Living with tornadoes in Central Oklahoma

[bchris02]

Amazing that the OKC area was hit by two F5 tornadoes in one year. I thought those things were supposed to be rare.

If I end up staying in OKC, my only option will be to live in a house with a storm shelter.

[ljbab728]

Amazing that the OKC area was hit by two F5 tornadoes in one year. I thought those things were supposed to be rare.

If I end up staying in OKC, my only option will be to live in a house with a storm shelter.

That's certainly not a bad decision even if we never have another EF5 tornado here. It doesn't take an EF5 to kill or injure people.

[venture]

Amazing that the OKC area was hit by two F5 tornadoes in one year. I thought those things were supposed to be rare.

If I end up staying in OKC, my only option will be to live in a house with a storm shelter.

You are going to see a TON...a TON...of debate on the rating of the El Reno tornado. The EF scale is primarily a DAMAGE scale used to estimate the wind speeds that would have caused that damage. What was done here isn't unique, its happened a couple times before, but there are simply no resources that can be used to cover every area that is tornado prone with radars that will be able to capture speeds near the surface. It probably isn't much of a stretch to go out and say that there are probably a significantly higher number of tornadoes that would fall into the F5 or now EF5 category than is documented. If OU didn't have their mobile radar unit near by...El Reno would have been an EF3 maybe low end EF4 when all said and done. The upgrade to EF5 was based PURELY on the radar data from the mobile unit.

If we had the funding and capabilities to deploy high resolution radars every 25 miles to capture the near surface winds of a tornado, I feel you would see a complete revisit to the EF-Scale yet again to adjust the winds in relation to damage experienced.

[zookeeper]

Amazing that the OKC area was hit by two F5 tornadoes in one year. I thought those things were supposed to be rare.

If I end up staying in OKC, my only option will be to live in a house with a storm shelter.

You have been really freaked out with these storms and I understand, but only to an extent. At some point you have to accept the world for the risk that comes with living on this planet. Do you have rubber mats on your shower floor? Slipping and falling in showers kill far more people than you could imagine. Do you make sure you keep fairly new tires on your car and rotate them often? Do you scout a bank before you go in to make sure nothing looks suspicious? After all, you could end up in the middle of a violent armed robbery. Stray bullets, visiting the wrong parts of Chicago or Baltimore or any major city, MRSA staph infections, exotic viral disease, and that's not even getting around to our own bodies that could have an aneurysm ready to burst at any moment. You sound like a person with a great amount of existential anxiety. Good luck with that as that's much deeper than just tornadoes. I mean that seriously, btw. Good luck to you, bchris!

[JayhawkTransplant]

He is proposing to be proactive and attempt to mitigate that risk. Why chastise him for that?

BChris02, go ahead and get yourself a house with a basement or a storm shelter of some sorts. You won't regret it. It's not terribly hard to find a house with a basement in this city--about 20% of the houses in my neighborhood have them.

[zookeeper]

He is proposing to be proactive and attempt to mitigate that risk. Why chastise him for that?

BChris02, go ahead and get yourself a house with a basement or a storm shelter of some sorts. You won't regret it. It's not terribly hard to find a house with a basement in this city--about 20% of the houses in my neighborhood have them.

I didn't mean it that way at all. If it was just this post in isolation nobody would think twice. But bchris has been traumatized recently that seems to go a bit beyond normal levels of anxiety. If I'm out of line, I apologize, I was really just trying to bring some perspective to things.

[CCOKC]

I was in a house with a basement on Friday night that ended up with 6 inches of water in it. Needless to say the 9 other people I was with and I did not finish our night in the flooded basement.

[venture]

I was in a house with a basement on Friday night that ended up with 6 inches of water in it. Needless to say the 9 other people I was with and I did not finish our night in the flooded basement.

Consider me uninformed. Do basements here have sump pumps are a standard feature? I'm sure it depends on the age of the basement...but curious. Granted they can't keep up if water is rushing in.

[JayhawkTransplant]

It just depends on when the basement was constructed. Mine does not have one. And mine did not flood Friday.

My neighbor has a sump pump, and her basement DID flood Friday (for the first time in the 10 years that she has owned the house). However, sump pumps tend to be ineffective when the electricity is off, unless they are on a backup generator.

[OKCisOK4me]

I didn't mean it that way at all. If it was just this post in isolation nobody would think twice. But bchris has been traumatized recently that seems to go a bit beyond normal levels of anxiety. If I'm out of line, I apologize, I was really just trying to bring some perspective to things.

If I had typed that, I would have meant that. Dude's going on my ignore list with his crybaby attitude towards funnels.

[RadicalModerate]

Consider me uninformed. Do basements here have sump pumps are a standard feature? I'm sure it depends on the age of the basement...but curious. Granted they can't keep up if water is rushing in.

And that is one of the many cruxes and sub-cruxes of the matter . . . Especially when the power shuts off.
Imagine going into a built-in, retrofit, storm "cellar" maybe out there in the garage and having the house collapse on top of the door to the subterranian "safe room" right before the flash floods start, the local storm drainage systems are overwhelmed and . . .

No Problem: Always keep a well-charged set of "aqualungs" or "rebreathers" equal to the stated capacity of the "safe room" in the safe room. Next to the dead battery storage devices.

That, or have a set of those personal survival pods ("like a helmet for your entire body . . . tested at Niagra Falls and in SciFi films" mentioned above) at the ready.

(apologies to Jayhawk for crosssing posts detail-wise . . . except, of course, for when the tornado took the house it didn't leave the backup generator unscathed . . . not counting the one that was found three counties away still running as if nothing had happened.)

