Tornado

Tornado

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground.

Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles.

Tornadoes can occur at any time of day or night and at any time of the year. Although tornadoes are most common in the Central Plains and the southeastern United States, they have been reported in all 50 states.

A tornado can:

    • Happen anytime and anywhere.
    • Bring intense winds, over 200 miles per hour.
    • Look like funnels.

Know the signs of a Tornado

Some tornadoes strike quickly without time for a tornado warning, so it is important to know the signs of a tornado.

Signs that a tornado may be approaching include the following:

    • Rotating funnel-shaped cloud
    • Approaching cloud of debris
    • Dark or green-colored sky
    • Large, dark, low-lying cloud
    • Large hail
    • Loud roar that sounds like a freight train

If you notice any of these signs take cover immediately and stay tuned to local radio and TV stations, a NOAA weather radio, or the internet.

Tornado Warning Safety Messages

    1. Know where to take shelter.  Your family could be anywhere when a tornado strikes–at home, at work, at school, or in the car. Discuss with your family where the best tornado shelters are and how family members can protect themselves from flying and falling debris.

      The key to surviving a tornado and reducing the risk of injury lies in planning, preparing, and practicing what you and your family will do if a tornado strikes. Flying debris causes most deaths and injuries during a tornado. Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are much safer than others.

    2. If you’re at home, pick a place in the home where family members can gather if a tornado is headed your way. One basic rule is AVOID WINDOWS. An exploding window can injure or kill.

      The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If there is no basement, go to an inside room, without windows, on the lowest floor. This could be a center hallway, bathroom, or closet.

      For added protection, get under something sturdy such as a heavy table or workbench. If possible, cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag, or mattress, and protect your head with anything available–even your hands. Avoid taking shelter where there are heavy objects, such as pianos or refrigerators, on the area of floor that is directly above you. They could fall though the floor if the tornado strikes your house.

    3. DO NOT STAY IN A MOBILE HOME MANUFACTURED PRIOR to 1976 DURING A TORNADO. Mobile homes built before 1976 are particularly vulnerable to high winds.

      Plan ahead. If you live in a mobile home older than 1976, go to a nearby building, preferably one with a basement. If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine, or culvert and shield your head with your hands.

    4. The least desirable place to be during a tornado is in a motor vehicle. Cars, buses, and trucks are easily tossed by tornado winds.

      DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR. If you see a tornado, stop your vehicle and get out. Do not get under your vehicle. Follow the directions for seeking shelter outdoors, which are:

      ·         Avoid areas with many trees.

      ·         Avoid vehicles.

      ·         Lie down flat in a gully, ditch, or low spot on the ground.

      ·         Protect your head with an object or with your arms.

    5. If you’re in a long-span building, such as a shopping mall, theater, or gymnasium, is especially dangerous because the roof structure is usually supported solely by the outside walls. Most such buildings hit by tornados cannot withstand the enormous pressure. They simply collapse.

      If you are in a long-span building during a tornado, stay away from windows. Get to the lowest level of the building–the basement if possible–and away from the windows.

      If there is no time to get to a tornado shelter or to a lower level, try to get under a door frame or get up against something that will support or deflect falling debris. For instance, in a department store, get up against heavy shelving or counters. In a theater, get under the seats. Remember to protect your head.

    6. If you’re in office buildings, schools, hospitals, churches, and other public buildings,

      ·         Move away from windows and glass doorways.

      ·         Go to the innermost part of the building on the lowest possible floor.

      ·         Do not use elevators because the power may fail, leaving you trapped.

      ·         Protect your head and make yourself as small a target as possible by crouching down.

STAY INSIDE

    • Stay inside for 24 hours unless local authorities provide other instructions. Continue to practice social distancing by wearing a mask and by keeping a distance of at least six feet between yourself and people who not part of your household.
    • Family should stay where they are inside. Reunite later to avoid exposure to dangerous radiation.
    • Keep your pets inside.

STAY TUNED

    • Tune into any media available for official information such as when it is safe to exit and where you should go.
    • Battery operated and hand crank radios will function after a nuclear detonation.
    • Cell phone, text messaging, television, and internet services may be disrupted or unavailable.

 

Tornado Damages

Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale)

Fujita Scale (or F Scale) of tornado damage intensity. The F Scale was developed based on damage intensity and not wind speed; wind speed ranges given are estimated, based on the extent of observed damage.

 

Character

Weak

Estimated Winds

65-85 mph

Description

Light Damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees, shallow-rooted trees uprooted, sign boards damaged.

Character

Weak

Estimated Winds

86-110 mph

Description

Moderate damage. Roof surfaces peeled off; mobile homes pushed foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off road.

Character

Strong

Estimated Winds

111-135 mph

Description

Considerable damage. Roofs torn from frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light objects become projectiles.

Character

Strong

Estimated Winds

136-165 mph

Description

Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn from well- constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forested area uprooted; heavy cars lifted and thrown.

Character

Violent

Estimated Winds

166-200 mph

Description

Devastating damage. Well- constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundation blown some distance; cars thrown; large missiles generated.

Character

Violent

Estimated Winds

Over 200 mph

Description

Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations, carried considerable distances, and disintegrated; auto-sized missiles airborne for several hundred feet or more; trees debarked.

tornado
Tornado

For more information

fema
FEMA.gov
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Ready.gov

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