Deadly Tornado strikes Oklahoma

[GoldenRivet]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...205548879.html

incredible

51 dead so far... many of whom are supposedly school children

My employer just sent me a message to prepare to be mobilized to the area

[Onkel Neal]

Wow, not good.

[desertstriker]

and counting the state M.E. has not released an updated count yet but has stated he expects more as the searches continue.

[Feuer Frei!]

Very very similar travel path as the tornado in 1999:



The path of this year's tornado is red. Green is 1999.
I understand the Americans tend to call them "Tornado Alley", to describe areas which are frequently hit by tornadoes.
Oklahoma is perfectly placed to cop the full force of tornadoes because it is in the zone where polar air interacts with tropical air.


EDIT: My heart-felt sympathies go out to those people.

[desertstriker]

One of the things I have never understood is why would anybody live in such areas unless they had no other choice... we can only hope for the best now.

Unfortunatly now you won't hear much about the post-disaster crime but it will be there. I have heard from linemen that people can get quite violent if their neighbors power comes on before theirs or for other pity stuff . Or the copper thieves Golden if you do get mobilized please be careful.

Probably won't get an updated count till morn as the midnight news has run.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by desertstriker

One of the things I have never understood is why would anybody live in such areas unless they had no other choice... we can only hope for the best now.

Unfortunatly now you won't hear much about the post-disaster crime but it will be there. I have heard from linemen that people can get quite violent if their neighbors power comes on before theirs or for other pity stuff . Or the copper thieves Golden if you do get mobilized please be careful.

Probably won't get an updated count till morn as the midnight news has run.

If we didn't habitat areas because of possible disasters, where would people live. Be realistic, hurricanes across the coast, possible mass earthquakes, forest fires, etc. Car wrecks kill many more people per year, but we still drive cars.

[GoldenRivet]

there is virtually no place upon the earth safe from any sort of natural disaster.

tsunami, floods, tornados, earthquakes, wild fires, volcanos... virtually every place humans occupy is constantly under threat of some sort of disaster.

it is easy when something like this happens to say "why would anyone live there" but such a disaster is not a weekly occurrence.

its not like the eastern shores of Japan deal with tsunamis every 48 hours

its not as if central oklahoma deals with F5 tornadoes every few days

if this were the case i would wonder why people choose to live there.

[Feuer Frei!]

UPDATE:

At least 91 people, including 20 children, are dead after a gigantic tornado rips through Oklahoma City suburbs, flattening whole neighbourhoods.

Last updated at 05:10 GMT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22604251

Some pics of this:

[desertstriker]

yeah i just guess i don't like the idea of living in a place where the risk is a little higher than that of Cincinnati OH where we get minor floods but most of the time when a major flood hits the reds don't play for a while and those don't happen very much. think the last one was in 1997... and while we get the typical tornado watch i cant think of the last time we got a tornado.... maybe our perspectives on other locations depends on where we currently live..

Edit 91 and still counting nearly doubled... and for a reported 2 mile wide tornado that damage looks... small. might just be the picture though

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

its not like the eastern shores of Japan deal with tsunamis every 48 hours

its not as if central oklahoma deals with F5 tornadoes every few days

if this were the case i would wonder why people choose to live there.

No but one has to take into account that certain areas or rather locations on this earth are more high-risk, and as such have to be treated with careful consideration before deciding to build or buy in these high-risk areas.
As i pointed out earlier in this thread, Oklahoma is a high(or higher)-risk location.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

No but one has to take into account that certain areas or rather locations on this earth are more high-risk, and as such have to be treated with careful consideration before deciding to build or buy in these high-risk areas.
As i pointed out earlier in this thread, Oklahoma is a high(or higher)-risk location.

That's true in some areas, like the coast, because you know hurricanes hit. However, economics drive where people live. We have made great headway in buildings, warning systems, etc., that's about all you can do.
Even here in NC tornados are common, but usually in the F3 range. I've seen 4 in the last 15 years.

I don't know building codes in the plains area, but you would think in areas like Moore where few basements can be built due to soil, that safe rooms would be required in buildings like schools. It really wouldn't be that expensive to tornado proof restrooms or other rooms.

[soopaman2]

Such sadness and condolences.


I hope that relief funds are not politicized and delayed as much as it was for Sandy relief. My insurance company, FEMA........*mutters*

Heh, nevermind, if ya thought the storm was bad, wait until you actually try to collect on your insurance, or get help.

[Oberon]

I don't know how well the best tornado proof room will protect against debris from an EF5. Ideally, in an EF5, the best place to be is underground.

How difficult is the ground around Moore? Could heavy equipment be used to create large scale shelters in the school grounds? In the style of the air raid shelters we used to have in the cities during WWII. EF5s are rare yes, although Moore is particularly unlucky, but the schools should ideally have underground shelters. Still, all boils down to money, doesn't it?

Terrible day for Oklahoma.

[soopaman2]

Originally Posted by Oberon

I don't know how well the best tornado proof room will protect against debris from an EF5. Ideally, in an EF5, the best place to be is underground.

How difficult is the ground around Moore? Could heavy equipment be used to create large scale shelters in the school grounds? In the style of the air raid shelters we used to have in the cities during WWII. EF5s are rare yes, although Moore is particularly unlucky, but the schools should ideally have underground shelters. Still, all boils down to money, doesn't it?

Terrible day for Oklahoma.

The thing is these things pop up so fast, and even if you evacuated at every tornado watch, it would have a "boy who cried wolf" effect eventually.

Tornadoes are horrid weather phenominon, as the likelyhood can be predicted, but the location, path and size cannot.

And if you are there, you are just screwed.

Sad, but it is something people who live in "tornado alley" have to contend with, same as me with the occasional hurricane, or the more common nor'easter (which always destroys crap with storm surge, only with blizzard snow and wind, rather than rain and wind) same as people in Cali with quakes.

I have faith in the south, especially Okies

[desertstriker]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/sev...her/index.html

from CNN sounds like they found some of the children too and lowered the death count to 24..