Living with tornadoes in Central Oklahoma

[bchris02]

This X 1000.

I was down in Orlando for vacation a few years ago, and afternoon summer thunderstorms are as common there as teenage acne. They usually pop up, dump a pile of rain and thunder, then move on. However, one day while we were there, one storm moved over Orlando and headed toward Cape Kennedy, and apparently a little impulse in the Gulf gave this particular storm quite a boost such that it started rotating, and it dropped a tornado along the beach near there. Local weather there did not go wall-to-wall; there was no on-the-ground tracking; one station cut into local TV with a general radar location of the tornado. Only after the storm had passed into the Atlantic did they find that the tornado, while trivial in size and scope compared to what we just went through up here, did considerable damage in that area (including some to the space center, but I don't recall with certainty).

All that is to say that the intensity of tornado coverage and warning in other parts of the country just isn't like it is here. Florida is geared up for hurricanes with multiple days of notice, not tornadoes that spin up out of storms in just a few minutes.

Good point about Florida. They actually experience more tornadoes than Oklahoma does in numbers. The difference is most of their tornadoes are of the 'weak' variety. They are much easier to live with than the F4/F5 tornadoes we get in Oklahoma.

[OKCTalker]

I'm not changing my tornado preparation/reaction tactics. Although I've lived here my entire life, I have never seen a tornado. I have seen lives lost when people did everything right (taking shelter below ground), and when they did nothing right (drive into the storm unaware of its presence).

I will continue to be weather aware, keep the bug-out bag handy, keep good insurance in place, and if a tornado is minutes away, decide if my best option is to shelter in place, shelter underground at a church a few blocks away, or leave the area by car.

I also accept that each day is a gift, and no-one is guaranteed that they'll get to see it's end.

[venture]

Good point about Florida. They actually experience more tornadoes than Oklahoma does in numbers. The difference is most of their tornadoes are of the 'weak' variety. They are much easier to live with than the F4/F5 tornadoes we get in Oklahoma.

This is a statistic that I really don't care for too much. Florida is only in the lead when you break it down per 10,000 miles. When you do that the list takes on a weird order. Kansas falls into 2nd, then Maryland (?!), Illinois, Mississippi, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Alabama and then Louisiana. However, if we want to look at actual numbers since 1950 the order is Texas (8117), Kansas (3831), Oklahoma (3472), and then Florida (3139). Those are through 2012.

The OKC metro area specifically has had 554 tornadoes from 1950-2012. During that entire stretch we've lost 83 lives and injuries amounting to 583 people. During that time frame we have had 5 F5/EF5 and 14 F4/EF4 tornadoes. So when you look at the grand scheme of things, we see a lot of tornadoes but only a handful are significant/violent and we have done a pretty good job at keeping people safe.

The stats are available here (with a map): http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/custom/2756941

The big thing here I want to point out. Out of every tornado we've had through the end of last year, all 554, only 19 caused fatal injuries. The odds are definitely well in your favor as long as you take the proper precautions and don't do anything risky.

[Bunty]

I'm not changing my tornado preparation/reaction tactics. Although I've lived here my entire life, I have never seen a tornado. I have seen lives lost when people did everything right (taking shelter below ground), and when they did nothing right (drive into the storm unaware of its presence).

What happened to the lives underground in a shelter? Did they get sucked out, or heavy debris caved the shelter in?

I've been through a tornado while a passenger in a car while fleeing for shelter. I heard the dreaded roar along with a pounding noise upon the car suddenly come up. At the same time, noticed a roof on a business start peeling off and sucked straight up. But got rudely interrupted from the sight seeing from the winds loudly blasting out the driver's window. Second nature told be to instantly get my head down. I felt the car wobble, but it stayed grounded and everyone was okay. Not so okay with the car. The side of it that faced the tornado looked like it got sandblasted, besides that window blown out. At least one pickup got turned on its side. Lesson learned: It's probably too late to flee in a car from a tornado for shelter after spotting debris high in the air.

[oki]

Far more people die from far more common random violent acts ranging from car accidents to mother nature.

Heat and drought kill more people than tornadoes. Harsh summers, winters and flooding rank higher than tornadoes too. Lightening kills almost as many people as tornadoes.

Earthquakes actually kill very few people.

I think its more psychological than anything else. If it wasn't for the over the top news coverage, it probably wouldn't rank so high in your fear factor.

Pay attention to the weather, have a shelter and/or a plan to flee the immediate area and carry insurance.

Yes. It's unlikely that one's house will get by a tornado. The odds of a direct hit of an EF5 torando to your house are negligible... one in over a million. Could you get damage? Of course. 99.9% of the time, you'll survive, as will your house. Get house and content insurance. Don't drive around in storms. Take cover and take warnings seriously.

Cars, stairs, bathtubs, house fires, and similar accidents are more common.

No matter where you live, there are risks. Floods, mudslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, lightning, break-ins, wildfires, wreckless drivers, and more. The midwest has plenty of warnings, but thankfully we usually survive tornado warnings.

