ALERT!!! Tornado Warning, Collin, Rockwall, Dallas Counties - December 26, 2015!!! (Garland: insurance, construction)

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by Rakin

My family (wife and 2 small kids) and I were caught in a Tornado near Ranger Hill about 20 years ago while we were on I-20 headed west. I debated leaving the car and laying in the ditch but felt like the heavy car provided us the best protection.

Leaving a vehicle when you have no place else to hunker down is not always the best solution. I'd rather be in a 4,000 lb car than exposed lying in a ditch on the side of the road. If the wind will overturn a car, I can imagine what it would do to a unprotected person.

In that case, the best solution is to drive the car down into the ditch.

[Tyryztoll]

Took this from my back yard looking NW toward Copeville Saturday night.

[westhou]

Originally Posted by taroberts

As someone who has lived through a Cat 4 and a Cat 5 hurricane then now residing in DFW since 2009 I will say that yes I would be far more worried about a tornado than a hurricane. You get days warning that a hurricane is coming. Buy a plane ticket and get to a safer city. Come back after it has passed. Yes your items will probably be picked over by looters but that is the worst case scenario.

Living through a Cat 4 and Cat 5 was not my choice and I can certainly tell you as long as planes fly that will never happen to me again. You cant really predict a tornado with the advance warning and direction like a hurricane .

I evacuated during Rita. That turned out to be a bust so I stayed for Ike. Worst decision ever. I was in extreme fear for hours while it hit us. The entire time it sounded like the roof would be ripped off. But even after experiencing that I would still rather deal with a hurricane over a tornado. I still have the option of evacuating when the next powerful hurricane takes aim at Houston. My friends in Dallas aren't so lucky to escape the next powerful tornado. Houston gets tornadoes too but they tend to be weak ones except for that powerful one that hit Channelview back in the 90s. I think that one was just as bad as the one that hit Garland/Rowlett.

[JimBaker488]

Thoughts to all of the victims and thier families in North Texas of this horrendous storm (or series of storms).
So this event once and for all puts North Texas squarely in the heart of Tornado alley. I'm just amazed that a really big twister outbreak like this hasn't hit the area a long time ago by now given the tremendous growth it's experienced in recent decades.

[JimBaker488]

Originally Posted by westhou

Houston gets tornadoes too but they tend to be weak ones except for that powerful one that hit Channelview back in the 90s. .

The necessary missing ingredient for the creation of wedge-type twisters in Southeast Texas/Housston that is often present in the North Texas & Oklahoma & the rest of Tornado alley is that the jet stream rarely veers as far south as Houston. But the Jet Sream is often active in North Texas and that is what is needed to create the F-4 and/or F-5 monsters like what hit the Dallas area in recent days.

[Pincho-toot]

I have a close friend living in Garland, thankfully his area of town was spared. How frightening for such monstrous storms to come, right after Christmas too.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Aceraceae

The pictures from Rowlett looked like a powerful tornado.

It was. I found out a friend of mine from high school's home was destroyed in that tornado. Luckily, she and her family are all safe. I know several families who suffered damages ranging from minor (broken window, roof damage) to total loss (house destroyed). The devastation is heartbreaking.

BigD and Mr. BigD have been quite busy the last week. Quite busy.

[Grainraiser]

I left Mesquite going to Bass Pro shop to pickup a few items. Took Collin's thru Sunnyvalle and once you hit the Garland City limits you could see how severe the damage really is. There were many homes that were totally demolished. I have never ever seen a scene like that in my life. It's amazing that more people were not killed. Mother nature can deal a terrible hand sometimes.

Reggie

[Beaching]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

It was. I found out a friend of mine from high school's home was destroyed in that tornado. Luckily, she and her family are all safe. I know several families who suffered damages ranging from minor (broken window, roof damage) to total loss (house destroyed). The devastation is heartbreaking.

BigD and Mr. BigD have been quite busy the last week. Quite busy.

One friends house that was left standing, they thought would be okay. Only had roof over garage major damage and two small holes in the roof of the house. Adjuster came out and after inspecting the house is not habitable. Seems the force of the tornado lifted the roof and supports and they are off by 4". House will most likely have to come down. Houses on both sides of them and behind them were leveled with not a wall standing. Hearing now that even houses that were only going to need what owners thought were "minor" repairs compared to others are actually much worse.


Have your friends insist that all windows be replaced. The suction from the torando can break the seals.

It really is amazing that the only deaths were in the vehicles on the highway. Over 1100 homes were leveled and hundreds more with major damage.

One thing that is utterly amazing me, the sheer number of people that did not have homeowners insurance. I'm not talking about the ones in the older, older homes. The fairly nice brick homes. Sure, they are old enough to have been paid off if the original owners still live there. But, not to have any HO insurnace at all to protect your largest investment???? I know HO insurance is not cheap. Now, they have nothing and no way to rebuild or repair. Honestly, what I am reading and seeing, I would not recommend someone buy a house in Rowlett that was damaged and repaired. They may not pass inspection when it they attempt to sell.

On the HO insurance, many are also finding out that they only had the minimum coverage under "other structures" that cover fences, storage buildings, etc. The state minimum is 10% and that is on the policy. You can increase or decrease depending on what you have on your property. Same goes for the dollar figure that some had their home set at. Many are not going to be able to rebuild their home back to what it was as they did not take into account the cost of construction materials and labor for inflation over the years.


Now is a good time to sit down with your HO insurance agent and go over your policy. Are you properly insured to be able to rebuild your home back exactly as it is today if it were to be leveled next week or next year? Do you have enough coverage to help cover the cost to replace clothing, furniture, electronics, etc that would be lost in such a disaster?

[ChristieP]

I'm always shocked when people have no homeowners insurance. One fire, tornado or water line rupture could take away everything!