Does Tornado do damages more badly to human or just properties? (Dallas: insurance, houses)

[ericeric]

I know this might be a silly question. But I really have no idea of tornado since I am from Philly. Please pardon me.

Does tornado damage more badly to human or just properties? I heard there are definitely damages to houses, cars, etc. Is there is any human hurt or death report? Or how big is the chance for human to get hurt in Tornado?

When living in Dallas, do you ever worry about your kids or your family if there is a Tornado suddenly, but they are outside or inside? Or are you afraid if you are driving, but there comes a tornado?

Sorry for these silly questions. I just want to get some senses of Tornado in Dallas area.

Thanks.

[hal2814]

Well first off, if you are driving and there is a tornado, get out of your car and into a ditch. National Weather Service used to have a page on what to do during a tornado. It's worth Googling for so you are properly prepared.

We were very fortunate that there were no fatalities in the last batch of tornados. That's not typical. But at the same time, fatalities and injuries are generally limited in comparison to property damage.

[Shayne_]

I dont think they are silly questions, I would honestly like to know too...... Being from the midwest all my life I've lived in homes with basements and when there was a Tornado warning or watch, first thing we did was run to the basement and cut on the TV down there......


Where do people go for shelter during a Tonado watch/warning in Dallas??????? Since there are no basements.......

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by Shayne_

Where do people go for shelter during a Tonado watch/warning in Dallas??????? Since there are no basements.......

An interior space with no windows such as a bathroom or closet.

[MckinneyOwnr]

People can hide and take shelter from a tornado. Houses and other property are pretty much stuck where they are and have to do the best they can.

In general, tornadoes can produce a few fatalities, but the death toll is usually not as bad as say, a strong earthquake or hurricane. I don't worry about them at all, I grew up in Kansas which has a lot more tornadoes than TX does, so I'm pretty used to it.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Originally Posted by Acntx

An interior space with no windows such as a bathroom or closet.

Yep, the general rule is, put as many walls as you can between you and the outside.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

My son sat in the closet under the stairs with the door shut. And yes, tornadoes kill people all the time - haven't you read the news about all the ones in the MidWest in the last month or two? Thos were more severe than what Dallas gets, from what I've read.

[househunter1970]

By no means, these are silly questions. There were a lot of things that ran through my mind when there were tornadoes in Dallas. But, the only thing I had control over was myself and my kid at home. I stayed in the closet with a radio and map and waited till all the tornado craziness was over. And if you have kids, I would suggest having a toy or two along with candies just to make sure they don't get bored and want to go out to the backyard and play

While I am concerned about the safety of my family during times like this, I am more worried when I see irresponsible people on the roads that text and drive, drive @ 40 mph in a residential area, drunk driving or try to multitask while driving . I believe the chances of someone getting hit/runover by the above mentioned idiots are higher than getting hit by a Tornado.

I learnt a lot from the recent tornado and hopefully wont repeat some mistakes in the future. My favorite one was, I had placed a Flash Light in the closet for times like this and when I went into the closet and checked the light, there was no power and the button was in the "On" position.
I am still thinking , which one told me that he/she was going treasure hunting in the closet.

My older kids were at school and the Teachers/Management did a fantastic job of getting them to a class that had no windows and maintained their cool, so kids did not panic. While my kid knew that things were not normal, she never realized all the stuff that was going on outside.

By the way, does anyone know how home insurance works during times of tornadoes. Is there anything specific that I need to include for coverage during times like this.

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by ericeric

I know this might be a silly question. But I really have no idea of tornado since I am from Philly. Please pardon me.

Does tornado damage more badly to human or just properties? I heard there are definitely damages to houses, cars, etc. Is there is any human hurt or death report? Or how big is the chance for human to get hurt in Tornado?

When living in Dallas, do you ever worry about your kids or your family if there is a Tornado suddenly, but they are outside or inside? Or are you afraid if you are driving, but there comes a tornado?

Sorry for these silly questions. I just want to get some senses of Tornado in Dallas area.

Thanks.

.

Not silly questions at all, but what everyone contemplating moving to the area, and those already here new to the area, need the answers to.

Per NOAA's National Severe Storms Lab,

Weak tornadoes (starting at F0) make up 74% of all tornadoes, while 67% of all tornado deaths come from violent tornadoes (with F5 the highest).

In other words, the higher on the F-scale the tornado is rated, the higher the possibility of property damage and the human injuries and deaths that occur, which are mostly caused by flying and falling debris.

However, unlike a hurricane that is rated before it hits land, no rating can be assigned to a tornado before it hits an area... only afterwards can it be measured by the property damage & human injuries & deaths incurred. So this means that, when a tornado watch is issued, you must be prepared to act, and if a warning is issued, you must put your preparations in action immediately. See the American Red Cross Tornado Safety Ckecklist

As described over and over in this forum's April 3, 2012 Tornado thread, the Dallas area is well prepared for this type of event as far as getting this information to the public as quickly as possible through every venue available, i.e., NOAA weather radio, cell phone and internet, and TV and radio stations alerts, along with the cities sirens, etc. This was a major contributing factor to the no deaths and very low injuries incurred in this last tornado event - the people in the area were able to - and did - prepare for it.
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[ericeric]

Originally Posted by BstYet2Be

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Not silly questions at all, but what everyone contemplating moving to the area, and those already here new to the area, need the answers to.

Per NOAA's National Severe Storms Lab,
In other words, the higher on the F-scale the tornado is rated, the higher the possibility of property damage and the human injuries and deaths that occur, which are mostly caused by flying and falling debris.

However, unlike a hurricane that is rated before it hits land, no rating can be assigned to a tornado before it hits an area... only afterwards can it be measured by the property damage & human injuries & deaths incurred. So this means that, when a tornado watch is issued, you must be prepared to act, and if a warning is issued, you must put your preparations in action immediately. See the American Red Cross Tornado Safety Ckecklist

As described over and over in this forum's April 3, 2012 Tornado thread, the Dallas area is well prepared for this type of event as far as getting this information to the public as quickly as possible through every venue available, i.e., NOAA weather radio, cell phone and internet, and TV and radio stations alerts, along with the cities sirens, etc. This was a major contributing factor to the no deaths and very low injuries incurred in this last tornado event - the people in the area were able to - and did - prepare for it.
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Thanks. Great reply!!!