Wow. I saw this earlier today on the Weather Channel and on CNN. Nuts.

I hope everyone here has been safe. There were a couple people over on the Miata forum that had the houses across the street destroyed by a tornado.

I've always wondered....if you are out in the middle of nowhere, and there aren't any buildings in which to take cover, do you get out of your car and head for the ditch next to the road??!!! Man, I think I'd have to really really talk myself into getting out of my car to go lie in a ditch in the middle of a tornado. I pray I'll never have to make that choice. I just can't imagine leaving something that appears as sturdy as a car to just go lie in the open. Scary scary.

Originally posted by Jerome81
I've always wondered....if you are out in the middle of nowhere, and there aren't any buildings in which to take cover, do you get out of your car and head for the ditch next to the road??!!! Yes. Try to find a culvert if you can instead of an open ditch, but don't stay in the car. Don't worry about getting dirty, because if the tornado is coming overhead, you're going to get dirty anyway. I just can't imagine leaving something that appears as sturdy as a car to just go lie in the open. Then remind yourself that semis and mobile homes get tossed around like socks in a dryer by tornados.

---jps

Hey, does anyone know, when your'e at home (one story), indoors with no basement or storm shelter - what do you do?

The reason is, we've been living here in Texas for the last 5 years and truly don't know (I think I remember hearing find an inside room or closet with no windows and cover yourselves mattress and wait and pray).

But, hey ask me any questions about what to do during an earthquake (lived in the L.A. area for almost 20 years) and I should have an answer.

Originally posted by bwayout

But, hey ask me any questions about what to do during an earthquake (lived in the L.A. area for almost 20 years) and I should have an answer.

ok i'll bite. what do you do during an earthquake? cause i pretty much just open my eyes and stare at the ceiling and if it goes on for more than 20-30 seconds i'll get up and stand in the doorway otherwise i just go back to sleep =p

Originally posted by lefuton


ok i'll bite. what do you do during an earthquake? cause i pretty much just open my eyes and stare at the ceiling and if it goes on for more than 20-30 seconds i'll get up and stand in the doorway otherwise i just go back to sleep =p

Yeah, Nate, you stand in the doorway --- you got that right.

:eek:

But I guess you haven't been in a major one where you get thrown out of bed and the floor is shaking so bad that you have to crawl in the dark, because the power is gone out --- making your way to the doorway on you hands and knees, trying to keep your balance but not having much luck and getting hit by those loose objects that aren't nailed down ... and this is all happening within about the first 25 or so seconds ... going on for maybe an other 35 seconds ... or more, but it seems like years ... I also know of some people living in the Canoga Park area who were living in their apartment, sleeping in bed, when suddenly they were nolonger on the second floor above their parked car but now on top of the car, with no wall by the head of their bed ...

:D

Happend to me and my wife during the Northridge quake of 94 (and we also experienced the eailer Whitter quake which actually seemed to us more violent, thanks to the fault lines under the Downtown area. We both worked at that time in the Valley and boy-oh-boy were our offices a worse mess.

:p


We had some damage to my condo's bathroom tub and got a check from FEMA to repair it. After that she made me move from Downtown L.A. to Laguna Niguel (less earthquake activity there ... and than finally out of the State (I still miss it) ...

:(

Sorry, no joke, I'm still spooked here in Texas when ever I feel the floor shake at my office when some one heavy walks by or if a loud bang happens from someone droping something heavy ...

:cool:

There in Texas, the good thing according to my wife is that you get a warning with a tornado. The bad thing is you get a tornado.

So I'm listening for any safety tips on dealing with tornados

hmm...that northridge quake was the only one thus far to get me out of bed. that one was like at 5-6am or so wasn't it? at the time i lived ~7 miles away from northridge but our cabinets didn't spit out any dishes or anything, but it did throw me out of bed.

that was pretty convincing to get me into the doorway.

i've lived here all my life, 26 years now and that northridge quake was wild, i don't remember the whittier one too well as that's a good 40 miles away or so and probably was still rather young when that happened.

maybe it's cause of that big hill between me and northridge that it wasn't so bad where i was *shrug*

If there's a tornado coming and you're in your home, you head to an interior room or a bathroom (the pipes in the walls are supposed to make it a stronger room), get down and do the duck and cover thing. I wouldn't mess with mattresses - tornados can be pretty damn quick. And of course you probably don't want to be standing up and have a shingle cut you in two. Likely as not, tornado damage won't get you unless you do something stupid ("Hey Ma! Come to da window - there's a twister eatin' up Tammy's trailer!"), so stay away from windows, the garage, and doors. And running from one in a car is a great way to die too - not to mention ruin your RX-8 ;)

And if it's an F5, you're screwed. Put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye. :eek:

Originally posted by lefuton
hmm...that northridge quake was the only one thus far to get me out of bed. that one was like at 5-6am or so wasn't it? at the time i lived ~7 miles away from northridge but our cabinets didn't spit out any dishes or anything, but it did throw me out of bed.
...

It was something wasn't it.

I use to walk around where I worked and would see the damage, 2 houses in a row were nothing but total rubble but the house next door was untouched ... but next to them you could see some damage to another 4 homes ... it was like that everywhere ...

Yeah at home, we had those child safety locks on the cabinets, so littlke got broken in there, but all my very heavy art books and paperbacks went flying everywhere, but surprisingly I had a wall of stacked music CD's that barely moved ...

nature works in strange ways.

