Tornado Safety
Reduced Alcohol Levels Recommended. The National Transportation Safety Board approved a report this week with the goal of completely eliminating alcohol related deaths on our nation’s highways. There were several recommendations in the report including having states reduce the legal blood alcohol content from .08 to .05 for non-commercial vehicles. Other recommend-ations included requiring ignition interlock devices for anyone convicted of an offense, targeting repeat offenders, and using passive alcohol-sensing technology.
Tornado Season. In the aftermath of the devastation of the tornados in Oklahoma last week, I’d like to remind everyone about protecting themselves and their loved ones in the event of a tornado. The good news is that deaths from these storms have decreased in the last 50 years in spite of the storms striking more densely populated areas. Weather forecasters are very good at warning the public of severe weather conditions. It is up to you to heed their warnings. Here are some guides to use to protect you, your loved ones, and coworkers in the event of a tornado:
If you are in a building and a tornado warning is announced for your area, seek protection in a shelter, basement, or an inside room preferably on the south west corner and one without windows such as a closet or a bathroom. Avoid larger rooms like those found in public buildings such as auditoriums, gymnasiums, etc. If you have time take a pillow or mattress with you to protect yourself from debris if the tornado strikes the building. Crouch down and cover your head and neck. Remain in the shelter until the storm passes.
If you are in a high rise building, seek cover in interior rooms or hallways. Avoid rooms with glass walls and windows. Central stairwells are also good, but elevators are not since power could be lost and you would be trapped inside of the elevator. Crouch down and cover your head and neck. Remain in the shelter until the storm passes.
If you are on the road and find yourself in the path of a tornado, you need to abandon your vehicle and seek a shelter. A tornado can blow a car or truck off of the road, pick it up and hurl it, or tumble a vehicle over and over. Many people have been killed in cars while they were trying to outrun the tornado. While it might be possible to escape the path it is generally not a good means of escape. A good shelter could be in the upper portion of an underpass, in a culvert, or a ditch. Crouch down and cover your head, neck and eyes. Remain in the shelter until the storm passes.
If you are in a mobile home, you need to seek shelter out of the mobile home, in any of the suggested places above. Unfortunately, unless specifically reinforced for high winds, mobile homes offer very little protection when hit by a tornado or high winds. Crouch down and cover your head and neck. Remain in the shelter until the storm passes.
Once the storm passes, avoid walking through debris and around down power lines. Seek medical attention for anyone who is injured. Also keep an eye on the weather for a second or third tornado.
Tornado Rating System. The US Meteorological System has long time established a system of rating known as the Enhanced Fujita scale better known simply as “EF” Most of us only know that the higher the EF rating the greater the storm. Here’s a little information about the system:
- EF 0 and EF 1 Tornados include 60-70% of the tornados in the United States. EF 0 tornados are considered Gail force and EF 1 tornados are considered week and often do not touch down. These two levels account for roughly 5% of the tornado deaths.
- EF 2 and EF 3 Tornados represent upwards of 35% of the tornados in the United States. EF 2 level of tornados are considered strong. EF 3 tornados are considered severe. The surface area is described as rough, rapidly changing, and with small scale turbulence that seem to hit and skip areas. So their paths are not predictable. These levels of tornados represent 30% of the tornado deaths.
- EF 4 and EF 5 Tornados represent only about 2% of the tornados in the United States. EF 4 level of tornado is described as violent and EF5 level of tornado is described as incredible. These two tornados represent 68% of the tornado deaths. The broad core diameter of these tornados is often upwards of .3 miles wide and will usually continue its path for many miles. Because of their size they tend to loiter or move at a slower pace than the lower level tornados. The internal speed is very high and violent.