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I do not think this thread belongs in Politics, but there IS no other place considering the controversy thats coming. Looking at all the devastation, which has become almost the norm for the area, what should be done to prevent so many lost lives and infrastructure ? Here are some sobering thoughts, I welcome your comments
All around Oak City the number of homes with basements is small, the foundations sit on bedrock..requiring explosives to put in a basement where the people might have a fighting chance.
Looking at the disaster ( Joplin too, I have been in both places three weeks ago ) it seems to me that anything built with sticks becomes fodder to these massive Twisters. Why let the rebuilding go on when it is most likely a lot of these homes have been reconstructed from the rubble several times already ? There is a way to stop this total destruction, mandate all homes be built from precast concrete or pour in place cement. Sure, windows will go, some roof damage, but the structure and the people inside remain.
There should be storm cellars built underground for every four houses and always be included in every commercial/school/hospital construction, no exceptions. All this can be done NOW as they rebuild what blows away every year, somewhere in Tornado ally.
The loss of life, especially defenseless children should not be subjects in harms way, there needs to be a plan. These people had 45 min warning. The weatherman in his frustration, said it as only He could. " If you do not have a storm shelter, get in your vehicle and drive like hell away from the storm " This should have applied also for the defenseless schools where over 20 K to 3rd children died. Put the kids in the school bus and leave the area.By now , almost everyone living in Oklahoma should know what to do and they should have a good idea what direction the storm will go, and the danger.
Last but not lest, what about just leaving the destroyed town as is ? What must the cost be to clean up rebuild, and rebuild again and again .? Pay everyone off, enough to start anew in a nearby area, where clean up would not be needed and the cost to build would be much less. Slowly as time and money permit, declare the area in Moore a National Historic Monument. After all this area holds the record for the strongest Twister in the world ! Let everyone come and see what nature can do, and what could be done to lessen the outcome.
TGhats about all my quick thoughts, now , lets hear yours....what should be done ?
You are correct, everything, in this severely partisan atmosphere, becomes political. We will be "fighting" about global climate change, aid to areas hit by natural disasters (I heard an OK congresman, this morning, explain that yesterdays tragedy was completely different from hurricane Sandy, which he wanted to deny federal funds for; and probably, even the number of deaths due to "natural disaster" verses the number of deaths due to "gun violence", in our country!
We will never be able to predict or properly guard against any and all disasters. . .
If I could wave my magic wand, I would make compassion for others, and a true understanding of our joint "connectedness", a reality in the minds and hearts of all human beings.
I agree with your shelter ideas because there in nowhere for these people to run to. The entire storm area “tornado alley” is a thousand miles wide by two thousand long. If they are going to stay there, and some do, they have to build their own protection.
IMHO building a public building like a school or hospital with "reinforced" concrete block is nearly criminal anywhere let alone "tornado alley". At least they should have an internal hallway of reinforced concrete with a strong enough roof to be a shelter from a very severe tornado. I cannot fathom why they let their system build such a weak building. I'll bet a whole bunch of bereaved families are wondering that as well.
I know they build on slab down there mainly because they have to blast to create basements. I agree that there needs to be community storm shelters, and shelters in major public buildings like schools and hospitals. The flip side is that children drowned in the basement of one of the schools--that floored me. I live in tornado alley too, but in a part of the country where basements are common. I wouldn't buy a house up here without a basement just for that very reason. We usually have to take shelter at least a couple of times each summer.
You are correct, everything, in this severely partisan atmosphere, becomes political. We will be "fighting" about global climate change, aid to areas hit by natural disasters (I heard an OK congresman, this morning, explain that yesterdays tragedy was completely different from hurricane Sandy, which he wanted to deny federal funds for; and probably, even the number of deaths due to "natural disaster" verses the number of deaths due to "gun violence", in our country!
We will never be able to predict or properly guard against any and all disasters. . .
If I could wave my magic wand, I would make compassion for others, and a true understanding of our joint "connectedness", a reality in the minds and hearts of all human beings.
The Oklahoma disaster is no different than H. Sandy. They are both natural disasters.
But again, the OK congressman you reference did not, repeat, NOT want to deny funds FOR SANDY VICTIMS. It was the pork associated with the Sandy relief that he wanted to deny. All bills containing pork should be denied.
By now , almost everyone living in Oklahoma should know what to do and they should have a good idea what direction the storm will go
You sure about that?
This is from one of my customers. I emailed her yesterday after finding out about the storm. She got back to me last night:
"I didn't know which way to go! It was all over the place. I didn't know what to do. It is one of the scariest things in the world to try to guess which way the giant spinning cloud is going."
She lives six miles from where the tornado touched down, and was in her car close to it when it hit. I've never experienced a tornado myself, but this girl grew up in Oklahoma. I don't think it's as simple and straightforward as you believe it is.
One, tornadoes don't hit the same places year after year. Tornado alley is ill-defined. One authority will say that tornado alley is along one trajectory. Another authority will say that tornado alley is along a different trajectory. Tornadoes can and do hit anywhere and everywhere. The people who rebuild don't do it expecting a tornado to hit them again. Ask the people in Greensburg, Kansas. They don't expect a tornado to hit them again, because it's unlikely to hit them again. Even if another tornado were to hit Joplin today, it would likely hit different neighborhoods then the last one. A tornado is a completely unpredictable beast.
Two, the soil in Oklahoma is expansive red clay. Not bedrock. The issue isn't about having to dynamite a hole in the ground, the issue is that a basement in expansive red clay is extremely unstable. You don't build on top of an unstable foundation. It causes all sorts of structural issues.
Three, the hospital in Joplin that was destroyed was built to be tornado resistant. Reinforced concrete with steel rebar and concrete block just makes the flying debris when an EF-5 hits even more deadly.
Four, there are people who live in Oklahoma, and Kansas, and Nebraska, and Missouri, and Alabama, and in any other tornado-prone state you care to mention, that have never even seen a tornado. Tornadoes aren't hurricanes, they are more like lightning. You don't know where or when they are going to hit, you don't know how much damage they will cause. A tornado can hit one house in a neighborhood and not touch any other homes. Or it can level the neighborhood. But no one can predict what it will do.
Your right but there was a school called Monroe thatgot a direct hit and killed some children. Maybe thats why the OP confused the title.
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