TORNADOES WAYS TO SECURE YOUR HOME AND STORM CHASERS

Michael S. Schlossberg

What is a Tornado?

A tornado is a column of air that is moving with high speeds of that is coming from a thunderstorm

Tornadoes are found in flat plain areas because there is no mountains to restrict the movement of air

The funnel cloud may have speeds of up to 300 MPH!

Tornadoes form over land but can form as Waterspouts over water which are much weaker

Wizard of Oz and Tornadoes

This is an exaggeration, while tornadoes can displace debris everywhere, they aren’t quite strong enough to lift a house thousands of meters into the atmosphere, as seen in the famous movie “Wizard of Oz”

Tornado Safety

Tornadoes are measured on the Fujita Scale, which ranges from 1-5

Before a tornado is coming, you should have a plan of where to go

Get under a table or go into a basement so you are at a low lying area

STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS!

Securing your Home

-Avoid building houses right next to big trees

- Houses built near trees are prone to have big and old trees to collapse on the house

Types of Building Materials

Concrete Bricks are the preferable type of material when building a home in a tornado prone area

It is strongly reinforced as opposed to houses that are built with wood

New innovative thinkers have started to reinforce their homes with Styrofoam as opposed to sheetrock

Roof Structure

Roofs have to offer interior support with 5/8 “ thick plywood or bigger

When building a roof, it should be nailed into the rafters of the home (what supports the house)

The roof should be slanted on all faces so strong winds will have a smaller concentrated area to hit

Inside and Outside of the Home

The house should have no more than two stories

Each story should not be taller than 10 feet

The house shouldn’t be more than 60 feet in length because the structure is weaker

When building the shape of the house should have similar dimensions (length, width and height)

Storm Safe Room

Typically these rooms are made of steel and are made to stand up after being hit by a tornado even if the rest of the house crumples

These rooms are usually built in the middle of the home

Storm Chasers! There are two types: professional

scientists who are doing experiments and collecting data and average people just chasing it for the thrill

The goal for chasers is to get as close to the funnel cloud without getting in harms way

Equipment Used

The professionals drive in a truck which gives them ample room to set up the computer equipment

On the back of the truck is a satellite which is used for GPS and internet connection

“Mobile Threat Net” is the system used on computers to keep track of air pressure, wind speed and moisture content

Accounts of Chris Caldwell, professional Storm Chaser for KOCO

TV 5, Oklahoma

The only way to become a storm chaser professionally is through years of chasing and getting hired from there

His favorite part of the job is reporting where the tornado’s path will hit next

The hardest tornadoes to chase are one’s at night because only the lighting of the truck and lightning can help illuminate it

Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers”

A show with multiple seasons that chronicled the men and women who followed around Tornadoes

Their vehicle had 600 horsepower and 6 tons of metal armor

The show highlights how hard it is for the chasers to know exactly where to go to get the best looks at the tornados