Tornado Damage Richardson (Richland: building, students, elementary)

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by mastershake575

Multiple scientist over the years including my Dad. It's technically possibly but rare to get the 3 items needed. Developed cities it's much harder to get the instability, low level wind shear, and lifting mechanism needed for a strong tornado. The plains to the West/North of DFW are much more ideal land to achieve these 3 items and to no surprise is where pretty much all of the tornadoes hit when we get one in the Metroplex

I was looking for some actual published scientific data as a source for your assertion. If multiple scientists have confirmed this there should be some published data on it. I can’t find any so I was hoping you could help me out.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by MarshaBrady1968

Bad.

I am near Liberty Jr High, east of Richland College.
By the grace of God, I am fine, house is fine, even have power.
However Richland Meadows almost decimated, as is the neighborhood near Park Bend- can't think of exact name now- west of Audelia near the hockey place.
I am exactly one block east, and some in my neighborhood had some damage or power outages, but my house is somehow fine.

****important****

pass the word around to check NextDoor for missing pets. They are being found everywhere, scared, some injured, probably cannot find what used to be their home.


<edit: just realized you didn't ask about this area-LOL- well, now you know it's bad>

No problem. We are glad y’all survived and hope for everyone to find resources to survive recovery phase.

[mlerno]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

That’s good. Thanks everyone for updates. We should invest more in scientific research to find ways to predict and weaken tornados. Every problem has a solution, we just have to look harder. We shouldn’t loose any lives if we can help it, emotional and material damage can be minimized as well.

Well said. Loss of life is not replaceable....however material and emotional damage lingers for a very long time and sometimes, some material things have a deep value that hurts when it is lost.

[yukon]

Originally Posted by mastershake575

Didn't really get hit.

The worst damage was just barely south of 635. I would say Forest, Royal, and fringe Walnut hill from like Preston road all the way to Greenville got the worst of it. By the time it hooked and headed towards Richardland college (Garland/Richardson border) it had gotten significantly weak.


Actually legit tornadoes are rare for the developed cities due to the ground pressure. That means if they are somehow able to hit there not able to stay strong very long (can't build pressure/momentum)

I think that might be urban myth.

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/...230947618.html

Instead, it’s all just a matter of luck and the relatively small size of cities when compared to expansive rural areas, according to the Storm Prediction Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“The chance of any particular tornado hitting a major downtown is quite low — not for any meteorological reason, but simply because downtowns are small targets,” the website states. “Even when tornadoes hit metro areas their odds of hitting downtown are small out of space considerations alone.”

To the contrary, some experts suggest skyscrapers might actually make bad weather more severe due to the effect of “urban heat islands,” which the Environmental Protection Agency refers to as “built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas.”

“In our modeling studies, (the heat) would actually increase the intensity of the storms, not decrease,” meteorologist Dr. Victor Gensini said, according to NPR.

[tcualum]

Does anyone know how Richland Elementary is doing? It’s my alma mater.

[NTXPerson]

Originally Posted by tcualum

Does anyone know how Richland Elementary is doing? It’s my alma mater.

Richardson wasn't hit as hard as Dallas. RISD only closed schools because of power outages. So, if Richland is still closed it's because the power isn't back on yet.

[tuesday2]

They’re temporarily relocating all those students to the Professional Development Building. Not sure if it’s because their power is still out or because of repairs. Half Price books apparently donated a lot of books for them to use while they’re out of their school.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by yukon

I think that might be urban myth.

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/...230947618.html

Instead, it’s all just a matter of luck and the relatively small size of cities when compared to expansive rural areas, according to the Storm Prediction Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“The chance of any particular tornado hitting a major downtown is quite low — not for any meteorological reason, but simply because downtowns are small targets,” the website states. “Even when tornadoes hit metro areas their odds of hitting downtown are small out of space considerations alone.”

To the contrary, some experts suggest skyscrapers might actually make bad weather more severe due to the effect of “urban heat islands,” which the Environmental Protection Agency refers to as “built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas.”

“In our modeling studies, (the heat) would actually increase the intensity of the storms, not decrease,” meteorologist Dr. Victor Gensini said, according to NPR.

Yeah. Dallas also had a very severe one in 1976. It went all the way across North Dallas from near Love Field to Central Expressway & Walnut Hill before hopping over to near Jupiter Road and 635. It was on the ground 30 minutes or more.

Atlanta had one hit the downtown basketball arena during the SEC basketball tournament a few years back.

Houston seems to have about 1 a year hit Dairy Ashford in West Houston near the Energy Corridor, not counting any that get spawned during hurricanes.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by tcualum

Does anyone know how Richland Elementary is doing? It’s my alma mater.

I heard that Richland Elementary was badly damaged, but others are saying it's just a power outage. They've shipped that student body across town to a building across from Heights Elementary for now.

[NTXPerson]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I heard that Richland Elementary was badly damaged, but others are saying it's just a power outage. They've shipped that student body across town to a building across from Heights Elementary for now.

**** This morning, local news confirmed Richland Elementary has restored power and students will return to the building today.