midwest and south? Having a small panic-room type shelter in the center of your home, constructed of steel and anchored securely to the concrete foundation would save dozens of lives per year. If you're in a home with no basement and no shelter, and an EF4 or EF5 is bearing down on you, there's not much you can do other than get in your bathtub, put your head between your knees, and kiss your butt goodbye. You might say, "well, I'm willing to live with the risk," thinking it can never happen to you, but ask the residents of Joplin or Tuscaloosa or Phil Campbell or Hacklesburg how they feel about that now.
We cannot regulate everybody about everything.....Sh#t happens.
Yeah, that's what they said in Haiti up until January 2010. Regulations save lives, like it or not.
What do you suggest they do? And no, building out of brick and concrete doesn't help. Just look at what happened to the Walmart in Joplin. The only thing I'd suggest is requiring underground storm shelters for every home. Other than that, you can't exactly build for a tornado.
R-2368990 - Did you read my post? I didn't suggest concrete or brick. An EF4 or EF5 will chew through that just as easily as wood frame or a trailer. I suggested a steel saferoom anchored to a solid concrete foundation... that'll stand up to all but the most insane tornadoes.
More and more people are opting to have them built into new homes. However they wont help much when a tornado hits in the night when your fast asleep.
I'd add two exits to that safe room. No point risking your one and only door being blocked by debris.
They tried to pass a law in Joplin after last years disaster, that would require all new residential buildings have basements as well as several other prudent building code changes recommended to them by academics. It failed. They decided it would cost too much money.
I'm afraid thousands will have to die in an outbreak before attitudes start to change. Like Bangladesh, Southwest Missouri is on the front lines of global warming. Super Outbreaks are likely to become a seasonal norm.
A storm shelter like that is built for one purpose only: to keep you intact during a violent tornado. Being trapped wouldn't be that much of a concern because emergency response following a tornado is rapid, and residential home debris is typically easy to remove. Since rescuing trapped survivors is always the top priority of first responders, you'd probably be trapped for no more than a matter of a few hours. Might make for an uncomfortable bladder situation, but it's a small price to pay for being alive.
My grandpa lived in Harrisburg and it is my impression that most houses are older than any building codes. The south end of the state is a pretty poor area. My brother's house was completely destroyed in a tornado; his wife and six kids managed to survive with only minor injuries. I had a tornado go up my driveway and across my back yard. My husband said, "I don't like this, let's go to the basement," and I didn't have time to even stand up before the door flew open, the carpet flew up, and things from the front of the house ended up at the back. Somebody told us that the TV said "there is a tornado on the ground", beeped three times, and it was all over. You often just don't have time to take shelter.
Avice - of course, there is some luck involved. If you happen to live right where the funnel drops, you're pretty much S.O.L. and there isn't much you can do. But don't underestimate the value of advanced warning in saving lives. Storm spotters and the NWS can get accurate warnings and storm directions out within five minutes or less of a tornado being reported on the ground.
Chris - I agree with your logic and I think all new homes would be wise to install some type of tornado shelter for areas that are more prone or just even have bad severe storms that could produce straight line winds or something but again that logic could also apply to those in hurricane areas that are always buying plywood for windows instead of installing hurricane shutters or areas in flood zones that they always scramble to fill sandbags why not have a stockpile or skip that altogether and have the large collapsible barriers on hand that are quickly filled with and can make a 4-6 foot wall in minutes?
Well ususally it has to do with cost and some of it either lack or prepardness or the it won't happen to me thinking.
When talking about earthquakes the costs to factor that in are not little and usually it is only required for areas that are seismically active on a regular basis, I'm talking regular little shakes that won't do alot of damage or none at all but can fatigue structures over time. Same for hurricane areas. If you live in a gulf state your odds of a hurricane in your lifetime are very high. Thus they do have some stricter building codes, at least in Florida. You can easy live your whole life in Tornado Alley (a name that I think people don't get when applying that geographically and what it really represents or realize there are not rouge tornadoes randomly crossing the plains) and never see a single tornado. I like to think of it like this, Tornado Alley is a huge dart board and the golf cost is like a lane at a bowling alley, when comparing the too as I hear alot. Throw a thousand darts at the board and you can easily never hit that same spot, roll a 100 bowling balls and you will almost guarantee to cross the whole area at least once.
