Tornadoes are one of the more frightening weather phenomenons in
nature. They have lead to some heartbreaking tragedies in recent years,
like the kids in Oklahoma who lost their lives when an EF5 tornado tore
through their elementary school last summer.
Not long after the
school disaster another powerful twister led to the deaths of tornado
researcher Tim Samaras and three other experienced tornado chasers. A
number of tornadoes in past decade have each claimed dozens or even
hundreds of lives.
Whether it's due to higher intensity storms or
simply the fact that it's getting harder and harder for twisters to
avoid populated areas, tornadoes seem to be having a more devastating
impact than in many years past. The good news is that arming yourself
with the proper knowledge can vastly improve you family's odds of
survival. Here are some things to think about.
A) Arming your kids against a tornado.
Flying
debris is the primary killer in a tornado. So anything you can do that
would protect your child against blows to their head or body will
increase their odds of survival.
For example, should a tornado
warning be issued in your area, tell the kids to put on their bicycle
helmet. If you really want to go all out on protection, dress them in a
karate sparring vest or baseball catchers equipment to protect them from
debris. Just be sure not to cover their hands or get overly carried
away about it because you don't want to outfit them to the point where
they are cumbersome or have a larger area to catch the wind. Once your
children are geared up, get low in the safest area in your house and
cover everyone up with couch cushions.
As silly as it might sound
to put your child in armor as shielding against a tornado, it is
effective. I know of one instance in particular where a young girl was
wearing her bicycle helmet as a tornado passed over and destroyed her
house. During the drama, she was hit in the head by a flying object. The
helmet she was wearing was cracked in two by the collision. Her skull
wasn't.
It was only because of the HELMET that she survived this
tornado with minor injuries. Had her parents not had the presence of
mind to have her wear it, this little girl almost certainly would have
died.
B) Know when to leave your home.
The painstaking
research done by tornado specialists in the field has made it possible
for forecasters to predict which storms are likely to produce violent
tornadoes with much better accuracy than years ago. With more advanced
warning, you might think about moving someplace safer before the storm
is upon you, especially if you know your home is unsafe.
More
often than not, these trips to your mother house (or where ever you
destination may be) will be nothing more than a social excursion, a
storms will come and go without incident. Yet for some families, this
caution has saved their lives. Because they were in a safer place when a
tornado leveled their home, they escaped what otherwise would have been
a deadly situation.
If you consider this option, however, it's
important to leave will in advance. Once a tornado warning has been
issued, that's not the time to hop in your car for a long distance
traveling.
C) Planning ahead helps your survival.
Families
living in homes without a storm shelter or basement are sitting ducks in
a tornado. If this describes your predicament, planning ahead is
crucial. Ask around in your neighborhood to see if other people might
have either a basement or storm shelter you could share. Also search
your community for safe havens. Getting underground is ideal, but any
type of sturdy cement structure with interior rooms will always provide
better protection than a wood-frame home.
This may take an
afternoon or two of your time, but the reward is worth it. Having
someplace to shelter picked out ahead of time could mean the difference
between living and dying. Ideally you should have one or two alternate
safe havens picked out, each within a few minutes of your home. Go there
right away if a tornado warning is issued for your area, assuming of
course that you can do so safety.
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