[zookeeper]

Yes. It's unlikely that one's house will get by a tornado. The odds of a direct hit of an EF5 torando to your house are negligible... one in over a million. Could you get damage? Of course. 99.9% of the time, you'll survive, as will your house. Get house and content insurance. Don't drive around in storms. Take cover and take warnings seriously.

Cars, stairs, bathtubs, house fires, and similar accidents are more common.

No matter where you live, there are risks. Floods, mudslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, lightning, break-ins, wildfires, wreckless drivers, and more. The midwest has plenty of warnings, but thankfully we usually survive tornado warnings.

Another point is that they have been taking this "You have to be below ground to survive," even though the evidence doesn't show this at all. Thousands of people survived the May 3rd and May 20th tornadoes and they weren't all underground. In fact, few of them were. So, to continue to say this only encourages people to get in their cars and find an underground shelter, rather than take the precautions at home that saved thousands in two EF5 tornadoes (May 3, 1999/May 20, 2013.)

[TeriOKC]

Like so many on this thread, I have lived here my whole life. I think my previous history of panic attacks started as a small child when we ran to the cellar every time a storm threatened. Mind you, those were the days (early-mid 1960s) before fancy radar that pinpoints tornadoes down to the precise point of touch down. We had no idea what was in the storms. My mother was frightened to death of storms, and I think I "fed" off of her fear. As an adult, I have the utmost respect for storms and do not treat their threat in a cavalier manner. However, I am not fearful. We have a basement and take precautions. Last night, I made sure that precious family photos, etc. were safe. We stayed above ground with our eyes fixed on the television, and were ready to sprint down the stairs at a moment's notice.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this is all I have ever known and it is normal for me. I have no desire to live anywhere else. Oklahoma's positives far outweigh the negatives.

[shriekingviolet]

Another point is that they have been taking this "You have to be below ground to survive," even though the evidence doesn't show this at all. Thousands of people survived the May 3rd and May 20th tornadoes and they weren't all underground. In fact, few of them were. So, to continue to say this only encourages people to get in their cars and find an underground shelter, rather than take the precautions at home that saved thousands in two EF5 tornadoes

This is a good point. It drives me crazy when anyone drives more than a mile or so to seek alternate shelter, unless they know they're significantly ahead of the storm and know exactly where they're going. And even then it can be risky since you could be driving into the path of the storm, as many people from the west side of the metro did last night.

By all means I think people should know ahead of time where in their immediate area there are storm shelters or basements they can go to if a big storm is expected to hit. But regardless of whether or not there is such a place near you, develop the best shelter in place strategy that you can. If you plan ahead and know what you're doing, it should even get you through an EF5.

[Easy180]

Raise your hand if you had at least one relative respond with "Why what's up?"' when you called to tell them to duck last night

[Mel]

Until my "road trip" last night I had know idea how many storm chasers/video makers are out in this kind of weather. Some even had tourists with them.

[JayhawkTransplant]

Every spring, I am more terrified about the prospect of my homeowners insurance skyrocketing again than I am about tornadoes.

[Questor]

Until my "road trip" last night I had know idea how many storm chasers/video makers are out in this kind of weather. Some even had tourists with them.

Yep. Most of them blatantly violate just about every traffic regulation in the book during their outings too.

[Mel]

Yep. Most of them blatantly violate just about every traffic regulation in the book during their outings too.

Yes, they were mostly rude on the road. Passing unsafely and driving down the side of the road. All part of the excitement I guess.

[MadMonk]

I moved here when I was 12 from the east coast. I saw my first "live" tornado within a year. It didn't directly affect us, but just seeing it in person was very nerve-wracking (and awe-inspiring). While my sister, mom, and I were very scared, my dad knew what was happening and that there was no danger to us at the time and turned it into an educational opportunity. He explained to us where it was going (away from us), and how and why they form. That helped me a lot - realizing that severe weather like this deserves a healthy dose of respect, but not an inordinate amount of fear if you kept your head about you and knew what to do.

I think I handle tornado season the same as many others here have already stated - being prepared, being knowledgeable about how tornadoes work and having good situational awareness. In most cases, we all have plenty of warning ahead of time and can take steps to be prepared. We all joke about how our weather-people are so "excitable", and there is a lot of that, but they do a phenomenal job and are invaluable during this time of year. I've been in other areas of the country during stormy weather and the differences in the detail of coverage is stunning. I can also say that having a storm shelter makes a huge difference in my peace of mind. They are money well spent for that reason alone. I have a "bug-out" bag I prepare every spring with things that are most important to me to take into the shelter - portable safe with important papers, external hard drive with backups of important data, a few small, irreplaceable items, etc. All this planning and preparedness and the attitude that "things" aren't really important and can be replaced, goes a long way toward making tornado season much more tolerable for me.

That said, I've never had my house's foundation scrubbed clean by a tornado, so I'm not sure how I would feel after something like that happens. Even if you are in a safe place during the event, the aftermath has to be very traumatizing.