So again I agree and people should include shelters when they build new houses (the metal ones you talk about are alot cheaper and can be retrofitted into existing structures easily if you have the space) and even the box stores could at least include storm shelters, like say the employee break room areas, make that a large concrete shelter (can be precast or tilt up even rather than CIP) and that wouldn't effect the building cost that much at all but to change the code so the entire structure has to comply like with earthquakes or hurricanes just doesn't make sense. And besides most tornadoes are F1 or F2 and don't do as much damage; Joplin and Greensburg were special in that they had F5's (weak F5 for Joplin but still F5), and most tornadoes are really short lived. Just something people need to understand.
Also, a typical reinforced concrete will easily stand up to an F5's winds, its the debris inside the tornado that actually make it deadly, basically like thousands of hammers and missiles pounding on a structure. Had the Joplin tornado been in a cornfield it probably wouldn't of made F5 rank but since it hit a city area it had lots of debris to pick up and that is what really causes the damage in the stronger structures like reinforced concrete. Again that comes down to a cost. The Walmart is also not a good example, that bock system is strong but a reinforced concrete wall of similar thickness is way stronger than a block wall. Not to mention all the little missiles the collapsing block wall created for the tornado. The Home Depot was a good example, the panels were still intact, even through the fall, it was the roof that failed and brought the building down, though Tilt up and or Precast is still and really good system for a building and connection methods are better now since that particular building was built. Most buildings in California and Florida are build with this method and its use is growing, which is actually a good thing. But again changing whole codes to account for an entire building to withstand over the usual 90mph can be alot, maybe going to 120mph would be a little better, but we have to be practical when its not an everyday occurrence or the likely hood is really low. But once again that is why I agree with just the shelter option though I don't think homeowner wise it really should be required either, stuff happens sometimes.
At any rate best of luck to everyone and do what you can to be prepared. Ignore the media hype and try to see the facts, they love the doom and gloom and are bad about getting the real facts out there. This spring will likely be a wilder than last year with all the crazy weather we've been having.
It is time
Underground shelter only works if you don't live in an area with a high water table if you do you end up with an indoor swimming pool. We can't move everybody to the one city in Colorado that is statistically safer. And residential building codes are restricted by what people can afford and the fact that many rural houses were built 100yrs ago. I moved from tornado alley to the gulf coast "possible" hurricane country. This country has weather that can kill in so many different ways it is impossible not to find oneself in an area that has a disaster
Weak F5? My God, what do you consider a strong F5? There was talk of creating a NEW catagory, F6, for Joplin's tornado. A mile wide at the ground level; utter destruction of buildings, down to and in some cases, even removing the concrete pad from the ground! Bottom line: if you fear for your lives, you put in place some kind of protection. If you don't, no amount of regulation will force you to put in place something retrofitted. Basic storm shelters run from $2000 and up. Most people in Joplin received a substantial amount of money for their destroyed homes, but found costs elevated due to building materials that new replacement homes took away any amount of extra funding that they had so there was nothing left to use for future saftey items. I live in Joplin, and suffer through the storms now such as what just went through our area. We will continue to fear, and hopefully, scrape up enough cash to get something in place.
Interestingly enough, many houses that were built 100 or more years ago are actually safer in terms of potential storm shelter than many of modern construction because most included a root cellar for food storage. These are usually rooms constructed entirely underground to provide cool conditions in summer, which also makes them ideal storm shelters. I personally grew up in a house built in 1880 that had a coal bunker for its old furnace that now doubles as a storm shelter.
No, there wasn't. It was solidly an EF-5, and the enhanced Fujita scale makes no provisions for anything higher than an EF-5. You may be confusing it with the Oklahoma City 1999 F5 that, by some readings, contained winds of 318 mph, which put it close to the theoretical "F6" rating on the old Fujita scale, and is commonly referred to in the media as the "Oklahoma City F6".
