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Old 07-30-2007, 12:09 AM
 
15 posts, read 58,064 times
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I am considering moving to Arkansas but I am scared to death of tornadoes.

How bad are they really?

What are the safest places to live in the state and a place close to work and a population. We need to move from where we are now within the next 2 months and I am looking for a house under $200K.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 07-30-2007, 05:43 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,390,522 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kjsphoto View Post
I am considering moving to Arkansas but I am scared to death of tornadoes.

How bad are they really?

What are the safest places to live in the state and a place close to work and a population. We need to move from where we are now within the next 2 months and I am looking for a house under $200K.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I don't know where you live now, but I think everyplace has some type of weather condition we would not like to experience. Calif has earthquakes, the Atlantic coast hurricanes, and the mid west and parts of the south Tornedoes. We lived in North Texas for 13 years, almost tornado alley and never had a tornedo. We had them around us, but we were lucky.

As for safety, we have heard find a stop in the house that has all inside walls. Now, where to live in AR, I can't say. I get the impression NW is not as bad as some areas. I am sure many others will know more than I about this.

$200,000 or less will buy you almost any type of home you would want, depending on where you go and what you are looking for.

Nita
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Old 07-30-2007, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Somewhere close to Heber, AR
388 posts, read 1,782,090 times
Reputation: 205
Been a pretty calm season here, but you never know.

If you're building a house, have a safe room built in, or buy one with one already built.

If you can't do that, have an exterior "hidey-hole" installed.

Get a good, programmable, weather radio that you can set to alert you to happenings in your county and the next county(ies) over, and you'll be OK.

For more info, try: Tornadoes Location Frequency and Deaths

and : 2007 Tornado Fatality Information
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Old 07-30-2007, 03:31 PM
 
Location: The Great State of Arkansas
5,981 posts, read 18,235,423 times
Reputation: 7735
Tornadoes are too unpredictable to give you a blanket answer on "how bad are they". With a hurricane you have some warning unless they take a weird path, which isn't often.

I agree with Magrack on the weater radio....I've lived in Arkansas all my life and have never seen one, although I have seen the devastation...but you don't usually get the warning that one is on the ground unless it is seen in an open field and someone is able to call it in.

Incidentally...one of the safest places you can be if you're out shopping at the grocery store is the milk or meat locker - they are all steel, and many of the grocery stores are known to herd people into them that are in the store. At home, a central pantry or bathroom - no windows - is your best bet. Pull a mattess over you if there's time. If you can get into the bathtub and pull a mattress over you, all the better.

Unfortunately, as stated, the Big T is highly unpredictable...hardly ever stays on the path they think it will.

What kind of work do you do? $200K will buy an impressive house in some areas, not so much so in parts of Little Rock or Fayetteville...do you have any prospects for employment? Schools a consideration for children? any other info you want to share?

For the love of Pete, stay low - if you're in your car, get to a low-lying area if you can, but don't get out.
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Old 07-30-2007, 03:44 PM
 
Location: Somewhere close to Heber, AR
388 posts, read 1,782,090 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam I Am View Post
....
For the love of Pete, stay low - if you're in your car, get to a low-lying area if you can, but don't get out.
I'd get out to lay in a ditch, but never to get under an overpass, the venturi effect would suck you out.

Some people claim that driving 90 degrees away from the path is the smart thing to do, don't know about that either, but I'll accept the data that says that the force of the wind is greater the further away from the ground, so a ditch below ground level is safest, plus it will protect you somewhat from the debris as that's the real killer as opposed to the wind.

Can't say for sure as I've never had to deal with the situation, just going by what the "experts" say.
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Old 07-30-2007, 04:12 PM
 
154 posts, read 678,060 times
Reputation: 57
Quote:
Originally Posted by kjsphoto View Post
I am considering moving to Arkansas but I am scared to death of tornadoes.

How bad are they really?

What are the safest places to live in the state and a place close to work and a population. We need to move from where we are now within the next 2 months and I am looking for a house under $200K.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'm no weather man but IMO tornadoes are not a common occurrence in Arkansas. Seems like we get our share of springtime tornado watches and warnings and straight line winds ... even funnel cloud spottings but tornadoes that actually touch down and cause damage are far and few between.

