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I feel so bad for the people affected by the huge tornado in Moore, OK, and I do not mean this to criticize them at all. But every time a big tornado hits, I'm always surprised by the people who get interviewed who say "we don't have a basement, so I went...."
I think tornadoes are probably the most frightening natural disaster I can think of (that goes back to my childhood nightmares of the tornado in Wizard of Oz). I don't think I would ever choose to live in tornado alley, but if for some reason I did need to move there, I would certain have a basement!
I'm not talking about poor people who live in trailers. I'm talking about the people who live in newer developments with large 3-4 bedrooms homes. Why even build them without basements? These are large modern homes with 2-car garages, etc. I can't even imagine anyone building them without basements or anyone choosing to buy them when they don't have basements. I even think that if I lived in a trailer (can't imagine it, but lets go there for a sec..) I'd dig a root cellar or something in the yard.
Am I alone here?
Is there some reason homes in that region can't have a basement? I mean, maybe there's a high water table and they've banned basements in some towns or something. I just don't get it. I've always lived in the Northeast where we don't really get tornadoes, or if we do, they are very small. But I always made sure to have a basement (except in one apartment I lived in, I planned to go to the basement laundry room if there were ever a tornado warning).
Then there were the two schools that were destroyed. Didn't they have basements where the students as teachers could shelter? I read about the one school where they were sheltering in an inner hallway (not a basement). I think If I lived there, in a tornado zone, and I found out my kids' school had no basement, I'd change schools or home-school them!
To me it just seems common sense: if you live or have a building in Tornado Alley, make sure you have a basement.
Do any of you live in a tornado zone without a basement?
Well I'm with you on that--I live in a tornado-ey state and have always lived in a home with a basement. In 2006 we made use of that basement at least 6 times. However, the thing I heard on the news was that not many homes in that part of OK have them b/c they're sitting on bedrock and it's just too expensive and difficult to dig one out of the stone.
In SE MO where I used to live, not many folks had a basement b/c they couldn't keep them dry. It wasn't called Swampeast MO for nothing--the water table was too high. That has changed some with irrigation but it's still a problem in the rainy season. One way that some of the children in the school died was from drowning and I'm guessing that was from being trapped under rubble and pipes had burst. It's heartbreaking to think they were safe from the tornado but still died--there is no 100% surefire way to protect yourself from a tornado--that's for sure. My heart does surely go out to those families b/c I always felt a bit of panic when my kids were at school and a tornado warning was in effect and I can't think of anything worse than losing a child. The thing is though, that not many people die in them. It's scary for sure, but the chances of going that way are still quite small--somewhat larger if you choose to stay in a trailer rather than finding a handy ditch, but still quite small.
I think a basement might be a bit much, depending on the ground the house is built on. But I am surprised that people in areas prone to getting tornadoes don't have some type of underground shelter. Even if it's just one of those little metal rooms that a lot of people put in their garages, it seems like it would be a good investment to make.
No way. Then again, I live in the South where basements are commonplace. I understand that Moore sits on rather hard limestone, making the building of basements to be a great deal more expensive. I think, however, I would at least invest in a tornado shelter.
If digging a basement is not doable then a safe room is. Why have unemployment extensions rather then spend the money on this? I don't think there will be a moral hazard compared to other forms of welfare.
If the house I lived in didn't have a basement I would build a safe room. I always have sort of "Oh S@#T" plan so I can follow the CYA rule. However the funny thing I find is that the people who make fun of me for always having an "Oh S@#T" plan or having my "Oh S@#T" gear prepared are the same one's who ask me for help when all of a sudden an "Oh S@#T" event happens. Is that some form of irony?
Living in North Alabama feels like living in a tornado zone these days. Our current home does not have a basement or shelter. We will begin building a new house in July. There will be a tornado shelter in the garage. We have already ordered and paid for it. A shelter was the first "have to have" on our list.
There are more homes with basements in northern Oklahoma than in the southern part. Oklahoma has many lakes and I think the water table is why so few basements in the south. I haven't been in a storm shelter in probably 40 years. The tv weathermen get so excited during the spring, it's hard to know when taking precaution is needed.
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