Lions and Tigers, Tornado's, Oh MY!

We will be heading out for the land of tornados later this spring. So, just for chuckles, last nite, I googled driving and tornados.

Several sites suggested that you are suppose to abandon your vehicle, (it offers no protection) and go lie in a low ditch? Huh? A ditch is better protection then my car? Can anyone explain that? It then gave the further suggestion to pick a ditch that wasn't going to fill up with water while one is sheltering in it. Who writes this stuff. Jon Stewart's comedy team?

One site also gave the wonderful mental visual that if one stays in the car the tornado with burst out all the glass and the person(s) inside will end up looking like meatloaf. Now there is a happy thought.

Tonight on the news it was suggested that if tornados are coming don't get in your car. Didn't mention what to do if one is in a car. This unhelpful advice followed a story where a bunch of people in Georgia had pulled off the interstate found refuge in a motel, that was then blown apart.

Should they have been in the dry ditch?

While I am mildly amused by all this....the fact remains I may be driving thru this country on interstates and I am wondering how I will know that a tornado is coming & I should seek shelter & if by chance I am in my mini-van is it really better to get out of to lay in a ditch? Really?

Midwesterners-folks with tornado knowledge, those of you who live there, can you offer some advice for a westerner driving east into it all?

Thanks.

Carla

I was caught in a tornado years ago driving to a show in West Texas. The land was totally flat, no where to go; even the ditches were flat (yes, that is often the best place to be, it protects you from flying debris and you are lower than the landscape which is being sucked up into the vortex). There was an overpass nearby, so I parked my van under it, before it filled up with other vehicles. I got out and immediately crammed myself up into the space between the sloped landscaping, under the bridge.

Someone in a minivan decided they'd try and outrun the tornado. Those of us crammed into the space under the overpass watched in horror as the vortex picked up the minivan and tossed around like a beachball. After the storm passed, we all ran over to help whoever was in it. By the grace of whoever you worship, other than scratches and cuts (from the shattered glass in the car's windows), the woman was alive, but in serious shock. The minivan looked like a ball of mashed red aluminum foil. Fortunately, an ambulance had been chasing the tail end of the tornado and was there in minutes to load up the woman and take her to a hospital.

What do you think you should do? Don't stay in a vehicle; if a tornado or microburst can blow up a store, a church made of bricks, an 18-wheeler, what chance does a 2,000# vehicle have?

An additional note: the EMT in the ambulance told us that a few miles up the road, a frantic husband had been looking for his wife. Apparently she had freaked out, ran from the underpass they were sheltering in and, when the wind hit, she tried to wrap her arms around an overpass pillar. The tornado peeled her off of the pillar like bread crust from a slice of bread. They found her body miles away a few days later. Sorry for the horrific stories, but tornados aren't to be ignored or played with.

Replies

Munks April 29, 2011 at 9:51pm

First of all, "if you are in the middle of Nebraska", ALL storms are big storms. As a matter of fact in the great state of Nebraska we rarely allow the puny little 'nado's like they have in Oklahoma or Texas to even cross the state line. Occasionally they do get through, but we just ignore them.

While the tornadoes in the great state of Nebraska are awesome to behold, they are generally well-mannered - in fact it has been reported they do descend and play on the prairies of Nebraska just like wild horses in a meadow before returning up to the heavens and harming no one - except maybe a wayward pheasant or perhaps a prairie dog too close the the opening of his colony, and possibly a rolling meth lab or two.

Because they are so well-mannered, it has become customary to treat them just like rattlesnakes, moonshine stills, marijuana plantations, roadside vegetable stands, Husker Football discussions consisting of three or more middle-aged men and a bottle of Cabin Still, raccoons, and all overweight ladies of a marrying age that are sober - just simply tip your hat and announce that you did not mean to intrude and that you do intend to be on your way directly. Frequently they will let you pass without undo harm - especially if you say "Go Big Red" in a genuine and respectful tone.

I can't speak for the rest of the Union, but that's the way we do things there. Keep these tips in mind if you visit the great state of Nebraska and you'll be just fine on your journey.
S. Michelle Babcock April 29, 2011 at 5:20pm

This is interesting from the national weather service and red cross.

http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_19417.html
- CM Fox > S. Michelle Babcock April 29, 2011 at 8:15pm
  
  Well, Michelle. Seems like the NWS and Red Cross are similarly confused. Let's see I need a 2 foot minimum ditch, without water, where I won't get piled high with stuff on top of me.I am going to work on not getting in the path of one. Or not.
  
  Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis are ever so much easier to deal with.
  
  Carla
- MICHAEL ALAN STIPEK > S. Michelle Babcock April 29, 2011 at 5:37pm
  
  Great link! So, ditches as a last resort. Tornados blow in a counterclockwise direction, things are scooped up by this lateral wind, not vertical. It's like a winding staircase. So, being below the wind helps you stay below that horizontal wind force.
  
  Me? If I hadn't had the underpass, I would have run to whatever piece of ditch was nearby, covered my head with my arms and prayed like crazy!
  
  If there are roads nearby, then head in a South or Southeast direction, away from the travel direction of the tornado - like it says in Michelle's link. But, interstates in the middle of nowhere often don't have much in the way of side roads.
  
