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I mean, tornadoes can be more destructive than many other natural disasters, including flooding. It can rip a house apart in seconds, literally turning it from something into absolutely nothing, depending on how strong it is. EF2's might not be too extreme, but EF3-EF5's can devastate an area. As you said in another post, they affect a much narrower path than say a hurricane, but within that path they can do much, much more damage than a hurricane.
Sounds like you've never seen a powerful tornado before.
I'm not trying to downplay hurricanes/flooding, but I just think it's misleading to say that because you personally "haven't seen extreme damage from a tornado", that tornadoes overall are not threatening or disastrous. They absolutely can be and are.
I didn't say the cannot be threatening or disastrous.
But the ODDS ARE THAT THEY WILL NOT BE. That's my point.
I get that people are frightened of them, but the odds are very much in one's favor, even in tornado alley.
For starters, only ten percent of tornadoes are a F2 or more powerful, and yet those account for the vast, vast majority of deaths and devastation. That means that 90 percent of tornadoes are basically inconsequential.
An average of 70 people per year in the US are killed in tornadoes. While yes, that would suck, all of us are in much more danger climbing a step ladder or getting in and out of a tub. In fact, we're 6 times more likely to kill ourselves getting in or out of a bathtub than we are to get killed in a tornado. Though to be fair, if you live in Norman OK (the epicenter of tornado activity in the US) you do have a 1 in 7000 chance of being killed in a tornado. One of many, many reasons why I don't live in Oklahoma, though I will say that the fear of tornadoes is way down that list.
I didn't say the cannot be threatening or disastrous.
But the ODDS ARE THAT THEY WILL NOT BE. That's my point.
I get that people are frightened of them, but the odds are very much in one's favor, even in tornado alley.
For starters, only ten percent of tornadoes are a F2 or more powerful, and yet those account for the vast, vast majority of deaths and devastation. That means that 90 percent of tornadoes are basically inconsequential.
An average of 70 people per year in the US are killed in tornadoes. While yes, that would suck, all of us are in much more danger climbing a step ladder or getting in and out of a tub. In fact, we're 6 times more likely to kill ourselves getting in or out of a bathtub than we are to get killed in a tornado. Though to be fair, if you live in Norman OK (the epicenter of tornado activity in the US) you do have a 1 in 7000 chance of being killed in a tornado. One of many, many reasons why I don't live in Oklahoma, though I will say that the fear of tornadoes is way down that list.
Yes, the odds of you being hit by a really bad one is pretty rare. A tornado like a Moore, OK or Joplin or Plainfield that cause immense devastation and huge death tolls and injuries only happen once every few years. Because much of the Midwest and southeast is rural land with sparse populations, it would make sense people specifically aren't affected by tornadoes as much, because again they do impact a smaller area and the biggest casualty will normally be crops. Like you said though, Oklahoma, north Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and Alabama are still a hotbed for tornadoes, and while the odds of one hitting you specifically in a specific city/town even in those states is slim, being hit by a bad one is very much so possible. It's big enough a risk that most people in these places, if they don't have a basement, they literally have a tornado shelter made for precaution, just like houses in parts of Florida are raised above the ground to prevent against flooding from a hurricane.
Yes, the odds of you being hit by a really bad one is pretty rare. A tornado like a Moore, OK or Joplin or Plainfield that cause immense devastation and huge death tolls and injuries only happen once every few years. Because much of the Midwest and southeast is rural land with sparse populations, it would make sense people specifically aren't affected by tornadoes as much, because again they do impact a smaller area and the biggest casualty will normally be crops. Like you said though, Oklahoma, north Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and Alabama are still very prone to tornadoes, and while the odds of one hitting you even in those states is slim, being hit by a bad one is very much so possible. It's big enough a risk that most people in these places, if they don't have a basement, they literally have a tornado shelter made for precaution, just like house houses in parts of Florida are raised above the ground to prevent against flooding from a hurricane.
Once every three years is still fairly significant. At least enough that it would be in the back of your mind.
It's big enough a risk that most people in these places, if they don't have a basement, they literally have a tornado shelter made for precaution,
I wouldn't say "most" people do. However many newer homes of a certain expense have safe rooms built in them but I'd say maybe 1 house in 4 or 5 has a tornado shelter where I live which is supposed epicenter of tornadoes. There are some public shelters and buildings that are considered tornado proof.
Shelters are getting easier and less expensive to install so someday it my be "most".
I have lived in the South nearly my entire life of 57 years. I have been actually IN the vicinity of tornadoes, SEEN funnels, etc. I hear the tornado warning sirens just about every year where I live now. Never in my life have I had the slightest damage from a tornado, and certainly no injuries. Not only that, I don't know anyone who has suffered any ill effects from tornadoes.
I did however, lose my roof and get trapped in my house for days via flooding, five hours inland from when Hurricane Ike struck.
Just for some perspective.
It seems one place after another in the South gets destroyed by flooding, but tornadoes are not a big thing down there. Tornadoes are more of a Midwestern problem.
It seems one place after another in the South gets destroyed by flooding, but tornadoes are not a big thing down there. Tornadoes are more of a Midwestern problem.
Tornadoes are definitely a Southern problem. Texas(if we include Texas as a Southern state), Alabama, Tennessee, Florida etc get plenty of tornadoes. Moreso than any other region.
Some parts of even the Midwest aren't as high risk for tornadoes either, for example most of Michigan, northern MN and WI are fairly safe, and the great lakes region in general doesn't get nearly as hit as the plains and further downstate. I think the tornado threat goes away around Alabama/TN when the Appalachians begin. Everything west of that though is fair game for just about anything in the south.
Mt. Rainier is 60 miles SW and listed as decade Volcano’s. They are the 16 Volcano’s most likely to cause serious damage to populated areas due to their proximity and violent eruptions
So Mt. Ranier is a volcano. I am 64 years old and I had never heard that until a few minutes ago when I read your post. All these years I was thinking Mt. Ranier is nothing more than the highest mountain in the State of Washington and I never gave it a 2nd thought. I never ever dreamed Mt. Rainier is also a volcano. That one caught me by surprise. Thank you for that little tid-bit of information.
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