How many here have seen tornadoes?

[Chicken Lil]

Had one go over my house once, took out a huge old mulberry tree, but we did not see it. We were too busy hiding in the basement.

I don't ever want to see one of those puppies!

 

[deerman]

Warning never ever stay in a Auto,Vans,Trucks, or Camper and etc. In a tornado, better odds laying in the ditch. Saw 3 killed in a single car. We lost 34 lifes in Xenia. Saw a train with all cars turn on its side. Full Semi tractor and box trailer, picked up and set on top of a building.

So much power, the one had wind speeds of 400 MPH.

 

[redhen]

Quote:

 

[jnjross]

i saw my first in fourth grade , GP had a house on the bluffs over looking a mississippi river and alot have formed over the river, it was a small one just following the river, we watched them from the porch never was scared .

we had one last year april 4th that was forming when it passed by was not on the ground yet did damage in greenhouse it touched down half mile away and cut a two mile track along the natchez trace missing homes

, but same storm dropped another in the middle of jackson and did lots of damage,

 

[AngieChick]

When I was 13 in MI we were all out fishing, and my father (who grew up in IA) could see a suspicious storm coming. He thought it was further away then it was, we were in the van and there were trees falling down in front of us and behind us at the same time. I was grateful then that my father was a drag racer in his teens, he kept his cool and got us through. That was among the most frightening things I have ever experienced. We could have easily all died that day. I don't think it was even a big tornado, but it was big enough for me!

Though I love storms, I do not romanticize tornadoes. I have a good healthy respect for them and with it the desire to stay far, far away.

 

[sred98]

I don't think the soil here supports basements. I am not for sure. I can't think of a single house that I know of around here that has what you would call a "real" basement where it is entirely underground. There are some that have a lower level that is partially covered by a hill or landscaping, but not entirely under the ground. We have really heavy clay soil and have a lot of problems in the really hot dry (drought) summers and really wet springs with the ground shifting. So I think it is a structural issue.

We do, on the other hand, have a plethora of "Hidey Holes" or "Fraidy Holes" aka storm shelters. They are very small and only big enough for a small number of people to get in, and it is not for long term. The older ones are concrete and might have room for a built in bench. You can see them as you drive by...they have what looks like an attic fan thing on top for air circulation. A lot of houses don't have them. You find them more in the rural areas.

The newer houses are having "safe rooms" built in them. These are more for Tornado safety than home invasion, but are dual purpose.

DH is a pipeliner. He was up in Alaska, with a group of welders. Most welders up there were from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana. The sky turned that "special" shade of green and they looked up and saw one overhead. It was never reported. DH asked, "Does everyone see that? Is that what I think it is?" And they all watched as it hopped along the ground. It was a really small one.

The kids get a kick out of the whirling dervishes (or dust devils). My DD (14) screams when she sees one because she thinks they turn into tornadoes (she's a little high strung! LOL!) But, we've seen some HUGE ones - several stories high. They are really fun to watch. You kind of get the fluid motion of the tornado, without the destruction. Of course, you get filthy! LOL!

Shelly