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We are thinking of moving from So. Cal to Raleigh, NC but I'm scared sh^#less about tornadoes!! What's your insight??
I must say...I've never understood Californians' fear of tornadoes when moving to the midwest/south. Yes, tornadoes are very powerful and dangerous....But first of all you can see them coming with advanced warning systems like sirens, tv and radio warnings...and even with the naked eye. They are fairly easy to hide yourself from and even get out of the path from. They are small isolated storms that always follow a SW to NE path and only inflict very isolated damage for the most part. But earthquakes come unexpectedly with very little if any warning and cause WAY more damage in a MUCH larger area...not to mention they often tend to cause even more damaging catastrophes in their wake (fires, landslides, etc). PLUS....tornadoes aren't really that common in NC. More common than in California yes, but tornadoes are really more of a concern in the middle of the country from Texas to the Dakotas...not so much the eastern seaboard of the US. Now if you were worried about hurricanes, especially in eastern/coastal NC....I'd say your fears would be more warranted.
LOL. I was raised in the midwest, but hubby grew up in Sacramento. He is TERRIFIED of tornadoes and actually calls this "tornado alley". (eyeroll). I with the poster above regarding tornadoes compared to earthquakes. I'll take a tornado over an EQ any day.
We moved her almost 6 years ago from the Sacramento area and love it. We miss the Pacific and the dramatic coastline, hubby misses the skiing in Tahoe, but not enough to want to move back there. Weather is nice overall. We like the little bit of snow we have usually gotten since we've moved, like the humidity in the summer for the most part. Love thunderstorms and summer rain.
Reminds me of a story a friend of mine told. He and his wife had just moved to SF from Kansas City. Her first week on the job in a downtown SF high rise, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. That's the one that came during the '89 World Series and collapsed sections of the Bay Bridge and Nimitz and burned large parts of the Marina district. Easily the heaviest earthquake I've ever felt, and I'm from CA. Anyway, buildings in SF are built on rollers and are made to sway significantly, especially on the upper floors. Suffice to say that she freaked out after the building flexed enough for her to see the sidewalk, and she went back to KC two days later and never returned.
Earthquakes don't really bother me, but tornadoes are pretty scary to me, too. My wife, who's from Chicago, laughs at me.
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