Where are the basements for these mid-west homes????
Clearly the increased number and frequency of tornadoes is Obama's fault.
Chris-629698:
You seem to have a lot of answers as to what people should have done, or built, or whatever.
How bout you rolling up all your regulations and sticking them where the sun don't shine while these good people grieve and try to put their lives back together. Then LATER tell us all what we should have done to be as smart as you.
First, you have no way of knowing if it was "good people" who had their lives disrupted. Some of them could've been real pieces of crap; tornadoes don't discriminate. Second, I highly doubt that with their homes in ruins and friends or family injured or killed, they're here reading my posts and taking offense to them.
Third, my posts aren't intended for the people who had their homes destroyed by these tornadoes... they're for everyone else. If even one person reads anything I posted regarding basic storm safety precautions about which they were unaware, like having a red cross emergency radio and heeding storm warnings, and as a result is safer during severe weather, I've done something good. So kindly remove your head from your rectum and stop being so easily offended by everything.
They won't even pass laws requiring new residential construction to have sprinkler systems because of the added cost. What would make you think they would ever pass a law to require tornado shelters?
The problem with the whole safety issue, is that unless it's a new home, you can't build an underground basement. They won't do it on an already existing building. A safe room is kind of high, and yes, I know you're going to say, well, is the money worth your life? Yes, of COURSE it is, however, not EVERYBODY has savings or a 401K or gold hidden in their closet. Getting a loan these days is hard. PAYING for a loan is even harder! Where would people get the money to have one put in? I found this online:
1/4" steel, 5-person Iron Eagle II is $4295, plus delivery and installation. The 3-person, 3/16" Steel Iron Eagle-I factory-direct price is $3695, plus delivery and installation.
That's a lot of money for people who live paycheck to paycheck. First, before i get blasted...I'm not talking about the "keep up with the Jones' kind of people. I'm talking about the average Joe and his wife trying to feed their kids and keep shoes on their feet.
Underground shelters run around $5k. I wouldn't know where the money would come from and I would LOVE to have one., I live in the heart of the tornado area of the south. I'm tired of being scared (and no, I cannot MOVE).
And like someone above said...an outdoor storm shelter doesn't do much if you only have a minute or two warning, or you're asleep when it comes. You can't live in the thing just in case.
Anyway, If I knew of the perfect solution, I wouldn't hesitate, and I doubt anyone else who lives in severe storm areas would either.
I would suggest we switch to these designs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolithic_dome
The wind can't find anywhere to grab so......less damage.
Also fire resistant, and energy efficient.
I'm just suggesting that when we rebuild. We rebuild stronger and smarter. Not put up the same old vulnerable designs.
There's no need for Vermonters to mandate tornado standards in Missouri - unless of course, they're willing to supply the cash. Let them build what they can afford.
Mike - yes I said weak as in just over the scale to make F5, it was first an F4 then upgraded. But like I said it was still an F5. Whatever the number it doesn't change the fact as to what happened, are you trying to brag?? I'm sorry if you lost your home or any loved ones or friends, I was just stating a fact is all. I've been to Joplin many times and I'm very familiar with the area. Emotions can be strong for what happened but again you can't let that run every part of your life now. You say you live in fear? Why, if its going to happen it will, no one can control when or where a tornado will hit. Like I was pointing out earlier there is a high chance that Joplin won't see a tornado for many years to come or it could have one yet this year but statistically you would probably have a greater chance of being in a car wreck or something like that. The very reason why buildings won't likely be changed, unlike those places where they have hurricanes and the chances of getting "hit" are much higher. Anyways though you are right cost can be a problem even for those smaller shelters.
Scar - interesting, not sure if people would like those but you are right we need to start thinking differently. If I had my choice I would go with ICF. Chris is right though about older houses, if they were maintained they can actually be stronger due to the different type of construction used.
ya'll be careful...call your friends and family...to make sure that...they know a bad weather event is possible for tonight...if their in one of these regions...