  I also have a NOAA weather radio, which feeds off of a satellite and has continuous weather info, refreshed every 15 minutes. Along with the radar on my cell phone, I can make informed choices about where I want to go, or where I'll stay, in case I would otherwise be driving into what might be dangerous weather conditions. I had to go online for the weather radio, about $35 and my previous one lasted 25 years, with occasional battery changes.
MICHAEL ALAN STIPEK April 29, 2011 at 5:11pm

I was caught in a tornado years ago driving to a show in West Texas. The land was totally flat, no where to go; even the ditches were flat (yes, that is often the best place to be, it protects you from flying debris and you are lower than the landscape which is being sucked up into the vortex). There was an overpass nearby, so I parked my van under it, before it filled up with other vehicles. I got out and immediately crammed myself up into the space between the sloped landscaping, under the bridge.

Someone in a minivan decided they'd try and outrun the tornado. Those of us crammed into the space under the overpass watched in horror as the vortex picked up the minivan and tossed around like a beachball. After the storm passed, we all ran over to help whoever was in it. By the grace of whoever you worship, other than scratches and cuts (from the shattered glass in the car's windows), the woman was alive, but in serious shock. The minivan looked like a ball of mashed red aluminum foil. Fortunately, an ambulance had been chasing the tail end of the tornado and was there in minutes to load up the woman and take her to a hospital.

What do you think you should do? Don't stay in a vehicle; if a tornado or microburst can blow up a store, a church made of bricks, an 18-wheeler, what chance does a 2,000# vehicle have?

An additional note: the EMT in the ambulance told us that a few miles up the road, a frantic husband had been looking for his wife. Apparently she had freaked out, ran from the underpass they were sheltering in and, when the wind hit, she tried to wrap her arms around an overpass pillar. The tornado peeled her off of the pillar like bread crust from a slice of bread. They found her body miles away a few days later. Sorry for the horrific stories, but tornados aren't to be ignored or played with.
- Connie Mettler > MICHAEL ALAN STIPEK April 29, 2011 at 6:03pm
  
  Awful stories, Michael. Interestingly at lunch today I asked my husband what did he think a person should do and he insisted that you park the van under the underpass and wedge yourself up in that crevice, like you did. What's with you photographers? I'd never heard of this before.
- CM Fox > MICHAEL ALAN STIPEK April 29, 2011 at 5:22pm
  
  Well...I certainly wouldn't have tried to outrun it. I would have done what you did, maybe.....I might have stayed in my minivan. I know ya'll keep saying it will toss a house, truck, mini-van etc. So why won't it toss me? Out there. What miracle is keeping me on the ground. The ditch gawds?
  
  I'm not a weather novice. I've been in my share of bad weather as a backpacker, climber, skier. I've slept in snow caves, huddled under trees, taken shelter behind rocks & in low places. The wind goes there too.I'm having a hard time understanding why a ditch offers more safety then my minivan. I'm lighter! and more portable in a ditch...not to mention more vulnerable to stuff smacking me. The "sucked up into the vortex..." is what has me doubting the ditch theory.
  
  And Michael, had you not found the overpass what would YOU have done?
  
  Even tho' I still am questioning the ditch requirement, I am reading all this with great seriousness. And I appreciate the sharing of stories and good ideas.
  
  This is all very helpful. And great insurance....loud knocking on wood. If I over-analyze this enuf, it will never happen, right?
  
  Thanks.
  Carla
Dawn Waters Baker April 29, 2011 at 2:15pm

I was actually near a tornado back in college. They come through the Dallas/Ft. Worth area occasionally. I was on my way back to campus and the sky had turned this beautiful light green color. I grew up in the Philippines (this was my first year in America) so I had no clue that was a sure sign to turn around. Also, there were cars that kept honking at me flying in the opposite direction (clue #2). I was happily belting out Lost Dogs when I noticed semi's and other cars stopped dead on the highway. The rain had suddenly stopped (clue #3 are you counting?). So I took it upon myself to NOT get out of my little white subaru (i.e. the weight of a match box car) but instead pulled up the emergency brake (I know. Shut up). I remembered what my Dad said about putting your head between your legs and kissing...well, you get the picture. I was shaking pretty good when I literally felt the car go up and then come back down. Oh, and this is where I realized prayer works. I was facing the opposite direction on the highway, my wiper blades were bent in half but I was fine and my car was still running. Not sure what would have happened if I had gotten out of the vehicle. There are just some people too dumb to die. So take heart Carla. Sometimes staying put really pays off.
- CM Fox > Dawn Waters Baker April 29, 2011 at 2:18pm
  
  You'd be great fun on a desert island.
  
  Thanks for the laugh.
  
  Carla
S. Michelle Babcock April 29, 2011 at 9:39am

There is good reason to get in a ditch and if you have seen footage of tornado damage cars to fly. I have a picture of a SUV up in a tree after a tornado. Being from Kansas I have to admit though that when tornado warnings go off, I do tend to go outside and look at the sky. I am always amazed at how the sky can seem to get a green hue during tornado weather. Also if trouble is near the rain will suddenly stop, bad sign.
I have a friend who years ago saw and heard the warnings, she called her grandmother who lived in the country ( no sirens out there) to tell her to get to her basement. Her grandmother said too late and the line went dead. They found her body a mile away leaning against a tree as if she where just sat there.

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