Few questions in one question about weather and events (tornadoes)?

Question

Okay, so as I've mentioned in many questions before...I'm super scared of tornadoes, and wind for that fact. It's the one thing that I pray every single day that I never see in my life time. Sadly, I live in Georgia, which is a h**l hole now for some reason because the climate is changing. My question to anyone over the age of 20-30 or older is this...you haven't experienced a tornado in YOUR life time, have you? I hope you haven't. I wanted to also ask (in the same question) what is the odd that someone will be in a tornado or see one in their life time? Is the chance high or low? I'm just curious...now, for my second question, do you think that living in Georgia in a county that has been hit TWICE since 1950...would I most likely be in a tornado before I leave the county in August 2009? Do you think the weather is just going to get worse? I'm asking out of severe fear of my life, irrational as it may be. I know this question is long, but any answers are appreciated.

Answer 1

I realize that tornadoes are scary but we are far more likely to be killed by a motor vehicle, yet, we have no problem crossing streets and driving.  

I'm 54, never seen a tornado.  I have seen a few hurricanes, lots of Nor'easters but no tornadoes.  I would like to, though.  Violent weather is fascinating.

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Answer 2

A lot of times when we have fears, we make things out worse than they really are.  It's certainly okay to have a fear of tornadoes, but you are probably spending too much time worrying about something that you have a relatively low chance of experiencing.  

Essentially you are saying your county has been hit twice in 60 years.  That's 1 tornado every 30 years.  That's very infrequent.  Plus, the size of the county, as compared to the average width of a tornado, is very large.  Chances are, in the 2 tornadoes that have been recorded, they impacted less than 5% of the county.  So even in the low likelihood a tornado does hit your county, the chance of it hitting within 0.5 mile of your house is pretty slim.  Plus...if you are only there for another year, that reduces your chances even more.  

Even out of in tornado alley, towns can go decades without having a tornado come anywhere close.  That's why people continue to live out there...because even though it is the most active part of the world for tornadoes, the odds are, 95-99% of the people can live out there for 10 years without a tornado destryoing their home.  If it's that uncommon for any one individual to be affected by a tornado out in tornado alley, then I'd say you are in pretty good shape where you are.

The best thing you can do is be educated about them, and pay attention to tornado watches/warnings when they impact your area.  Have a plan on what you will do in the off chance a tornado comes near your house.  Just do what you can to prepare, and try not to worry about it, because in the end, there's simply nothing you can do about mother nature.