Tornado Alley Members

[stewtel]

Just been watching the news here in OZ, and it looks you guys are copping a battering,and its just the start of the season, thought I would post here to reach the most members, thoes things are unbelievable you guys get hit so hard.Thinking of you all at this time, keep your heads down.
Cheers.

[Adam S]

Being from the UK, I find the thought of my family not being safe in our own home terrifying! You must be tough people to live with that every year. Respect.

[RedTele58]

We're either tough, or too stupid to leave. Not sure which...

[Elias Graves]

Rough weekend. Very little sleep.
Most of those storms die out when the sun goes down; I hate the ones that keep going all night. All you can do is stay up and watch.

Five people killed here in Oklahoma Sunday morning about 12:30 am.

[ASC67]

We were lucky in Minnesota , just two reported touchdowns.

Scary !

[Elias Graves]

Originally Posted by ASC67

We were lucky in Minnesota , just two reported touchdowns.

Scary !

One is all it takes to mess up your whole day!

[czook]

It is generally a seasonal thing and the odds of actually being in the direct path are slim. Media makes every storm an event, and of course names them to make it more entertaining and we don't get it mixed up with the last one they created.

Most midwesterners in fact have never seen a real tornado. The advent of phone cameras and groups of folks chasing where ever the data shows the possiblility and has sensationalized the whole thing. We don't get tropical storms, hurricanes, and rarely earthquakes. A tsunami would have to be a few miles high to get to us, and the last plague of locusts were eliminated long ago.

Beats the crap out of living next to a volcano or anywhere near the ring of fire... ;)

You can choose to worry, the advertisers and tv stations love to whip up a frenzy, or you can simply go to your nearest shelter if all hell breaks loose, which is very very rare.

[boris bubbanov]

While there is some thought now that tornadoes are like atmospheric flash floods, and patterns do exist, the larger picture is the area involved is so massive, and there's no safe "edge" to it that your can retreat to.

So, when a community closest to my place (The Cabin) gets hammered by a tornado (all I got was a lot of hail damage) all the way over in far western North Carolina, you remind yourself you can start running from these events but it is next to impossible to get wholly away from them in 70% of the United States. What are we to do, depopulate those whole areas?

Google "Murphy North Carolina You Tube" and see what I mean.

[dannyh]

Lived in Texas all my 45 years and never have seen one with my own eyes. You never know when one will form, though, especially in the spring. Technology has come along way as far as warning and awareness are concerned, but there's not much you can do about a bad one. The most recent ones in the area picked up several 18 wheelers and tossed them around like pieces of paper in a windstorm. Other than an underground shelter, there's not a lot if defense against a storm like that.

[Colt W. Knight]

I have been through a few tornados, they are wicked and beautiful at the same time. Its amazing to watch the full force of nature, but disheartening to see the wake of the disaster.

Here in San Angelo, we missed one last weekend. It shifted before it made it to town. But we have been/are experiencing some odd weather. Thoughts and prayers to those of you in the path.

[Joe Baggadonitz]

I have lots 'o' family in Canadian Co. OK. -hope everyone's safe.

[ValliereSB]

Here in Payne County it wasn't too bad. Sirens went off, and every went to their fraidy-holes, but no damage was done.

thanks for thinking of us.

[Topbanana]

Another reason I LOVE KANSAS!!!!

[Spikerama]

Thanks for thinking of us. There was a small one in my county (Cherokee County, OK)with no injuries.

[telemasher]

Tornados are kinda like rattlesnakes. As long as you can see them you'll be alright. Its the ones you can't see that will get you!! The ones at night are the worst.

[yark14]

I was on pins and needles all weekend. My family and friends are in Southern Iowa. Most of the tornadoes were an hour or two West, so everybody turned out ok. Very hard to see the videos/pictures, though.

[getbent]

Originally Posted by RedTele58

We're either tough, or too stupid to leave. Not sure which...

why go either/or?

I vote for both... (says the guy who lives in view of a major earthquake fault)

[Larry F]

One touched down a few blocks from here a few years ago. Foolishly, I refused to believe it was really happening, as I could only see the top. It looked to me like clouds were sure moving around fast. Duh. And I heard the sound of a freight train. Supposedly, that's what tornadoes sound like. Well, for me, we really do have a train that sounds exactly like that, so I was not sure.

A couple of years after that, we had a huge flood that wiped out the music building where I teach, along with other campus buildings.

Next up, locusts or plague.

[yark14]

Originally Posted by Larry F

A couple of years after that, we had a huge flood that wiped out the music building where I teach, along with other campus buildings.

I'll never forget seeing the damage in Cedar Rapids from that flood.

[popthree]

i've always found tornado's sort of fascinating... and watching the storms roll in is pretty awesome. i'd rather deal with tornado's than hurricanes or earthquakes... i was in the SF quake of 89.. 5:04 PM baby.. never been in a hurricane.. hope i never am.