[karibear]

Originally Posted by IsThisHome?

I realize that you’re all desensitized to it, but I they were legitimate questions. I have watched a lot of storm chasing shows lately and my mom liked in Stillwater so long ago, she doesn't remember well. One of the things that I wonder is night the most dangerous? They would be harder to see and so the warning sirens may not come in time. Everyone just says oh, there are sirens...like that's an automatic guarantee. "I just do what the sirens tell me. What is the f*(& ringing in my ear?"
For someone who doesn't know, I didn't want to just assume. If someone asked me about earthquakes I would tell them... <3 feels like a twitch in your leg; 3-4 things visibly shake, light weight stuff might fall off shelves; 4-5 don't stand near anything too heavy; 5< things are going to break... With earthquakes you can never tell in two ways: there are no real warnings and what starts off feeling like a 3.4 can just be the beginning of something that is a 6 three seconds latter and there are always aftershocks. So no matter what it’s a good idea to take shelter because it could grow quickly.
Thanks to FutureArchitect and those who tried to actually give me a non smart ass answer.

I grew up in St Louis, where we got both tornadoes and earthquakes. The tornadoes did by far more damage, but we also got tremors from the New Madrid fault. Then I spent over 30 years in coastal Alaska, where we had earthquakes, tsunamis, and active volcanoes to worry about. The only thing you can do is laugh, there's nothing on earth possible to do about any of them to prevent any of it. The best anyone can do is be as prepared as possible - like having plenty of staple groceries on hand, and plenty of bottled water. After all, a lot of roads there would be wiped out as well as the power plant which was on the shore, so there wouldn't be power to run city water or to keep the grocery stores going. Some of the stores and the hospital had [still have, I suppose] their own generators, but there was still the problem of getting to them, and them being able to get fuel to keep them running - the fuel dealers were also on the shore, because it's all delivered by tanker. You just can't live constantly stressed out worrying about what 'might' or 'could' happen. Whatever does happen is usually something totally unexpected, anyway.

[Rickd203]

Originally Posted by IsThisHome?

I realize that you’re all desensitized to it, but I they were legitimate questions. I have watched a lot of storm chasing shows lately and my mom liked in Stillwater so long ago, she doesn't remember well. One of the things that I wonder is night the most dangerous? They would be harder to see and so the warning sirens may not come in time. Everyone just says oh, there are sirens...like that's an automatic guarantee. "I just do what the sirens tell me. What is the f*(& ringing in my ear?" For someone who doesn't know, I didn't want to just assume. If someone asked me about earthquakes I would tell them... <3 feels like a twitch in your leg; 3-4 things visibly shake, light weight stuff might fall off shelves; 4-5 don't stand near anything too heavy; 5< things are going to break... With earthquakes you can never tell in two ways: there are no real warnings and what starts off feeling like a 3.4 can just be the beginning of something that is a 6 three seconds latter and there are always aftershocks. So no matter what it’s a good idea to take shelter because it could grow quickly.Thanks to FutureArchitect and those who tried to actually give me a non smart ass answer.

I can understand why it's so hard to get a straight answer about tornadoes. I tell the people around here the same thing. The last thing they need are bunch of people from here moving to Oklahoma. If they went there they would vote themselves into office raise all the taxes and pass laws to change their entire way of live. Out here they build McMansions and then harass the local farmers with lawsuits and petitions about everything. They can't stand the smell or noise of livestock. Crop farming raises too much dust. They don't want beehives around because their children might get stung. It never ends.

I'm trying to get away from these people. I really don't want them following me. I even made up a little story to explain about the moving van in my driveway. I tell them I'm moving to New Hampshire because the taxes are low and I can build a little cabin in the woods. If they want to find someplace else to ruin, let them go there.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by IsThisHome?