In the real world, the other night, my wife said: "What are we going to do? Pull the couch over us?" (this, during and after a flurry of phone calls to and from visitors from UpNord trapped at the La Quinta on Memorial regarding our dinner invitation at the house and driving locations and their unfamiliarity regarding the Apocalypic Weather Broadcasts interfering with our plans including flooding concerns) "No," i replied (after "huh? say wha?"), "We'll get into that closet like the last time a tornado came close." "But we can't . . . The closet is full." "It won't be for long . . . until we get into it. In the meantime, let's keep hoping and praying it misses us . . . again." (and the sirens in the background continued their pointless banshee wail . . . but not for us. not this time.)

One more reason to be thankful (sorry if that sounds selfish).

[JayhawkTransplant]

And that is one of the many cruxes and sub-cruxes of the matter . . . Especially when the power shuts off.
Imagine going into a built in storm "cellar" maybe out there in the garage and having the house collapse on top of the door to the "safe room" right before the flash floods start, the local storm drainage systems are overwhelmed and . . .

That's one of my biggest (irrational) fears, and why I probably wouldn't ever depend on a house with a 'storm cellar.' I do think about what would happen if my entire house caved in on me in the basement, though...

There is no perfect system. And, like many have mentioned, the odds that one of us will directly experience the impact of an EF-5 are slim to none. However, if having some sort of a shelter available makes people like bchris02 sleep better at night, then it's well worth it for him/her to spend the money to get one.

[ljbab728]

I do think about what would happen if my entire house caved in on me in the basement, though...

The last house I lived in with a basement had a concrete ceiling in the basement. Problem solved.

[ou48A]

That's one of my biggest (irrational) fears, and why I probably wouldn't ever depend on a house with a 'storm cellar.' I do think about what would happen if my entire house caved in on me in the basement, though...

There is no perfect system. And, like many have mentioned, the odds that one of us will directly experience the impact of an EF-5 are slim to none. However, if having some sort of a shelter available makes people like bchris02 sleep better at night, then it's well worth it for him/her to spend the money to get one.

I agree with you that if it helps him sleep better that storm shelter is well worth the cost.

You might look into buying or building a very sturdy table to hide under during a tornado. I know of several cases where people were killed when the floor above the basement blew off or caved in.
I have also known several people who would keep saws, hatchets, sledge hammers, large pry bars, and car jacks in their storm shelter. But I believe that most communities have a program where you can register your shelter so they can come check it after the tornado.

[RadicalModerate]

That's one of my biggest (irrational) fears, and why I probably wouldn't ever depend on a house with a 'storm cellar.' I do think about what would happen if my entire house caved in on me in the basement, though...

There is no perfect system.

I would substitute "rational concerns" for "irrational fears" . . . (but that's just me)
Still . . . if "The Smart People" who actually factor in all this sort of input and who are inventive and actually capable of providing real and effective solutions to the real and perceived problems involved in "Tornado Survival" issues . . . (nah . . . that ain't gonna happen . . . =)

[RadicalModerate]

The last house I lived in with a basement had a concrete ceiling in the basement. Problem solved.

Remember those Collapsed Freeway Section pics from that [last big] California earthquake?
I know that a concrete slab topped basement isn't an overpass/bridge but I also personally saw a 6" thick, 12' x 12' concrete slab moved over about 8" by that dinky tornado that hit out around Crescent/Mulhall back in '99 . . .

[progressiveboy]

This does not do anything good for the image of Oklahoma. See below.




Oklahoma: One of the 8 most dangerous places to live on the planet? | News OK

[Praedura]

File this under 'what the heck?':

This guy lost almost everything in the Moore tornado but discovered his car still ran! So he's driving it!!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...3135190&type=1

Not sure how legal that is... but you gotta admire the spirit!

[venture]

Guess it is a good thing we don't have vehicle inspections anymore.

[Praedura]

Guess it is a good thing we don't have vehicle inspections anymore.

You don't think it would pass?


I'm sure it's not street legal at all. But it's hard to imagine a cop heartless enough to ticket the guy.

[RadicalModerate]

You don't think it would pass?


I'm sure it's not street legal at all. But it's hard to imagine a cop heartless enough to ticket the guy.

i dunno . . . it doesn't look like he's wearing an approved seat belt . . .

[ljbab728]

Remember those Collapsed Freeway Section pics from that [last big] California earthquake?
I know that a concrete slab topped basement isn't an overpass/bridge but I also personally saw a 6" thick, 12' x 12' concrete slab moved over about 8" by that dinky tornado that hit out around Crescent/Mulhall back in '99 . . .

It must not have been done in one pour if it was the top of a basement. If it was just a slab on the ground that was moved, that's a totally different issue than a basement top.

[bluedogok]

The last house I lived in with a basement had a concrete ceiling in the basement. Problem solved.

Ours doesn't (the one we bought or the rental) and I would imagine that the majority up here are all wood frame but then we aren't really dealing with the same concern for tornadoes.

Remember those Collapsed Freeway Section pics from that [last big] California earthquake?
I know that a concrete slab topped basement isn't an overpass/bridge but I also personally saw a 6" thick, 12' x 12' concrete slab moved over about 8" by that dinky tornado that hit out around Crescent/Mulhall back in '99 . . .

The concrete caps we did at the Catholic Youth Camp near Luther (in response to the Muhall tornado) was tied to the CMU walls with a bunch of rebar, that one sounds like it wasn't tied properly to the structure.

[BBatesokc]

Any word on any storm shelter rebates for our area?

[kevinpate]

KOCO ran a story in April that the state program had exhausted its funds. Do not know if the events of May prompted new funding.
Funds run out for local safe room rebate programs - Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com