;)

Originally posted by Boozehound
If there's a tornado coming and you're in your home, you head to an interior room or a bathroom (the pipes in the walls are supposed to make it a stronger room), get down and do the duck and cover thing. ...
And if it's an F5, you're screwed. Put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye. :eek:

:(

Thanks, I'll pass this along to my wife!

:)

Originally posted by Boozehound
If there's a tornado coming and you're in your home, you head to an interior room or a bathroom (the pipes in the walls are supposed to make it a stronger room), get down and do the duck and cover thing... Well, walls that have alot of pipes running through them, as in a bathroom, are built with 2x6s, instead of 2x4s in the rest of the house. So, it's not the pipes that make it stronger, it's the thicker walls.

Also, with pipes in the walls (especially those which are still made from copper piping and cast iron waste/vent pipes), it's a little more protection from flying debris. Remember, even small tornados fling debris so hard that they can put straw through a big tree trunk, like William Tell put arrows through an apple.

Another reason why the bathroom is a place to go is because you are supposed to lay down in the tub. Cast iron tubs (and even the fiberglass ones to an extent) are good protection against that flying debris, and are normally one of the last things to be blown away if part of the house is blown away instead of just being knocked down. And if you have time, drag a mattress over you, to protect you from the building if it is knocked over, which is much more common than being blown away.

---jps

Originally posted by Sputnik
.Remember, even small tornados fling debris so hard that they can put straw through a big tree trunk, like William Tell put arrows through an apple.

Another reason why the bathroom is a place to go is because you are supposed to lay down in the tub. Cast iron tubs (and even the fiberglass ones to an extent) are good protection against that flying debris, and are normally one of the last things to be blown away if part of the house is blown away instead of just being knocked down. And if you have time, drag a mattress over you, to protect you from the building if it is knocked over, which is much more common than being blown away.

---jps

Hey, thanks for all of the straight dope!

I'm going to appear real smart to my wife!

;)

I guess that so far we've been lucky ... that we don't own any dog named Toto ...

The other really smart thing, get a NOAA weather radio. They're great little things. They do nothing but sit on standby until a warning is issued for your county, then they pop on, sound an alarm (to wake you out of bed) and give a description of the warning. You can also program them to only go off in a tornado warning, but not to go off in say, a tornado watch. Could be a real life saver.

Here are two of my favorites:
http://www.reecominc.com/index2.htm
http://www.sharecom.com/products.html

Also, what is the difference between a culvert and a ditch?

Lastly, I hear that running up under a highway overpass is about the WORST thing you can possibly do. Apparently winds are strongest just above ground level of the tornado, and because of the shape of an overpass, winds can actually accelerate underneath the roadway. So, even on that Andover KS vid, where people appear safe, there are many many others who think it is safe and are injured or killed. Get in a ditch or low lying area, NOT a highway overpass.

Here's one of the best things you can do.

Weather Radios (http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F007%5F013%5F002%5F000&Page=1)

A weather radio is a good investment, they aren't too expensive, especially for the peace of mind they bring. But it will scare the crap out of you when it goes off at night. But, that's what it's suppose to do if there is a weather warning or watch. It does go off when there are severe storms. You can set them for the county that your in. So they only alert you when something is getting close. I bought one a few years ago, and wouldn't live in Texas with out it.

I prefer a weather rock. :D When it's wet - it's raining; when its dry and warm to the touch - hot and sunny; when it's gone - tornado.

I prefer a weather rock. When it's wet - it's raining; when its dry and warm to the touch - hot and sunny; when it's gone - tornado.

LOL.

Well everyone else is talking about you should do during an earthquake or a tornado. But what should you do if you're on an island like Bermuda and a tsunami or a huricanne comes your way?

Originally posted by Jerome81
The other really smart thing, get a NOAA weather radio. They're great little things. Not a bad idea. Another idea is that weather.com has something where you can sign up for short, text, email alerts when your area gets a watch/warning, based on your zip code. I had that sent to my digital phone, and it works well because it's short, to the point, void of graphics, and they don't spam. I suggest this because people normally have their cell-phone with them wherever they go. Also, what is the difference between a culvert and a ditch? By "culvert", I mean those big pipes buried under a driveway or road that allows the water from the ditch to flow under the driveway or road. Even if it's not big enough for one to crawl into, being in the "corner" next to it offers a little more protection. Lastly, I hear that running up under a highway overpass is about the WORST thing you can possibly do. Apparently winds are strongest just above ground level of the tornado, and because of the shape of an overpass, winds can actually accelerate underneath the roadway. So, even on that Andover KS vid, where people appear safe, there are many many others who think it is safe and are injured or killed. Get in a ditch or low lying area, NOT a highway overpass. Yeah, you hear a bit of authorities and weather people bemoan the fact that people have put themselves into harms way after that video became so well-known.

Actually, it's basic fluid dynamics. When you have wind move from a wide area into a narrow area (as into the very narrow space under the bridge where those people in the video took cover), wind speed increases dramatically. I mean double-to-triple in some cases. So, if you can't get up in the beams, you are in the worst area that you can be. This is also what causes the "concrete canyon" effect, where winds can be viscous in a downtown area where it's otherwise a gentle breezy day.

---jps