safety in tornado alley

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I'm seeing the pictures in the paper of the devastastion that tornado caused throughout the mid-west on the week-end. It must be horrrible to be in one.
I hope no one here was on the road.The town people were grateful for a 20 min. warning. Our area has only had one bad one in the past 30 years and that was 30 miles away.
What can you do on the road? I guess in the daylight you'd try to out run it. ??
What safety measures can you take? Tooling down the road with the cd player going isn't going to be much help. And you can't pull your rig into a basement or closet.
Is there a weather network you can pick-up on the radio?
Thanks everybody on this one.
Jean

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Hi Jean.

While camping, my wife and I have been brushed by two tornados ... one in Central Kansas and one in Southeastern Colorado.

Here's a picture of the sky just as the tornado dropped down.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3e8080c5e6569Limon Bow Echo 2.JPG/>

We were watching TV and listening to my storm weather radio at the time, so we had plenty of advance warning to seek shelter in the Brick and Concrete bath house. Luckily the tornado was moving away from us.

In Kansas, however, we were in a campground that didn't fair as well during a brush with a tornado.

A number of people were injured when their trailers flipped. I have some pictures I'll dig out. Unfortunately, the campground and surrounding area was littered with downed trees ... so many that ambulances and rescue crews couldn't get into the campground without first clearing downed trees with chainsaws and back-hoes.

That tornado started as a water spout on a lake near where we were camped with little or no warning.

Probably wasn't the smartest thing, but we rode out that storm in our little fiberglass egg, which we had, luckily, kept attached to our tow vehicle.

The little trailer, with us inside, rocked terribly, but never felt like it was going to turn over. Unfortunately, several square-sided stick-built rigs were flipped, injuring their occupants.

We always travel with a little weather-alert radio ... which isn't perfect, but still allows you to scan for local weather information and alerts.

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having set in a brick house with a tornado going right buy, just not down on the ground yet, there is no way I would stay in the trailer. if there is no bathhouse like Charles and Pam had, then find a ditch, and cover your head. Don't think it only happens to other people.

(actually I wasn't sitting, I was pacing, trying to get ready to go to the storm shelter. to late. but I will never be late again.)

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Tornadoes have a way of sneaking up on you. Sounds silly, as much noise as they can make, but it's true. Any camper is NOT the safe place to be, but an egg is more likely to survive a close pass because, a)they're more aerodynamic, B) they have a much lower center of gravity, and c) they are structurally one piece, so they can survive the air pressure drop better. Hey - God had it figured out when he decided what shape eggs would be! But, egg or no egg, seek proper shelter!

My dad retired from William Jewell College in Liberty, MO a couple years ago. He just heard that every building on campus is damaged, from blown out windows, to roofs missing, to walls blown out, etc. They had to cancel final exams and send everyone home. Scary...

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Here is one of the traditional box trailers that was flipped, during that brush with a tornado in Kansas a couple of years ago.

A woman and her daughter were injured inside this rig, but it took a while for rescue personnel to get into the park, due to all the downed trees blocking the entrance.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eb940226a4ceFlipped trailer.JPG/>

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Notice how the rig flattened a picnic table when it flipped.

Paul is right on the money.

Our aerodynamic little molded fiberglass rigs can withstand a much higher blast of wind that the traditional stick-built rigs.

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We were camped fairly near one of the trailers that flipped.

Everyone who had their awnings out, lost them that day.

It came up so fast, that no one had anytime to react.

A lot of boats were tossed around, including this one party barge and its trailer which literally was lifted and tossed by the high winds like a paper cup.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eb9420d3465fFlipped party barge.JPG/>

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The only damage to our rig was the TV antenna, which was corkscrewed completely off the trailer.

We never found the antenna or a cooler that was sitting outside the trailer.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eb942d74cdabBroken Antenna.JPG/>

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Howdy, Aerodynamic or not, a trailer may be the last place I`d want to be during a tornado. We get them in southern Manitoba about once a year and usually with no csualties, but I went to a site that was hit once where it killed 4 people in one farm family and it was amazing. It lifted two 16 ft. wide sections of asphalt off hwy. 59. Also pulled out about a 1/4 mile of barbed wire fence posts along the highway and just laid them down. Try pulling out a wood fence post without a jack sometime. There was a chicken that shortly after the storm was running around the farmer`s yard , bleeding and with no feathers and the nearest chickens were about a mile away through bush. A neighbour farmer was watching some of his cattle flying past his windows at about 8-10 ft. off the ground. There was a lot more stunning things but would take all night to tell. Some people just don`t realize how lucky they are at times and take everything for granted......Benny