Chris--there was no "Oklahoma City F6." The May 3, 1999, tornado took out chunks of Moore, Del City, Midwest City, Bridgecreek, and Tinker AFB. There were just tiny slices of Oklahoma City--one near Westmoore High School--that were hit. Oklahoma City did not bear the brunt of that storm. That is just one of your overgeneralizations.
An above-ground storm shelter is such a new idea that such have rarely been tested. No one really knows what would happen if a large number of people had them and an F4 or F5 hit. It might or might not hold up--we don't really know. The point is that shelters of that type cost several thousand dollars and take up room--room that many people do not have.
Tornadoes can hit any part of the country--you seriously want every single home to be fitted with several thousand dollars worth of something that they almost certainly will never need? Wow--it would save "dozens" of lives. Well, bubba, I can think of several dozen things that would save more than a dozen lives: better enforcement of protocols in hospitals, better enforcement of DUI laws, better child abuse reporting, etc. Even more importantly, many homes in the Deep South and Midwest aren't set on concrete because that just isn't practical.
Yes, it is a good idea to have a storm shelter. An underground storm shelter below the concrete in the garage or one which can be accessed from the bedrooms is best (more people die going out to an underground storm shelter that is separate from the home than die in actual tornadoes). I would highly recommend that people buy one, and I wouldn't even be opposed to new housing being required to have one when building one is practical. I wouldn't oppose having new housing require that at least one closet in the home be built to standards that would withstand at least an F3--when that is practical. But, really, unless we are discussing new housing, and housing that has a bottom story (notice that none of this is going to help condos, apartment buildings, trailer homes, and many office buildings), the point is moot.
The general idea is interesting--but think through the ramifications of putting it into practice, and you should (if you are smart) realize that it probably isn't going to save most of the lives lost in a tornado. In the May 3 tornado, many of the victims were people caught out in the open (others were in trailer homes)--and shelters of the sort you mention would have done nothing for them. The cost would outweigh the benefit if we are talking about retrofitting.
But, for people who can afford it, a watertight sealed shelter that is below ground is great (when the ground will support one). An above-ground shelter (when that is practical) is also a nice idea. It can even serve as a place to keep valuables, or even as a place to house overnight guests.
By the by, anyone who has a shelter of that sort usually has a camp toilet or a bucket with a plastic liner, an attachable toilet seat, a tight lid, and a big bag of kitty litter. Dump a couple of cups of litter in, do your business, and throw a cup on top before putting the lid back on. As you can see--I do actually know a bit about the practical aspects of the situation while you are being slap-dash and overgeneralizing. Emergency personnel put rescue of the injured long before rescuing people in shelters and often don't even know where shelters are. Have a great day.
Chris - I see you have an itchy typing finger today. We have all sorts of of vehicle safety regulations, yet thousands still die each year. We have building codes that dictate metal straps and clips, etc be used to minimize structural damage from wind and hurricanes. Quess what, people still die. Homes are still destroyed and nature still finds a way to win.
BTW - my condolences to those who lost loved ones.
My dad swears by his Noah Emergency Weather radio which is like an alarm clock which will wake you in the event of any weather dissaster. You are informed quickly of any severe storms heading your way.
I've got an emergency radio. Bought it a few years ago. Couldn't ever find a "station" that would come through. Mostly static. I guess you have to live in a city to pick up waves, and most of the cities already have sirens.
What are we to do in the boonies, if nothing works in our small town outskirts, and we can't hear the sirens?
And for all those, "get in the center of your home under sturdy furniture" comments on radio and tv...don't these people ever watch the news? I've seen very few homes that had a room LEFT after a tornado. Mostly are flattened with just a slab left. I don't think the closet or bathtub is gonna help!
That's almost as bad as telling you you're sitting on a floatation device in an airplane. I haven't seen a passenger from a fallen jet float away from the wreckage.
The ONLY safe place to be is below ground level. In a covered bunker!!
Better yet, Just build underground homes to begin with. Away from fault zones & flood plains.
I once saw a 10 thousand bushel grain bin moved 5 foot off it's cement pad it was bolted to. It was near half full which would be nearly 75 tons. A steel bunker mounted to a slab would be safer, but not if it took a direct hit. Doesn't help if you don't have enough time to get to it or are a sleep.
