is it safe to live in Oklahoma with tornadoes? (Tulsa: power lines, homes) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

StillwaterTownie · 08-25-2012, 08:35 PM

Stillwater hasn't had a strong tornado in 22 years, so I keep that in mind and don't worry much about it, unless the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for the Stillwater area, which is fairly rare, especially when it's not spring time.

Meanwhile, hope that earthquakes don't try to get strong again in central Oklahoma. When the 4.5 aftershock happened here last fall, there was a thunderstorm going on. At first I thought the sound I heard was the wind gusting up, but my french doors immediately rattled, so I figured it was an earthquake, not the storm.

Also the big hail in this part of the country can be a pain. People in Dallas are still trying to get their cars fixed that were pelted by hail several months ago. Big hail storms don't tend to hit a locality every year, at least.

I think the main concern for newcomers to be concerned about is don't live in a trailer house unless there is a storm shelter nearby. Below is a video showing one of the close calls Stillwater has had with a tornado since the last time it was hit bad with one in 1990.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQYAxkUZdzk&feature=player_embedded#!

nightbird47 · 08-26-2012, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hazel Eyes

I moved here to OKC from California over a year ago and they scare me to death. I honestly don't know how long I can live here and endure the warnings and sirens going off....I'll take an earthquake over these tornadoes...

I used to live in the area where when the BIG ONE comes and the San Andreas slips near Salton Sea, we'd be one of the first metropolitan areas to be flattened. Just before I moved we had one of those quakes where it rumbles suddenly and loudly, then slips, then stops then starts rolling. This is the quake that will come from the big one. I'm sure everyone in my apartment was sure it was here. We had a water leak under the building and termites eating the walls, so those on the first floor hoped and I remember being real glad I was on the second.

It wasn't but I think it got to be real for a lot of us.

And we DO have quakes here. One unsettled my door and probably the foundation.

To the OP, Come. Make sure you have a shelter. You'll have hours of warning. Every station suspends programming and goes to storm coverage. If one comes, know you have a place to hide. Scary, but imagine having real warning about a quake an how useful that could be. To me the truely terrifying thing about a quake, especially when the bigger faults slip into disastor, it you have no time to act or think and just hope you'll be in a place you won't end up smashed.

You'll have to get use to 'Oklahoma 'soon' vrs California 'now'. And remember all the lessons about grassfires and if you live in a hot place your ready for summer. There seems to be a reverse migration from California to here and a lot are long time, or native Californians for a lot of other reasons.

Join us expatties and discover its a state which isn't perfect, but has good people.

SluggoF16 · 08-26-2012, 06:20 AM

[quote=nightbird47;25809446]I used to live in the area where when the BIG ONE comes and the San Andreas slips near Salton Sea, we'd be one of the first metropolitan areas to be flattened. Just before I moved we had one of those quakes where it rumbles suddenly and loudly, then slips, then stops then starts rolling. This is the quake that will come from the big one. I'm sure everyone in my apartment was sure it was here. We had a water leak under the building and termites eating the walls, so those on the first floor hoped and I remember being real glad I was on the second.

It wasn't but I think it got to be real for a lot of us.

And we DO have quakes here. One unsettled my door and probably the foundation.

To the OP, Come. Make sure you have a shelter. You'll have hours of warning. Every station suspends programming and goes to storm coverage. If one comes, know you have a place to hide. Scary, but imagine having real warning about a quake an how useful that could be. To me the truely terrifying thing about a quake, especially when the bigger faults slip into disastor, it you have no time to act or think and just hope you'll be in a place you won't end up smashed. quote]

My sister who lives in CA says the same of earthquakes, that she'll take one over a tornado any day. In Nov 2011 we had both here in SW OK, and I'll take the tornado hands-down. My wife's a native Okie, and the Nov 7 tornado was her first she'd ever seen. The reason we got to see it was all that warning that tornadoes tend to get these days. The weather conditions are right, the radars and spotters track them, and there are shelters for many homes. Earthquakes are out-of-the-blue, what-was-that events. When I lived in CA we experienced a couple and they're much more unnerving than tornadoes, which are localized, predictive events. (I've seen two, the other was in Tucson, AZ, which is hardly Tornado Alley.

_redbird_ · 08-26-2012, 08:31 AM

Nothing scarier than a rain-wrapped tornado that comes in the middle of the night. A lot of times, we have already gone to bed and turned off the tv. Even though we (and most everyone) keep an emergency weather radio, they can sneak up on you.

I think the last one that hit in the middle of the night happened so quickly, the tornado sirens in town did not even go off.

But normally, the local news weathermen get very excited and run around and jump up and down in tornadic weather.

SAlthea · 08-26-2012, 10:40 AM

Thanks! but I dont think I'm going to go to Oklahoma anymore not after your tell me that tornadoes hit every tuesday and thursday. Also to buy a mobile home so I would be able to move it when tornadoes hit. What if I'm at work, what would happen to my home then. so I will look in to another state thanks.

SAlthea · 08-26-2012, 10:48 AM

Thanks alot for the info! I don't think I can take tornadoes nor earthquakes.

debzkidz · 08-26-2012, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAlthea

Thanks! but I dont think I'm going to go to Oklahoma anymore not after your tell me that tornadoes hit every tuesday and thursday. Also to buy a mobile home so I would be able to move it when tornadoes hit. What if I'm at work, what would happen to my home then. so I will look in to another state thanks.

You realize this was a joke, right?

SAlthea · 08-26-2012, 11:15 AM

I wasn't too sure if you were joking. I was laughing but I didn't wanted to tell you just incase if you wasn't joking. I didn't want you to think that I was being rude by laughing. so thanks to clear that up.

okie1962 · 08-26-2012, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAlthea

I wasn't too sure if you were joking. I was laughing but I didn't wanted to tell you just incase if you wasn't joking. I didn't want you to think that I was being rude by laughing. so thanks to clear that up.

I'm glad you have a sense of humor. Believe you get a ton of warning before a tornado is in the area. If you move here you will soon find the weather personal on the local stations to be a lot more annoying than the tornados themselves.

okie1962 · 08-26-2012, 04:43 PM

Believe me if you do move to Oklahoma and tornadic weather is in the forecast our local stations will interrupt all programing as soon as the storm hits Dalhart,TX and follow it all the way to West Memphis, AR. And if the only damage is a tree limb that gets blown across the road you will see that tree limb on the local news for the next 3 days sometimes 4. And then they say to you "For you folks who missed the season finally of ______ (insert favorite show here) we will be airing it at 2:38 AM this morning so set your DVRs now so you don't miss it.... " OK, I bet you are wondering the same thing I am, how do you set a DVR up to start recording at 2:38?