Tornadoes / High Winds

[trainman]

Originally Posted by CPW

First, I would agree that living in a tornado prone state (Florida is in the top 5) is a bigger concern to the uninitiated than to the residents. In the 33 years I have been a resident, I have not personally witnessed a tornado. And I would point out that while I don’t panic if a tornado warning is issued, I do sit up and take notice. That is because a tornado “warning” indicates a tornado has been spotted, whereas a tornado “watch” indicates that conditions are such that tornadoes could form. Trainman did not make this distinction, and it is an important difference. Lastly, I personally do not agree that everyone having a gun makes for a safer environment. Florida was one of the first States to pass a Stand Your Ground law. There is a lot of gun ownership and there are thousands of concealed carry permit holders. However, all it takes is one single nut case and you get a school or nightclub massacre of innocent people. And as big as Texas may be and as spread out as the tornado landscape may be, the Lonestar State, like every other State, has its share of nut cases (and violent crime).

I have to say here I should have not gotten off topic, it just opens up another bag of worms, so as for tornadoes go if traveling in tornado areas just do as many others do an stay informed. If I was traveling with a travel trailer you should be able to plan somewhat ahead and avoid bad weather and travel to a different area for the time needed for conditions to pass if that makes you feel better. All being said I don't see this tornado thing as outsiders do, but when you live in the middle of it, it's home and home is our comfort zone, I might have some concerns where you live to that would make me feel uncomfortable.

trainman

[Tammie]

When I lived on the Gulf coast of Florida, hurricanes were the biggest weather threat, but with days of advance warning, one can almost always evacuate in time to avoid loss of life. I've been in central Alabama for 25 years and tornadoes are a more serious threat here, as they can drop out of the sky with only minutes or no warning, especially in the springtime.
On April 8,1998, 32 people were killed here in my county, in a F5 rated tornado.
On April 27, 2011, 200 people were killed across the southeast, 131 of them in Alabama, 20 of those in my county, so you better believe we pay attention to watches and warnings. These deaths occurred maybe 10 miles from my home, yet my neighborhood only sustained major tree loss and some structural damages.
A tornado watch is issued when conditions are favorable for a tornado to occur. I notice overcast skies and changing warm and cool breezy winds.
A warning is issued when a tornado is sighted, either visually or on Doppler radar. You need to get to the lowest place in a building, away from windows. A friend of mine saved her toddler and herself by clinging to a toilet as her house disintegrated around them. Brick houses can be reduced to a pile of splinters and rubble. Mobile homes and campers are not safe in a tornado. You may have seen the video from Texas of 18 wheelers being tossed hundreds of feet into the air like confetti.
Twice in recent years, we've been travelling on a interstate, heading home into areas we knew were under watches and warnings, thanks to an app on our phones. We then referred to live weather radar maps on my iPad to determine when to get off the road to avoid driving into a storm.
All this to say I'm not spending the spring months hiding in my basement, but just keeping "weather aware" as our local meteorologists urge, by whatever means available.

[monB]

Right-o! Bad weather is one thing, tornado on the ground a WHOLE 'nother!

Mon

[mbbear]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

This thread and others that talk of all the things we need to have or worry about now gives me a chuckle of how people's minds change over the years. Just a guess, but I'd bet 90% of the folks here started camping in tents, LONG before cell phones even came out. 40 years ago when we decided to go camping, all we were concerned about was having enough gas in the tank, some food and drink and not breaking down out in the boonies. Pretty much the same for me still but I carry a cell phone now. It's all good, just reminiscing of the old days of how we all started out.

Dave I’m with you totally, I started out just as you said in a tent and loved every minute of it, but I was in my early twenties. Now I’ll be seventy in a few months and I’m sure happy that I got here, but have a couple of medical conditions that go along with the journey. And last year pulled a dumb trick by working physically hard all day and feeling fantastic but not eating enough. At 12 AM my blood sugar had plummeted and I thought that I was having a heart attack. I’m not afraid of dying, it’s that in between time that concerns me, especially since I will probably be camping alone.