Tornado's

Tornado's are pretty local events, and not that much to worry about.

Well, unless one is heading towards you.

Hurricanes, ice storms, high wind events - they I worry about more.

Trouble with a tornado, though, is you can't simply stop and weather it out. You have to get away from it, or it will tear you up.

This one in the Dallas area was impressive.
And when the pumpkin patch got hit I got very worried for those people. But I hear that no one was seriously injured.

 

can you imagin, pulling into the pumpkin patch to do your 10, going to sleep and wake up and be like Toto, i dont think we're in TX anymore!


If i were there i'd demand a raise or at least mileage pay for the miles flown






American Trucker

 

There's several things you can do. First be up to date on the current weather by watching the news or using the internet daily. Know if you heading into a storm area. Some trips you'll have multiple routes and you might base your route on the weather.

A CB with weather or even the stereo with weather will broadcast the emergency broadcast system in them surprise moments. Truckers will usually talk on the CB. Buy you a CB with weather. You might not need it but once in a blue moon, but you're glad you have it sometimes.

If you find yourself in the immediate area, you need to be gathering knowledge with any means possible. You don't want to be stuck in the truck if all possible. A last ditch effort get out of the truck and find a ditch or box culvert if a solid building/ shelter isn't nearby. If I was in a truck stop like the one in Dallas that got hit, you would find me in the walk in cooler, not in the truck. Bridge overpasses are not a good idea. you want to be low as possible.

My closest call was the Nashville flood a couple years back. I was coming down I-24 through KY and I had a weather radio and it went off. I got three different tornado reports in relation to towns. I zoomed out my GPS and seen where they were and all were with in ten miles of me. I knew where they were by the weather radio and GPS. One had me concerned and I stopped at the Love's in Culvert City until it got on the other side of the interstate. Then I proceeded on just to get trapped in Nashville for two days.

When I first started driving I seen a massive tornado about five miles wide outside Oklahoma City but I wasn't in it's path, but it was an amazing site.

It's part of the excitement of being a truck driver because you will see some weather you've never seen before.

 

Keep your cb on. Thats it. Even if you know one is nearby it still is hard to predict what direction its going and if its rain wrapped you wont even know its there anyway.

 

I would not ever try to run from a tornado in a big rig. Your maneuverability is so limited (not to mention your speed.) What if it looks like the tornado is going south, so you head off on a side road heading east, and then the funnel turns and goes east at the same time you find yourself stuck on a dead end road?

You're first priority is to save yourself. If a tornado is coming, get out of the truck and get somewhere safe. If the truck gets wiped out, oh well. It's replaceable- you are not. Trying to predict where a tornado will strike is a losers game. Even the experienced storm chasers get in trouble at times.

Similar to when a deer jumps out in front of the truck. Never swerve, just keep going. Sometimes the deer will avoid you, sometimes it will end up flattened. Either way, it's an act of nature and therefore unpredictable. Same goes for tornados.

 

Find a ditch...

 

CondoCrusier does the Weather feature on those grab alerts regardless of where you are? i only ask because i know the local news channels here are constantly promoting weather alert radios but say there are steps to program it for your area. i just dont remember if doing so EXCLUDES other areas alerts or is required to even get an alert.

either way, they are darn good ideas for everyone. (i say as i do not own one yet) but even when 'off' they will still blare out any NWS alerts at top volume.


Edit- the ones i refer to are available at walgreens and seemingly EVERY store here. prices seem to range from 20 bucks up to 50 or 60 bucks.

 

You can buy the portable emergency alert weather radios at your local Kroger or Walmart. The local Fire Department will usually even program them for you. They scan and do all sorts of things and work great. Other than that, watch the radar and pay attention to the weather reports.

ALSO: All major cell phone companies have agreed to have built in technology notify all persons by cell phone of impending severe weather wherever you are by the end of either 2012 or 2013.

Linkage: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/projects.shtm