Tornado Alley and the Importance of Storm Shelters

An intensely rotating column of air that comes out of the bottom of a thunderstorm and extends all the way to the ground is called a tornado. Lloyd’s of London reported in 2013 that the United States has more tornadoes than any other country in the world does. Indeed, about 1,000 tornadoes are reported every year in the U.S.

With the exception of Florida, tornadoes mainly hit the U.S. up and down the middle of the country. The most affected states include the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Eastern South Dakota and eastern Colorado. Illinois, Iowa and parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Tennessee also see more than their fair share of twisters. Known as the Midwest, this area of the country is sometimes also referred to as Tornado Alley.

Warning Signs of a Forming Tornado

One of the scariest things about tornadoes is that they form from funnel clouds that quickly extend to the ground and go back up, seemingly without any warning. But with just a little knowledge, a person can watch for particular signs that precede twisters. Knowing when a tornado is likely can enable people to get their friends and family to safety before the danger comes.

Here’s what you can watch for:

The daytime sky turns dark and maybe a little green. You see wall clouds or you see an approaching debris cloud. You and your people had better be headed for shelter by now. Large hail falls, but no rain falls. Then the wind dies down and the air becomes still. Don’t let this fool you because this is “the calm before the storm.” Suddenly, you hear a loud noise that is similar to a freight train and you see debris flying around. You’re either under or dangerously close to a twister at this point.

The Nature of Tornadoes

Tornadoalleymovie.com states that supercell tornadoes most often form between 3 and 9 pm. You get about 13 minutes of lead time between being officially warned and a tornado being upon you, although no tornado comes to the warned area 70% of the time. Tornadoes last between a few seconds and over an hour. However, most of them stay on the ground less than 10 minutes. Terrain and structures do not divert their path.

Tornadoes commonly destroy part of a building but leave light weighted objects in the building, even paper, untouched. A violent tornado can put objects into solid things. For instance, a tornado put a piece of wood through the Eads Bridge in St. Louis, Missouri in 1896.

According to tornadoproject.com, the heaviest object known to have been picked up by a tornado was machinery in Pampa, Texas that weighed over 30,000 pounds. Cars are picked up and deposited a mile away, while lighter household items fly for 20 miles and things like paper can end up 200 miles away.

Storm Damage

The Midwest sees a lot of thunderstorms, heavy rain and floods. The northern Tornado Alley states also experience much snow and ice. Power outages in these areas are common. This plains area also gets windy. High-speed straight-line winds damage fences and topple trees. Downed trees damage property and make the streets impassable.

Fortunately, the less devastating straight-line winds that are so prevalent in the Midwest are used to create renewable energy. Wind power has become the nation’s biggest source of renewable energy. Most of the wind turbines in the U.S. operate in Tornado Alley.

Tornado Damage

It’s the twisting winds that worry the inhabitants of Tornado Alley the most. According to the Insurance Information Institute, Property Claim Services says that 40% of the insured losses between 1997 and 2016 were caused by tornadoes. Claims from tornadoes and thunderstorms combined totaled $18 billion in 2017, but went down to $14.1 billion in 2018.

The Fujita scale uses 28 damage indicators to rate the intensity of a tornado. Then it assigns a number between 0 and 5 to it.

An F-0 twister only has a wind speed of between 40 and 72 mph and it causes just light damage. F-1 is assigned to a twister that has a wind speed of between 73 and 112. It does moderate damage. An F-2 tornado spins between 113 and 157 mph and does considerable damage to property and to the landscape. An F-3 tornado rotates between 158 and 207 mph. It severely damages things in its path. F-4 is assigned to devastating tornadoes that spin between 208 and 260 mph. The king of them all is an F-5 twister, rotating at an incredible 261 to 318 mph.

Fatalities

The number of U.S.fatalities from tornadoes is surprisingly low. For example, just 45 people died from tornadoes in 2010, according to the National Weather Service.

A person caught in a tornado sustains injuries from things falling on them or flying into them. Half of all tornado victims die from multiple injuries. Nearly a quarter of them (23%) die from head injuries, and 18% die from chest trauma. About 10% of tornado victims actually suffocate to death after being caught in a slow-traveling twister because of the reduced air pressure and oxygen inside of them.

Importance of Storm Shelters

The weather man warns people who are in the path of terrible storms and tornadoes to take cover. He tells people who do not have a bunker to go to a room in the middle of their homes on the lowest level and cover themselves with mattresses.

These measures may protect people from hail and flying debris should a rooftop cave in and expose them to the elements. But a mattress is no match for a tornado. A storm shelter is a must-have for anyone who lives in Tornado Alley.

Storm Shelters Common in Tornado Alley

Some people build a simple, easy-access shelter under the garage floor because of local ordinances or insufficient space. The danger is that the house could be destroyed and land on the entryway, blocking it.

Wherever a low water table exists in the Midwest, people commonly build underground storm cellars/bunkers. They’re built near the house but not so close that the house could fall and block the entryway.

Storm cellars are typically around 8′ x 12′ and are made of cement blocks. They have an arched roof and are accessed by a covered stairwell. They’re either made into a hillside/embankment or into flat ground. The storm cellar door on a hillside cellar is mounted at an angle so that debris would blow up and over the door. An angled door is also easier to push open, should anything heavy land on it.

Cellars are much safer than basements are because cellars offer the ground’s secure overhead protection. They’re the only reliable storm shelter against F4/EF4 or F5/EF5 tornadoes.

A cellar can also be built above ground and with a vertical door and dirt built up around it, as if built into a steep, tall hill. These are easier for disabled people to access. And they don’t flood like cellars sometimes do.

Safe rooms are usually installed inside a building, including in basements. They can also withstand an EF5 tornado.

All American Storm Shelters

In Oklahoma, tornado shelters are a must. Naturally, customers ask if we can help them out when they see us doing groundwork on properties.

All American is dedicated to keeping your family safe from the worst Mother Nature can throw at you. Don’t wait until it’s too late!

From flat top to slope front shelters, we can get a shelter out to your location promptly and get it installed before the next storm season. Contact us today to get a quote and get started!

What is Hearth Financing?

All American Storm Shelters has teamed up with Hearth helps homeowners make smart financial decisions about their renovations. Hearth can find financing solutions with bad credit, no credit and lowest market interest terms for individuals with great credit.
In Oklahoma, tornado shelters are a must. Naturally, customers ask if we can help them out when they see us doing groundwork on properties.