In the event of a Tornado

Question

I survived a tornado when I was 12 luckly we were not killed but we lost everything we owned it was loud like a train we were in a hallway in the center of our home which was all that was left the same for our neighbors who lived a mile away when it was over both of our familys stood up in our hallways and starred at each other through what used to be acers of trees and forest between our homes there was nothing. It was the most bizzare thing Iv ever experianced in my life. Now that im married I have all our bedrooms in the basement and when sever weather is issued I spring into action Im afraid of thunder storms terrified of lighting and everyone makes fun of me. Is it true that in the event of a tornado you should open your windows? I think you should because the inside of your home during a tornado gets pressure build up in it you can feel it in your ears like pressure that needs to be released I remember it was painful on our ears and it wasent nessasarly just the noise it was air pressure. I think if our windows had been open the pressure would'nt have made our homes explode. And do you think I go too extream like building our house with the bedrooms in the basement and opening windows during a storm and stuff because my kids and husband make fun of me! Especially when were at someone elses house and It comes up a big storm and they live in a trailer OMG I was freaking out! That was embarrassing but I was affraid. After all the trouble I went to to stay safe Im going to die in someones double wide!

Answer 1

I don't waste my time opening all of the windows.  I just run to the basement with the pets and family!  I get really embarrassed about my fear of storms because I also love weather (I'm a weather geek).  When friends came over, I would just be screaming and crying because no one was going to the basement and it was black outside.  I've never seen a tornado, but I still live with the fear.

I don't care anymore about the being made fun of part.  It's our lives and we should take care of them, right?  Then, people like us are just taking that more seriously.  And that could turn out to help us, right?

:-)

Answer 2

NICE RANT! Where is the question?

Answer 3

No, you should not open your windows.  A tornado does not cause your house to explode.  What it does (in a direct hit) is sweep the house away, and debris from other houses, trees, vehicles, etc., gets flung around at the same time.  They used to say you should open the windows, but that has been disproven by science more recently.  Most people don't go so far as to sleep downstairs, but there's nothing wrong with that.  If I lived in Tornado Alley, I would for sure have a basement with a reinforced room, if not a storm shelter.  I definitely wouldn't live in a mobile home!

Answer 4

This is the time right now to plan what to do for a tornado and make sure you have a NOAA weather alert radio The radios can alert you when a tornado warning is issued at night while sleeping.

A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop and you should pay close attention to the weather. A watch it typically issued with in 2-3 hours of the event.

When a tornado warning is issued that means doppler radar has detected rotation in a storm or trained spotters have spotted a rotating wall cloud, funnel cloud, or a tornado on the ground.

If a tornado warning is issued for your area, do not panic. Go to a place of safety. Go to the lowest floor of your house like the basement. Once in the basement get under a sturdy piece of furniture or go into a bathroom in the basement. If no basement is available go in to an interior room such as a closet. If that is not available go in to an bathroom without windows. Stay away from outside walls and windows. Cover your head to protect from flying debris. Never try to out run a tornado in a car, if cought in a car and can not take no place of safety, lay down in a ditch and cover your head. Do not take cover under a over pass. Do not stay in mobile homes as they do not offer protection and can be flown as easily as cars can.

For local weather info. From the National Weather Service.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov

Storm Prediction center (responsible for issuing severe thunderstorm and tornado watches)

http://www.spc.noaa.gov