Another thing about underground homes. You could reduce your utilities by about 70%.
You are correct. We used to never have storms like this in Tennessee. Now it seems every spring you have to prepare. The trick is being aware and surviving. The last one,last year I stood in the window and watched it bounce over me. We are not supposed to have tornados? It took 200 year old oaks out of the ground like beach umbrellas.I live in an older home 1920's era in a historical district.We converted our old coal bend into a safe room as it is built on three sides and top with concrete and underground. Bought a commercial grade generator.The house is two full stories above us. Crazy times and weather coming. Be safe and hang on!
Was Weather Modification used to enhance these storms? They were spraying in CO and other states days before this storm. CO Water Board gives grants to those creating weather.
Don't mess with Mother Nature.
Tess..... Every time there is any kind of cloud formation or possible storm heading our way, those damn unidentifiable white non descript short fat planes are up there...... sometimes it would appear a FLEET of them, spraying their chemtrails. I live on the northeastern plateau of California, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We are in such a severe drought here that Summer is becoming a terrifying thought. The wildfires this summer will be incredibly bad, because it is so dry. Ironic that the day I first noticed the planes, and the incredible number of chemtrails littering our skies above, Denver CO go hit with a massive snowstorm.
I also find it fascinating the number of people in my local community that are suddenly popping up with systemic lupus, me being one of them. They say it is a genetic problem. funny. no one in my genetic family has lupus except for me. I am simply saying, I am not the only one that has had this happen.
I would love to know who is spraying what over my town. I would like to know why they don't have to tell everyone what they are spraying, or what they are spraying. whatever it is, it can't be good.
Those are not chem trails. Just water vapor from high flying jets. The heavy snowstorm earlier this month was a change in the pattern caused by a Madden-Julian Oscillation as the La Nina is winding down and becoming neutral.
Tin foil hats for sale CHEEP, guaranteed to keep the government out of your head..
@Chris-629698
"I suggested a steel saferoom anchored to a solid concrete foundation"...not for a tornado. You gotta go underground. A good tornado would chew through that one too.
Not necessarily. There are companies that manufacture storm shelters that are cast out of a single piece of steel that can be bolted directly to the concrete foundation that can withstand forces far greater than any recorded tornado. They're not fancy; basically just a steel tank about the size of a closet, but you really only have to be in them for 15 minutes or so, and they'll save your life.
an above ground shelter is ok if you're only dealing with wind, but i would not want to be in one when a car or other large object comes flying through the house.
I dunno about you, toot, but I'd prefer to be in a hardened steel case if I got a car thrown at me, instead of huddling in a plastic bathtub. But, you know, that's just my personal preference.
All I can say is in a F 5 tornado or a catogory 5 hurricane you can pretty much pray and hope your steel box ends up somewhere your remains can be found because I'm not sure any bolt will hold.
If it is a rounded bowl shape and low to the ground it might be aerodynamic enough to escape the tear force of the wind and vacuum of a direct pass.. But if the funnel is sucking up foundations things might get dicey.. Even underground shelters have been known to fail with a direct hit so sometimes it is pure luck good or bad.. Thoughts and condolences to the families..
Yes condolences. When many of these houses were built the building codes did not call for hurricane straps on the roof joist.Now we put them on everything we build. But that being said if the wind gets under it the whole roof goes. It does help though. These storms are like being hit with nothing the military has short of atomic.
To find your parents like that.. My heart goes out to these people. The storms are building right now in the Tennessee Valley. Warm weather and the jet stream has split. It could be bad. Last year was horrible.
Houses have so many other building restrictions. Why can't they be required to have underground basements?
Because (simplistically) building codes govern how you build, not what you build.
An underground basement adds tens of thousands of dollars to new home construction, sometimes $50,000 or more. A simple, small storm shelter for a family of four can be included for $5,000 or less; also, they can be integrated into existing homes with no basement.
Chris....it really would not have mattered. The time that the storms went through....most people were asleep. I slept right through the warnings and watches that were being issued. I think the death toll is actually not that high considering the time of day it hit.