As a resident of Arkansas I would have to say the areas most prone to the path of these type storms is around and south of Fort Smith moving eastward and in NWA Bella Vista always seems to get clipped by storms heading northeast out of Oklahoma. Another poster more familiar with southern Arkansas can report on that area of the state. But again - IMO tornadoes are not common at all in Arkansas so no major worries.
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Old 07-30-2007, 08:56 PM
 
Location: Arkansas
1,230 posts, read 3,170,420 times
Reputation: 1569
Quote:
Originally Posted by kjsphoto View Post
I am considering moving to Arkansas but I am scared to death of tornadoes.

How bad are they really?

What are the safest places to live in the state and a place close to work and a population. We need to move from where we are now within the next 2 months and I am looking for a house under $200K.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I have lived in the Fayetteville area my whole life (26 almost 27 years) and I have never been in a tornado.
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Old 07-30-2007, 09:36 PM
 
23 posts, read 91,978 times
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Default Tornado Risk Factor

The following information is gleaned from
The Disaster Center Risk of Tornado by State

The smaller the number the higher the risk factor.
Massachusetts... who da thunked it.

The factors are based on population density as well as frequency of Tornados and per-capita deaths/property value. I guess when Mass has one it causes a lot of trouble.

Rank State Factor
1 Indiana 4.25
2 Massachusetts 4.25
3 Mississippi 6.75
4 Oklahoma 8.25
5 Ohio 8.25
6 Illinois 8.75
7 Alabama 8.75
8 Louisiana 9.5
9 Arkansas 11
10 Kansas 11.75
11 Florida 12.75
12 Georgia 13.25
13 Connecticut 13.25
14 Iowa 15.25
15 Missouri 15.25
16 Tennessee 16
17 Texas 17
18 Michigan 17.25
19 Delaware 18.5
20 South Carolina 18.75
21 Kentucky 19.25
22 Nebraska 20.25
23 North Carolina 20.25
24 Pennsylvania 20.25
25 Wisconsin 20.75
26 Minnesota 22
27 Maryland 25
28 South Dakota 29.75
29 Virginia 29.75
30 North Dakota 30.25
31 New Jersey 30.75
32 New York 31.25
33 Rhode Island 32.5
34 Colorado 35
35 West Virginia 35
36 New Hampshire 38
37 Wyoming 39
38 Arizona 39.25
39 Washington 39.25
40 New Mexico 40
41 Maine 40.25
42 Hawaii 41.25
43 Vermont 42
44 Montana 42.75
45 California 44.5
46 Idaho 46.25
47 Oregon 46.5
48 Utah 48
49 Nevada 48.75
50 Alaska 49.75
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Old 07-31-2007, 03:52 AM
 
15 posts, read 58,064 times
Reputation: 11
Thank you all for your replies. As for work, I am a self employed artist and I also need to find some good private schools for my children. I have no jobs lined up and I don't know anyone, we just need to get out of where we are ASAP.


We are looking to start over from scratch and figure the further we can get away from where we are now the better.

Any thoughts on Sheridan, Hot Springs or White Hall?

I just want to live in a area where Tornado's dont show there ugly face.

Also I am looking for an area that has a decent population and things for the kids to do.

Thank you again,

Kevin
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Old 07-31-2007, 04:33 AM
 
Location: The Great State of Arkansas
5,981 posts, read 18,235,423 times
Reputation: 7735
You need to go north if you're trying to escape tornados, but the link above is very interesting....I didn't know MA was even big enough to get a good tornado going! As a self-employed artist, you're going to do best in Eureka or over toward Fayetteville....and there's plenty of small town activities for kids in F'ville, probably more than in White Hall, Sheridan or Hot Springs even. Fayetteville is actually the most culturally diverse place and because of the University will have concerts and art shows and things to hold your interest....but I'll let people who have kids in that area tell you about it. I actually only supported NWA with my checkbook while my kids were at U of A...but it was a LOT of support....
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