Hole for a tornado?

Question

If we dug a hole in a mound of dirt outside(it's about 9 ft high) would that be a good precaution against a possible tornado?We live in a modular house ,no basement or cellar.Should we dig down into it or is their some other way?Our house sits in a 4 acre field.

Answer 1

A ditch is all you need, but if you could place a sheet of strong metal or other material over it to ward off flying objects it would be safer.

Most older homes on the plains in kansas had a storm cellar; a dug out hole in the ground with a roof at ground level to protect from storms in all kinds of weather.  A tornado can come in January of the conditions are right.

They put a liftable door on it with steps to help get in faster and the weight of the door helped to keep it closed.

Answer 2

dig down, the mound is loose earth wheras the ground is compact. Make sure to have a sturdy door and if possible somewhere do anchor yourself to (a post or floor anchorage) Nothing attached to your roof though, if it gets sucked up, you'll go with it