Tornados! those beasts! question.. (Birmingham, Huntsville: mattress, houses, crawl space)

[harry chickpea]

The small ones don't make much noise. When we lived in Florida, we had a tiny one that dropped a fully braced and open tent into our pool (right side up), then about four seconds later lifted it back up about 40' in the air and took it away. I guess it was camping and didn't care for the accommodations?

DW and her sister were wanting to get in a closet, but it was just too interesting for me to do anything but laugh. Most tornadoes down there are F-0 or mild F-1, and waterspouts are common.

[33458]

WHO/WHERE/HOW
National Weather Service Huntsville, AL - Tornado Database

YES/NO/MAYBE
http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/myths.html

And see the Tornado Project link I posted on the Tornado STICKY thread...

[magnolia34]

I'm terrified of tornadoes and we are moving to Huntsville from the Chicago area in may. We currently live in a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house, but since my husband got laid off here, we are now moving into an apartment in Huntsville. We have had tornadoes here, but we have a basement and that is where we went when the sirens went off.

How on earth is one supposed to stay safe in an apartment? I can just imagine the roof and myself getting swept away to the land of Oz.

[tammie2]

Tornadoes aren't as bad as people think. I grew up in tornado alley and even got to lay in a ditch once when I was small. I remember seeing a big one in middle school, it was off in the distance but the green sky and funnel clouds were unmistakeable. My home in TX was actually damaged by a spin-off tornado and not the hurricane itself-my neighbors that didn't evacuate heard the train also.

As for a shelter, I would consider them somewhat useless in my opinion. The chances of using it are so slim-I think you need to think about how many homes are taken out by tornadoes, how many times the people were home, etc, etc. I think you have more of a chance of dying in a home fire than a tornado-not to make you paranoid . The tornado that put a tree in my living room damaged homes so sporatically-even my home only suffered tornado damage on one corner, it was the subsequent 15 hours of rain took out the rest

[33458]

May never be hit by a tornado, true dat...but my condition for moving here was either building a shelter or finding a house with a basement/root cellar. Absolutely NO wiggle.

In FL, if wise, you prepare by having durable, hard-sided covers at the ready for your windows and doors, water jugs and canned goods, flashlights, batteries, first-aid/emergency kit, a cooking stove with fuel and a few tarps. Stored away for use as needed. That's just life in Hurricane country. And we got to use them more often than not...

I see considering the natural disaster most likely to occur here as prudent...may never see a tornado, but having a safe room downstairs (and underground) to go to is somewhat more reassuring than having NO WHERE to go but the hallway on the first floor. The house may still fall down and squish us, but our chances of crawling out from the rubble are slightly better. We've now added various man tools to dig or pry our way out...

Shelters are a LOT of money for an IF, but if that's what makes the buyer feel more secure when that siren goes off three times in one night...or three times in one year...

I'm wondering if, like FL, home owners' insurance rates noticeably improve with the addition of manufactured storm protection?

I'm just glad I found a house with a basement. Does me just fine.

Here's another site with a few stats, though this one is kinda...disorganised.
http://www.tornadochaser.net/

Where's our chart fanatic?
http://www.tornadothreat.com/TTMain.htm

[magnolia34]

Originally Posted by tammie2

Tornadoes aren't as bad as people think. I grew up in tornado alley and even got to lay in a ditch once when I was small. I remember seeing a big one in middle school, it was off in the distance but the green sky and funnel clouds were unmistakeable. My home in TX was actually damaged by a spin-off tornado and not the hurricane itself-my neighbors that didn't evacuate heard the train also.

As for a shelter, I would consider them somewhat useless in my opinion. The chances of using it are so slim-I think you need to think about how many homes are taken out by tornadoes, how many times the people were home, etc, etc. I think you have more of a chance of dying in a home fire than a tornado-not to make you paranoid . The tornado that put a tree in my living room damaged homes so sporatically-even my home only suffered tornado damage on one corner, it was the subsequent 15 hours of rain took out the rest

LOL, I would settle for at least a basement like I have now.

[magnolia34]

Originally Posted by 33458

May never be hit by a tornado, true dat...but my condition for moving here was either building a shelter or finding a house with a basement/root cellar. Absolutely NO wiggle.

In FL, if wise, you prepare by having durable, hard-sided covers at the ready for your windows and doors, water jugs and canned goods, flashlights, batteries, first-aid/emergency kit, a cooking stove with fuel and a few tarps. Stored away for use as needed. That's just life in Hurricane country. And we got to use them more often than not...

I see considering the natural disaster most likely to occur here as prudent...may never see a tornado, but having a safe room downstairs (and underground) to go to is somewhat more reassuring than having NO WHERE to go but the hallway on the first floor. The house may still fall down and squish us, but our chances of crawling out from the rubble are slightly better. We've now added various man tools to dig or pry our way out...

Shelters are a LOT of money for an IF, but if that's what makes the buyer feel more secure when that siren goes off three times in one night...or three times in one year...

I'm wondering if, like FL, home owners' insurance rates noticeably improve with the addition of manufactured storm protection?

I'm just glad I found a house with a basement. Does me just fine.

Here's another site with a few stats, though this one is kinda...disorganised.
Tornado Alley :Tornado and Storm chaser Facts, Pictures and Weather Information

Where's our chart fanatic?
SATT 3.0 Information

I definitely understand your condition regarding the basement/shelter. I told my husband that when we buy another house, he better be prepared to have a shelter built. For me, it just gives me more of a sense of security.

I am not feeling all that secure when I think about living on the second floor in an apartment complex LOL. May God have mercy on me LOL.

[Southlander]

Many of the apartments close to Airport Road were severely damaged or blown away in the tornado of 1989.

[mm42]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Many of the apartments close to Airport Road were severely damaged or blown away in the tornado of 1989.

Indeed:

[friday13]

Madison County tornado sirens to be tested today after failing during last week's severe weather - Breaking News from The Huntsville Times - al.com