Thanks to FutureArchitect and those who tried to actually give me a non smart ass answer.

as one of the smart asses, let me ask you how often you get asked the same question? Do you really think that if there were a serious ever present danger anyone would live here? Do you always take everything that TV says as gospel? You do know that those tv shows showing tornadoes are compilations of several years worth of video, covering hundreds of thousands of square miles that run from Colorado to Ohio and from Houston to Canada? Get really serious before you ask questions like that. Also, before you ask the same question that has been answered, do a word search on here and see just how many threads or posts use the word tornado. Your questions have been answered a dozen times already..........

PS: If this is an example of your sense of humor, you might not fit in too well around here. If I were you, I think I'd think about it a bit more before I made a major effort to move.

[karibear]

It's kind of hard to take it too seriously, considering how many houses there are that were built back in the '20s, '30s, '40s, and so on, with really big trees around them. If there was all that much danger from tornadoes, they wouldn't still be standing and either inhabited or for sale. Although, having said that, I did overhear a conversation a few months back where a farmer was describing how he'd rebuilt his barn two or three times, because it kept getting hit by tornadoes. Me, I think I'd have moved it somewhere else on the property, even if it did mean having to make a new foundation. On the other hand, losing a barn might not be as bad as losing a house, depeding on what kind of machinery was in it.

[HeatherDawn]

Yes, you can drive on open highway anytime of the year.

Sirens are not based on visuals so day vs. night doesn't matter. Sirens are based on doppler radar. I have woken up many times in the night and checked the weather because it was storming outside. Tornadoes can come in the middle of the night and be disastrous. Just like fires or bombs or an airplane flying into your house. Rare, but not impossible.

[colleeng47]

Everybody pretty much has a weather radio, too. At the beginning of storm season they sell for around $30 in supermarkets and walmart. You can set it so it goes off when there's a warning in your county, next county, etc. Mine has gone off several times during the night before any sirens. I usually get up and check the TV to see what's going on. Most times we just go back to sleep because it's not close by.

We have a storm cellar that was built incorrectly, so it's constantly flooded. If things ever get too close and personal, we would go down the street to the elementary school. Most towns have buildings that are opened up as shelters on really bad nights.

[Rickd203]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

We have a storm cellar that was built incorrectly, so it's constantly flooded. If things ever get too close and personal, we would go down the street to the elementary school. Most towns have buildings that are opened up as shelters on really bad nights.

You might want to install a sump pump into your storm cellar. They are inexpensive, easy to install and will keep your storm cellar in working order.

.

[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by Rickd203

You might want to install a sump pump into your storm cellar. They are inexpensive, easy to install and will keep your storm cellar in working order.

.

Thanks, I'll look into that.

[405travelgirl]

I'm more worried about the ice storms than the tornadoes!

But it's funny I still can't get my CA friend to visit me, she is scared to death some tornado is going to blow her away. On the same note, I have friends here that have asked a million questions about earthquakes in CA... the grass is always greenier, or in this case more dangerous

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by 405travelgirl

I'm more worried about the ice storms than the tornadoes!

But it's funny I still can't get my CA friend to visit me, she is scared to death some tornado is going to blow her away. On the same note, I have friends here that have asked a million questions about earthquakes in CA... the grass is always greenier, or in this case more dangerous

I admit to nervousness over them. True, the place is full of buildings that are approaching 100, but its one of those unknowns and sometime before the time they might come I want some advise on what to do, like where in my house to go or where shelters are.

But I was still in socal when that last 4.3 quake happened, upstairs in a building we knew had termites in it and was 40 years old, built in the 70's when the building codes were "relaxed" to encourage building. (and restored ten years later). The quake started to shake and stopped, then started again. Everyone I know was thinking "big one". The state emergency people are deadly serious that the San Andreas WILL go in the next ten to 20 years, but it could be tomorrow. Most of the people I know are sticking their heads in the sand.

When it does and half of socal in in ruins that is the last place I want to be. I wouldn't give the apartment I used to live in much chance in one a few notches less intense.

People in cali do think about quakes. Its one of those things in the back of the mind. Most do nothing about it. But you can't go around 24/7 worrying about it. Be prepared and take note of where you are.

When one happens it reminds everyone but it gets put away in time. But I find the general attitude here about tornados pretty much the same as the cali attitude about quakes.