Tornadoes and You :)

i assumed they listed them in order of preference but maybe they didn't.

either way, i'd prefer to be in the car(2,000 or 3,000 pounds) or a truck(more than 40,000 pounds) plus they have walls, i wont get soaking wet in the rain or struck by hail.

 

The Joplin tornado passed my home about 6 blocks to the south. I thought me and the family were "goners" as it passed... sky black as night, dead calm, and a horrid waterfall / freight train sound to the south moving from west to east.

I'd never seen or heard a tornado in my life up until that point... and I knew exactly what it was just by hearing the sound.

It took me almost an hour that evening to drive 2 miles to check on the work building located about 8 blocks due north of that Taco Bell... a drive that normally takes 5 minutes. I'm surprised I didn't total the Jeep getting there and back.

That Taco Bell is still standing in ruins. It was the only structure left standing within a 6 block radius of 26th & Main. Whoever built it a few years ago knew what they were doing. I don't know if it will ever reopen... nobody has touched it since.

 

This is new to me and have gone through a number of training programs on severe weather. While laying in a ditch in the rain and hail isn't appealing it sounds a lot better than being thrown tornado while in a car or being impelled by flying debris. Wonder what they have found in their research to make the car an option?

 

here what i tried to post earlier..

 

..........wow

 

And not just tornadoes in these storms, a few years ago we received significant damage from a down draft from a collapsing thunderstorm. 80+ mph straight line winds. Spring time can be interesting in the midwest.

 

Thats a freakin mess right there. YIKES!!!

 

that was the FJ in Joplin

 

Yeah those straight line winds you have to much they can be as bad as the tornadoes. Especially here in Southwest Michigan.

 

I had 2 close calls in my so far in just my 1st year. The day before the Joplin tornado I took my 10 at the Joplin Petro, was well on my way by the time it hit. The other I was driving down US69 in OK heading towards Dallas and off in the distance there was one nasty looking storm, sky was purple and just huge clouds and lightning. About 30 minutes later the wind just kicked up and was coming from every direction, 4 wheelers were putting the 4 ways on and crawling and I was loaded to gross and it felt like I was going to get blown over. This was one of the stretches with no shoulder so nowhere to pull over but I was going to as soon as I could find a spot but a few minutes later it was over. When I checked the next day some little town not to far off that highway got leveled by a twister that night.

One other kinda close call but with straightline winds. When I was training @ Millington,TN overnight while we were all at the hotel a storm rolled in and blew over 5 unhooked trailers and 2 complete rigs on the range. Took them over a day to clean up that mess.

Also didn't the Petro in VA off I81 exit 29 take a direct hit this year?