What about weather safety at Crabtree, Triangle Town Center, and Southpoint Malls? (Charlotte: house, schools)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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I know tornadoes aren't common here, but I'm still wondering about people who were at the malls when the Raleigh tornado hit. At a major pharmaceutical company where I worked, they issued tornado alerts via the PA system when there was tornado activity within 25 miles, and we were told to find shelter in basements or windowless rooms in the center of the building. That happened twice.
And -- if those two employees at the Lowes in Sanford weren't alert as they were, 100 people would have died.
And -- I remember that a K-Mart in Raleigh was totally destroyed in 1988, but fortunately, it was in the middle of the night.
So -- what about the malls when there is a tornado watch? Does mall management have any responsibility to people there?
What happens if a tornado is barreling toward them? Is there any way for the shoppers and employees to be alerted? Is anything set up? Should it be?
What is done in other parts of the country where tornadoes are more common?
I'm not sure about Malls, per se, but I wouldn't be in a big box store like Lowes, Walmart, etc, during a tornado watch for all the tea in China! That is not a criticism of the genre, just that when you have that large an area covered with a roof, it is going to be vulnerable in a storm.
I'm not sure about Malls, per se, but I wouldn't be in a big box store like Lowes, Walmart, etc, during a tornado watch for all the tea in China! That is not a criticism of the genre, just that when you have that large an area covered with a roof, it is going to be vulnerable in a storm.
True - but normally around here you can be put on a "watch", and not even have a drop of rain come your way. If you've got plans/errands to run that day they can't always be put off. We were out and about for most of the day Saturday, and were just keeping an eye on the radar. Once things hit the Greensboro area or so, we made our way back home.
Brentwood - I think the malls have sirens like a school would. However, it'd be difficult to distinguish if it was a fire alarm or not. I could see how this could be a risky/dangerous situation.
While DH and I were hiding under the stairs on the lower level of our home, because the TV news told us the tornado was moving into our area in 10 or 15 minutes, a couple of people I know and love were working at the mall.
What if the tornado was going toward the mall instead? How would they know? What would they do? That's what made me post the questions.
I don't want to reveal too much personal info, but I work at one of the local malls and I am NOT a fan of their weather safety strategies. If the tornado had been headed directly towards us... we would have no way of knowing. There were a couple of times this winter and in winters past when all the schools are closed for snow, and the mall parking lot is a complete ice-rink. This past winter on one particularly horrible winter morning, THREE employees of the store that I work at were involved in accidents IN THE MALL PARKING LOT due to icy conditions. It makes me mad. As far as I can tell, when schools are closed and people get the day off from work because of the weather... they all head into the mall instead.
While DH and I were hiding under the stairs on the lower level of our home, because the TV news told us the tornado was moving into our area in 10 or 15 minutes, a couple of people I know and love were working at the mall.
What if the tornado was going toward the mall instead? How would they know? What would they do? That's what made me post the questions.
While DH and I were hiding under the stairs on the lower level of our home, because the TV news told us the tornado was moving into our area in 10 or 15 minutes, a couple of people I know and love were working at the mall.
What if the tornado was going toward the mall instead? How would they know? What would they do? That's what made me post the questions.
I don't know the answer, but if you ever find yourself knowing that there is a credible threat, call or text all your people who might be effected.
Case in point, we live in Sanford, and were in the direct path of the Lowes storm (passed over our house, but with no damage as it was not on the ground. Litterally had neighbors confirm it was RIGHT OVER our house.). We had no idea the storm even happened, as we were driving down I85 south of Charlotte at the time, but within an hour, we had several calls and texts to make sure we were OK. It allowed us to check in on our relatives, and to confirm they were OK, that our pets were OK, and ultimately that the house was OK. WE were able to open up our house to a good friend who didn't have a place to go, and all that while we were out of state.
Power came back on this AM....
Long story short, I don't know about the malls, but I hope the "friends network" could effectively be used to warn anyone in this modern day...
I bet if you emailed or called the malls in question, you could get an answer.
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