Moving to Oklahoma City from California (Tulsa, Norman: insurance, houses, neighborhood)

[silsil]

Hello guys.
My husband and I are considering moving to Oklahoma city with our 2 small children. I am terrified of crazy weather, being honest here. I have never being in a Tornado or Earth quake for that matter. I am completely fine with thunder storms, crazy hot weather and those "mild" conditions.
Please please, be honest: How often do you get tornadoes? is there a safer neighborhood as far as staying away from their path? Do a lot of houses get destroyed year by year by them? Do people live terrified and concerned about them? is there a lot of outdoor fun areas for families with small children? Thank you so much for taking your time and responding!!!

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by silsil

Hello guys.
My husband and I are considering moving to Oklahoma city with our 2 small children. I am terrified of crazy weather, being honest here. I have never being in a Tornado or Earth quake for that matter. I am completely fine with thunder storms, crazy hot weather and those "mild" conditions.
Please please, be honest: How often do you get tornadoes? is there a safer neighborhood as far as staying away from their path? Do a lot of houses get destroyed year by year by them? Do people live terrified and concerned about them? is there a lot of outdoor fun areas for families with small children? Thank you so much for taking your time and responding!!!

As you and your husband and children approach OKC from the west on Inter-State 40 you will notice a Moot dug around OKC with a 100 foot sign saying keep out all Californian .....just kidding...loll...

I'm from California both SoCal and NorCal , well to be honest I'm from Oklahoma and just lived in the Golden State for 35 years give or take. I have experienced everything from having been to 45 of the United States of America.. .Tornadoes ...Hurricanes.....Earthquakes...Forest Fires...Tsunami .....not all Tsunami Waves are 30 feet tall , some are a mere 6 inches tall , but still are tremendously powerful but less of a threat because of their height.

The solution for Oklahoma tornadoes are as simple as buying a storm shelter and putting it into the ground. They run anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000-$20,000 , you can place them under your Gargage or anywhere in your yard.

Obtain Tornadoes Insurance , and if your house is destroyed build a newer better version of it , on the spot where your house used to stand. You will be warned before a Tornado strike by some really loud local tornado alarms going off...so fear not....That Is If They Have Tornadoes Shelters At Your
CHILDREN SCHOOLS......

[cirrusly]

If towns were destroyed year by year people would stop building here. You absolutely do not have to worry about total annihilation every year, however, you will need to stay alert and have a plan every spring. The thing about tornadoes is that most of them are not very strong, not very wide, and are not on the ground for that long. Your chances of a direct hit are very slim, and your chances of a direct hit from a strong tornado are even slimmer. If you move here, look for housing with a shelter or plan on installing one if you want some peace of mind. Educate yourself on the weather so you have a better understanding of whats really going on (as opposed to listening to people scream on TV and sending you into an unnecessary panic). There really aren't any areas to live that will help you avoid a tornado. Moore, Oklahoma seems to be hit by more tornadoes than other places, but this is a statistical anomaly and could realistically happen anywhere. Most of the year is also tornado free. April and May are the busiest months, but outside of that time frame the weather is generally quite calm.

I moved here from a low risk tornado area and it's hard to explain what to expect your first spring here. New residents have a tendency to run around panicking while the established residents crack open a beer and set out the lawn chairs to watch (I've literally seen this happen, so it's not really a joke when people say it). Basically to sum it up: There will be days that you need to stay alert. There will be days where you feel you need to seek shelter. There may even be a day where you are certain a tornado is going to hit your house. But in reality, you're more likely to die on the freeway while going to work, and you could live here your entire life and never be affected by any tornado- even despite what might be going on around you. The storms here are mostly just really beautiful. And sometimes full of big hail... get a garage if you can.

[Rubi3]

Originally Posted by cirrusly

If towns were destroyed year by year people would stop building here. You absolutely do not have to worry about total annihilation every year, however, you will need to stay alert and have a plan every spring. The thing about tornadoes is that most of them are not very strong, not very wide, and are not on the ground for that long. Your chances of a direct hit are very slim, and your chances of a direct hit from a strong tornado are even slimmer. If you move here, look for housing with a shelter or plan on installing one if you want some peace of mind. Educate yourself on the weather so you have a better understanding of whats really going on (as opposed to listening to people scream on TV and sending you into an unnecessary panic). There really aren't any areas to live that will help you avoid a tornado. Moore, Oklahoma seems to be hit by more tornadoes than other places, but this is a statistical anomaly and could realistically happen anywhere. Most of the year is also tornado free. April and May are the busiest months, but outside of that time frame the weather is generally quite calm.