[ou48A]

They can be very traumatizing events on individual lives and to the economy. We can prevent some of both by building smarter. In the long run smarter construction easily pays for its self even if it’s only though lower insurance rates.

I don’t believe the image of not doing all we can do to protect our self’s has anything but a negative impact on our states efforts to recruit new talent and new business to Oklahoma.

[LocoAko]

Yep. Most of them blatantly violate just about every traffic regulation in the book during their outings too.

As a chaser, I take issue with this. I've never broken a traffic law (that I am aware of) and I know others who are the same. There are certain high profile ones that do this and give everyone a bad name, and I think more public shaming from others in the chasing community is desirable (nothing like a good public shaming!). There are plenty of research scientists who are chasers and hobbyists who aren't rude idiots on the road.

[venture]

As a chaser, I take issue with this. I've never broken a traffic law (that I am aware of) and I know others who are the same. There are certain high profile ones that do this and give everyone a bad name, and I think more public shaming from others in the chasing community is desirable (nothing like a good public shaming!). There are plenty of research scientists who are chasers and hobbyists who aren't rude idiots on the road.

Agree. When I was activity chasing, I made one mistake that I still remember. That was pulling out in front of someone on a highway in western OK when they were doing 65 mph. Stupid move I didn't look behind me well enough and luckily it wasn't worse. I would probably be labeled one of the boneheads back then.

We shouldn't lump everyone into the same group as those shouting and hooting on videos. If I was Brandon Sullivan, I think that's his name, for instance. I wouldn't be worried about uploading my video onto YouTube with in an hour of being hit by a tornado, not to mention lining up interviews on major news networks and TWC. Pure example of someone who is out for the fame and money, not for the science or warning of the public. It is amazing how quiet it was listening to the OKC repeater. 5-10 years ago that frequency would have been packed with storm reports coming in from spotters and chasers. All things must change I guess.

[mkjeeves]

Ditto on what a lot have said. Born here. Lived here a long time. Been in a building hit my one. Seen several. Have cleaned up damage behind them.

Friday was the first time I've ever run from one. It missed the house by a couple of miles. I hate to say never but I think I will never try to do that again.

I don't have a shelter other than the center of my house but I'm getting in line for one Monday.

[boscorama]

During the May 19 storm in the Shawnee area, a certain chaser for one of the local stations was driving through red lights and passing over double yellow lines. Didn't even slow down or anything, just drove like a maniac. At the time I thought it was odd that nobody called her on it. Nobody said, "hey, stop endangering innocent people, you fool!"

I used to go out looking for tornadoes long ago. Nowadays I watch everything from the safety and comfort of my living room. Remember when we used to have to wait for Nat Geo specials and such, to see twister footage?

[RadicalModerate]

^^^ (post 467) (et. al. re: "talking about the weather but . . .")

They need to ban the showing of the first twenty minutes of "The Wizard of Oz" asap.
Although correlation is not causation, the continued availability of this violent and surrealistic filmscape to the viewing public is probably more hazardous than ignoring warnings on cans of salted nuts . . . not to mention what happens when you mix them into cola drinks.

[SOONER8693]

Lost our house in the May 3, 99 tornado. Lived on SW 128th, Eastlake addition, directly south of Westmoore High School. Took a direct hit. We had a bonus room upstairs in the attic, so there was a stairway up to it. Underneath the stairway was a small heavily braced closset. Wife, 7 year old daughter, new puppy, and myself rode it out in that closset. Rest of the house was gone, us and that closset remained standing and untouched.

[LocoAko]

Agree. When I was activity chasing, I made one mistake that I still remember. That was pulling out in front of someone on a highway in western OK when they were doing 65 mph. Stupid move I didn't look behind me well enough and luckily it wasn't worse. I would probably be labeled one of the boneheads back then.

We shouldn't lump everyone into the same group as those shouting and hooting on videos. If I was Brandon Sullivan, I think that's his name, for instance. I wouldn't be worried about uploading my video onto YouTube with in an hour of being hit by a tornado, not to mention lining up interviews on major news networks and TWC. Pure example of someone who is out for the fame and money, not for the science or warning of the public. It is amazing how quiet it was listening to the OKC repeater. 5-10 years ago that frequency would have been packed with storm reports coming in from spotters and chasers. All things must change I guess.

Stumbled across this blog post I really like on the subject - Storm Chasing: Faced with Tragedy, Will Chase On | Wilder Weather (sorry if this drags the thread too far off-topic).

[venture]

Thanks for sharing that Loco. Barb hit it right on the nose on pretty much how I feel. I was also, and still am if I go out, the low key chaser that keeps to themselves and avoid attention at all cost. No lights, no signs, no 83 cameras. I grumble every time I see someone with a "Skywarn" sticker on their car thinking - "I wonder if they have every actually submitted a storm report through the spotter channels?"

Hopefully this will be the "come to Jesus" moment many out there need. Unfortunately I doubt much will change.

[Bill Robertson]

OK. It finally happened. My wife informed me that we WILL have a storm shelter before next spring.

[adaniel]

I would kill to be in the storm shelter business, right now.