There's no shame in sleeping on the couch in your basement when severe weather is forecast, especially if violent tornadoes are a possibility. I do that, and I'm not even in a particularly tornado-prone area (although we did get a couple last year, including a pretty good EF3). If you don't have a basement, at least keep a red cross emergency radio next to your bed that will sound the emergency alert system if a warning is issued.
Because in a lot of places in the US the water table is 8-10 inches below the surface of the ground not 8 to 10 feet.
A basement would be good if the water table would allow, It doesn't have to be the foot print of the home, as long as there is room for the family and some short term supplies. If the water table will not allow then have a safe room built within the house anchored to the foundation. Besides how much money is a life worth, I would give all I had to know my family was safe.
while you bitch what shouda or coulda people are trying to get their life together....give it a break and help
Or try to give people a little bit of basic information that might prevent them from getting killed by a tornado. Or, you know, we could be reactive instead of proactive like your philosophy and just help people clean up their house scattered across a half square mile instead of throwing some information out there that might help them stay alive when a tornado hits. But you know, your way is good too.
We are near bed rock and limestone in many areas and short of blasting you can not have a basement. If you are on a hill which most of the South is you cut into the hill and have a drive in basement.
Had this been a joke about blondes it would be funny in the eyes of the media hypocrites. Stereotyping is sick an evil according to them. Unless it's aimed at white people and then it's hilarious.
Condolences sent to Jeff Rann on the loss of his parents...sad story.
In some areas of the country, the water table is too high for underground shelters.......what do you do then ?
Be sure and do not ask big brother for any aide now, Tea Party big mouths, anti government Republicans. See if you can make it on your own without begging for nanny to give you our tax dollars.
You are wht less sir and callous. Most of these people never ask for help. They have good neighbors and do things on their own all the while paying taxes. The lady was 62 years old and looking to retire. What is wrong with you.
God struck the sinners in the Midwest for their sins.
what?
WHT3......You sound like you are with Westboro church
no tax dollars for these red neck Republicans. Be self sufficient.
Make sure no tax dollars are forthcoming
Don't worry we won't does that include you keeping your mitts off my wallet for your pet projects?
WHT3, since you object to any tax dollars going toward the aftermath of that horrible tornado, why don't you volunteer your hands and time toward the effort? What horrible comments for southern Illinois, when we have been through astounding devastation during the last year.
WHTless3 - not to worry, your personal government freebies are quite safe. Last year during the missouri river flooding I and numerous unknown people worked our azzes off in protecting our and our neighbors property. We didn't care if they voted left or right.
BTW - Please tattoo your handle across your forehead so if you ever cry for help, I can ignore you and let darwin take its course.
waiting on the government or states to change laws is not how i would risk my butt. (kiss it goodbye) if i lived in areas were there were tornados i would build a storm shelter myself (i know...parish the thought that someone might take control of there lives in there own hands in this country) as a man you have a responcability to protect your family. you can blame why they died on the government or laws but it was you that failed them and will have to live with that. no one else will really care. get a hammer, get errrr done!
who is writing this crap?
In a gray T-shirt and pink-striped pajama pants, she crawled shoeless out into the rain and muck.
what a bunch of b.s. i`ve seen junior high kids do better at writing
The writing isn't even particularly bad, it's just that their details are completely irrelevant to the story. It's prose, not reporting. It's like the author never took a journalism or style class.
Well yes she did next time a tornado hits your house while your sleeping I want to see what clothes you're wearing.
I live in Missouri, where our farm was hit by 2 tornado's and we lost one of our out buildings and our aviary for our Rosella Parrots, they in our garage and are safe. We lost lots of fence line and several trees. We also had damage to our home. We are bracing for another round of storms on Friday. God bless those who lost their lives and may those who lost everything have their homes and lives brought back to normal soon.
First off, my deepest sympathy with those who struggle with these mother nature events.
For the first time yesterday evening at about 5pm I feared what I never feared before. The wind. It was thrashing at my home. I could feel the pressure. I was on the 2nd floor and my first thought was to grab my 2 kids and head for the basement. The wind grew less and so did my worries. But I felt like a tornado wanted to rip through my SW of Chicago suburban area. I felt powerless but at the same time ready to take action.
