torandos? hurricanes? flooding? (Bristol, Central: insurance, new home, neighborhood)

[deanow30]

Do you guys have them allot? Do you guys have basements? Do have have foundation problems like they do in Raleigh nc? Is the ground made of clay Like Nc?
Are the homes well structured? I see alot of new homes, great prices? Are they sturdy or made to a inspection code that is good?
Thanks

[Tennesseestorm]

Yes, yes and yes, but I would not say a lot on all of those. We occasionally see a tornado or two, but nothing compared to west Tennessee. Hurricanes? Well, we often get some of the remnants if a hurricane if it comes this way.

Flooding, yes. Either from dasy melting of snow from the high mountains, storms, hurricanes, etc. HOWEVER, I think we live in one of the best areas as far as weather goes.

Homes seem sturdy... I know ours is... its a log home that my father built and he cut NO corners.

The ground is mixed... I know here on my land, we have red clay and also the old basic brown dirt. I know its not sandy here like it is over there... not until you get over the continental divide.

[deanow30]

Thanks, but do you have basements? Are there areas that are no flood zones? Do you have to buy flood insurance? Is home insurance allot on a 1200 square ft home? Where do you go when there is a tornado?

[Tennesseestorm]

Many homes have basements here... it just varies... there is hilly land here and some lower flatland/floodplains. Personally, we live on a hill and no chance of a flood here unless it rained 100 inches of rain per hour for a week solid.... You do not HAVE to buy flood insurance. We do not have it.

Tornado? When the weather gets bad, we simpy head down to the first floor, where the "back" part of it kinda goes underground. We have went many times during severe storms and tornado warnings.

Originally Posted by deanow30

Thanks, but do you have basements? Are there areas that are no flood zones? Do you have to buy flood insurance? Is home insurance allot on a 1200 square ft home? Where do you go when there is a tornado?

[deanow30]

How long does the tornado last? Is it loud? Do you have to stay downstairs long?

[jabogitlu]

Tornadoes in NETN are an extreme rarity, compared with central and west TN and especially with the Central US. I've never even bothered to take cover in a tornado warning or watch (but of course keep an eye and ear out). Tornadoes "last" for differing times... it's just, you know, when it's over your house that you have to worry. They can be loud, yes.

Many homes do have basements here, yes. You can probably search for homes with basements on realtor.com.

[Tennesseestorm]

Even though I did not see it, as I was only 1 year old, I had the rare chance of being in a actual tornado here in Bristol... it was in 1977, near the Volunteer Pkwy area. It was a small one, but it really caused some damage. My mother was driving and it went right in front of the car! Ever since then, she has been terrified of twisters. To this day, if you drive along the Volunteer Pkwy between the BMS and Wal-Mart, look off to the ridge on the right side.. you can still see some of the old downed trees.

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by deanow30

How long does the tornado last? Is it loud? Do you have to stay downstairs long?

Tornadoes, hurricanes & other major weather events are not things you need to be concerned about when investigating the Tri-Cities area. The odds that you'd experience a tornado if you lived your entire life anywhere in NE Tenn. are extremely small. Since 1950, only four confirmed tornadoes have touched down in Sullivan & Washington counties combined and nary a soul was killed.

In 1995 what was left of Hurricane Opal hit this area as a strong tropical storm, but that's the only local hurricane-related event I can recall happening in my lifetime (45 years).

Flooding is experienced in a few places occasionally, but I'd guess that well over 99% of land here is never subject to flooding.

[Tennesseestorm]

Yeah and I think one of those was the one we were in that hit Bristol in 1977 (or maybe 1978).

One tropical system I vividly remember was in 1989, when the remnants of Hurricane Hugo roared through here... I think it was still a tropical storm when it came up by here. I remember it was very windy and I recall some power outages in our neighborhood.

Originally Posted by kamoshika

Since 1950, only four confirmed tornadoes have touched down in Sullivan & Washington counties combined and nary a soul was killed.

In 1995 what was left of Hurricane Opal hit this area as a strong tropical storm, but that's the only local hurricane-related event I can recall happening in my lifetime (45 years).

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by kamoshika

Flooding is experienced in a few places occasionally, but I'd guess that well over 99% of land here is never subject to flooding.

One thing that does seem to happen quite often (at least in rural locales) is basement flooding. So, you might want to bring in an expert to help decide if your house's basement is up to par. If not, you could spend days cleaning up your stuff... multiple times a year. (As do several of my friends - they basically can't use their basements.)