I moved here from a low risk tornado area and it's hard to explain what to expect your first spring here. New residents have a tendency to run around panicking while the established residents crack open a beer and set out the lawn chairs to watch (I've literally seen this happen, so it's not really a joke when people say it). Basically to sum it up: There will be days that you need to stay alert. There will be days where you feel you need to seek shelter. There may even be a day where you are certain a tornado is going to hit your house. But in reality, you're more likely to die on the freeway while going to work, and you could live here your entire life and never be affected by any tornado- even despite what might be going on around you. The storms here are mostly just really beautiful. And sometimes full of big hail... get a garage if you can.

And this ^^^ is how it is.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by cirrusly

If towns were destroyed year by year people would stop building here. You absolutely do not have to worry about total annihilation every year, however, you will need to stay alert and have a plan every spring. The thing about tornadoes is that most of them are not very strong, not very wide, and are not on the ground for that long. Your chances of a direct hit are very slim, and your chances of a direct hit from a strong tornado are even slimmer. If you move here, look for housing with a shelter or plan on installing one if you want some peace of mind. Educate yourself on the weather so you have a better understanding of whats really going on (as opposed to listening to people scream on TV and sending you into an unnecessary panic). There really aren't any areas to live that will help you avoid a tornado. Moore, Oklahoma seems to be hit by more tornadoes than other places, but this is a statistical anomaly and could realistically happen anywhere. Most of the year is also tornado free. April and May are the busiest months, but outside of that time frame the weather is generally quite calm.

I moved here from a low risk tornado area and it's hard to explain what to expect your first spring here. New residents have a tendency to run around panicking while the established residents crack open a beer and set out the lawn chairs to watch (I've literally seen this happen, so it's not really a joke when people say it). Basically to sum it up: There will be days that you need to stay alert. There will be days where you feel you need to seek shelter. There may even be a day where you are certain a tornado is going to hit your house. But in reality, you're more likely to die on the freeway while going to work, and you could live here your entire life and never be affected by any tornado- even despite what might be going on around you. The storms here are mostly just really beautiful. And sometimes full of big hail... get a garage if you can.

This is 110% correct.

Cirrusly, I'm one of the idiots sitting in the lawn chair, throwin' back cervezas. My wife tends to get down in the shelter with our bird dogs. I have to get rid of all the dayum spiders for her first though!

[cirrusly]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

This is 110% correct.

Cirrusly, I'm one of the idiots sitting in the lawn chair, throwin' back cervezas. My wife tends to get down in the shelter with our bird dogs. I have to get rid of all the dayum spiders for her first though!

I might be new here, but I too am about to become the idiot with the lawn chair! Of course I didn't move here with a fear of storms, so I got off to a head start. Plus I don't own a home

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by silsil

Hello guys.
My husband and I are considering moving to Oklahoma city with our 2 small children. I am terrified of crazy weather, being honest here. I have never being in a Tornado or Earth quake for that matter. I am completely fine with thunder storms, crazy hot weather and those "mild" conditions.
Please please, be honest: How often do you get tornadoes? is there a safer neighborhood as far as staying away from their path? Do a lot of houses get destroyed year by year by them? Do people live terrified and concerned about them? is there a lot of outdoor fun areas for families with small children? Thank you so much for taking your time and responding!!!

For all the peace of mind you need from tornadoes, only live in a house with storm shelter or safe room. Since the horror of the Moore tornadoes, such houses are not as difficult to find as they used to be.

Many towns can go for many years without taking a significant hit from a tornado. So the fear of tornadoes are overblown, but you never know when and where a tornado will touchdown, so best to be prepared as above.

The earthquakes aren't anything much to worry about. Most of them aren't strong and take place well out in the middle of nowhere. Just hope they stay that way.

[tycoon85]

I would certainly recommend a storm shelter.

You can get an underground garage storm shelter and then you don't have to worry about tornadoes. We got one a few years ago from F5 Storm Shelters. You can check out what I am talking about here: www.f5stormsheltersok.com

My wife was paranoid every time the sirens came on and now she doesn't worry. Also, be prepared for high heat in the summers and lots of wind lol. Good luck with the move.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by tycoon85

I would certainly recommend a storm shelter.

You can get an underground garage storm shelter and then you don't have to worry about tornadoes. We got one a few years ago from F5 Storm Shelters. You can check out what I am talking about here: F5 Storm Shelters & Safe Rooms | Tulsa, Oklahoma City

My wife was paranoid every time the sirens came on and now she doesn't worry. Also, be prepared for high heat in the summers and lots of wind lol. Good luck with the move.

Yeh, that sounds about right.

I've also heard good thnngs about Atlas Safe Rooms in Norman.

[Rubi3]

I've heard good things about Oklahomashelters.com out of Crescent OK.