I live in Joplin and we still have our home after the tornado. But we also don't live in a cookie cutter home, we have a 100+yr old home in the oldest part of town and we have a basement. I wouldn't live in a house without one. Most homes in our neighborhood has basements but the cost is crazy to build a house with a basement, I think that is why more than half of our town doesn't have them. Where the path of our tornado hit was mainly in homes either newer construction or atleast 30-50yr old homes. Now all the rebuilding of homes and they have been installing the storm shelters. I think it just takes a moment for people to realize how important some type of shelter might be. When you experience something this big...you'll never want to be unprotected again.
My prayers also go out to those who suffered unless you have been somewhere a tornado or windshear came through you will never know just how fast it travels and how little warning you actually have. Not even the east coast is exempt from these storms. They just happen oftener between the mountain ranges. I can remember feeling the walls of a house I lived in moving in straight line winds much less a tornado.
The pictures look like Detroit, without a tornado.
I am from Detroit..... BJ Bia we from the Motor City hope the tornado gets ya next time, as if it doesn't come on up to the Metropolitan D-town area & we'll take care of you & your deplorable remarks in person about a city trying to come back to life. Wishing you all the best in 2012.
AGM, Ph.D.
I found the perfect shelter for tornadoes. I don't live in a place that has tornadoes. If you have determined to take the risk living in an area that is subject to tornadoes every year then live with it. Pay the insurance so that when the next one destroys your home you have the money to build another house for the next tornado to destroy. Tornadoes are not something that only comes every few hundred or few thousand years. They come every year
When an ef5 will lift concrete off the highway, it's hard to imagine building anything that would be totally safe. However, I sure wish we had a basement. I guess our safest place in our home is a closet under the stairway in our front room. Mother nature sure can be hostile.
... And this is why I will never move to the midwest. So sad. Tornado's are awful.
when Katrina hit New Orleans, there were a lot of posts about "Why should we keep rebuilding that place, it lies under sea level, etc." Well wheer are all the comments about why should we keep rebuilding htese towns in the tornado belt - the areas are going to keep getting hit again and again. Maybe because the residents in New Orleans were mostly non-white and the people here are white?
Nope, it's because people in the Midwest will take responsibility to rebuild themselves. In New Orleans they will cry until someone else rebuilds for them.
Also, because as it is time said earlier, the chances of your town or home being hit by a tornado on any given year are quite low. Every hurricane that approaches the united states has only a limited area where it can make landfall and do its damage. I live in the midwest and I understand the risks of a tornado. People who live in California understand the risks of an earthquake. People who live in Florida understand the risks of a hurricane. People who live in Michigan understand the risks of lake effect snow. If six foot of snow fell on New Orleans unexpectedly and they needed help, we would understand. It's sad when these things happen but most of us know what to expect and we take appropriate actions. Most of us.
Incredibly stupid.
Steve, are you drunk or just an idiot?
Who cares about race or where you live in the US!! We are all American's and should help each other out when we can. Natural disaters can happen anywhere.. some are just more extreme than others.
I live in the Midwest and had to have a basement. I got caught ONCE in a mobile home during a severe thunderstorm, and it was the scariest experience ever! Omaha has been hit twice by EF-4 or EF-5 tornadoes (1913, 1976), and then there was the sneaky EF-2 that hit Chalco and Millard around 2:00 AM a few years ago! The eastern two spans of the original Union Pacific bridge over the Missouri River were knocked down by a nocturnal tornado (1880s I believe). If not for the work of an alert bridge guard, who was injured by the storm, an eastbound train may have ended up in the drink!
First and foremost my deepest condolences for all the people and their loss. I read these post and it is a shame that now days every thing has do do with if your a certain race or what religion you are or were you stand on politics, ate you a liberal or conservative. Last I knew we were all Americans, maybe we should start acting like it.
Read Zechariah 12:3. It has a lot to do with why America is getting hammered by God. It's the price you pay for all that you've done...and what you're about to do.