how on earth do you guys deal with tornado season..o_O

lauren grier

lauren grier

you're like stars
we had some tornado warnings tonight.. 3 confirmed tornados in massachusetts (um not normal).. hung out in the basement for a while when the warning kept yelling at us.. i can't imagine this being a regular thing and just living with it. you guys are quite impressive with your ability to just roll with it and continue your lives. we're just under tornado watch now for a few more hours..craziness though.
 
Tornado watches don't scare me at all... we just go on living and doing what needs done. I've grown up with tornado seasons and warnings still freak me out. We've had SO many more warnings & touchdowns in the past couple of years than the rest of my life combined. Freaks me out but I try to play it cool b/c of Luke. lol

We just had a warning on Sunday and we were strolling around Notre Dame. We were all guided into the basement of the bookstore. Came outta nowhere I tell ya!
 
yeh i'm not worried about the watch now.. though i'm not sure ce is going to sleep till the storm has passed lol. I think this might be the first time i ever remember being under warning.. one of the tornados was only like 40 minutes away. scary scary.
 
Yeah, we just had some here on Memorial Day. A small town near us got hit by one and we had 95-100 mph straight line winds. It came out of no where, too, they had warnings, but the actual storm was pretty quick. I try not to worry, I have seen a few in my life, but I don't live in tornado alley, so I don't worry too much.
 
Yeah, it's totally crazy here in MA...the one La mentioned is like 15minutes from my house...we were watching it on the news, and one of their sky cams actually caught it starting to form and stuff...it's been a crazy night. I can't imagine living like this all the time.
 
You just, um, get used to them I guess.
I mean we get everything ready for if we need to go into our hallway (it's in the center of the house and the only area of our house without windows - even all our bathtubs have glass doors) and we make sure everyone has shoes on. Then we just go about what we normally do with the news on. (it's almost never on at our house) When it says the tornado's within 'x' distance we put the kids in the hallway, if it gets closer we go in too.
 
aaron = i didn't realize you were in mass. we had one about 40 minutes from me in springfield. i'm in ct. we didn't escalate to warning - just at watch.
 
Yep, same here...we're just kinda used to it. We have quite a stash built up in our "nest" in our basement. Water, snacks, games, books. We always make sure we all have shoes, too.

I agree that they seem worse in the past few years. We get hit all the time and I've personally been affected. My grandma lost her house...it was totally annihilated. It really hits home and I know they're nothing to mess around with.
 
I want to say "It's just part of life." However, after seeing what happened in Joplin, which isn't that far from here, it does remind me how much more seriously I need to take them.

I've seen I think 5 or 6 tornadoes in my life, first-hand. A few of those I saw form and touch down, a few I saw mid-action. I've always been just... used to it. And I've typically been a "stand-outside-and-watch" person. My 10 year old brother is the main reason I stay downstairs instead of standing on the front porch during a tornado.

However, several of the people in Joplin died because they were outside watching, the way I'm so apt to do. It reminds me how awful these things can be.

In the end, though, we just deal with it. It's a part of our lives. Tornado warnings mean it's spring or fall in Kansas... and like I said, half the time, before Joplin, I didn't even bother to go downstairs. And honestly, I'm sure within a year or two, when the memory of Joplin fades (like Greensburg, it never fully goes away, but it WILL fade), I'll probably be just as complacent as before.

Hang in there tonight, and hugs to those of you who are going through the warnings tonight. I'm praying for you guys, and hoping the storms don't get too close. <3
 
it's all pretty over now.. it started this afternoon-thankfully. they said at least 4 dead in springfield (where that first tornado was)..so sad, poor people :[
 
I hate tornado season...I love thunderstorms, but if there's a chance of severe weather, I can't stop watching the weather reports until it's all over.

When the warnings go up, I pack our important papers folder, my laptop, EHD, and other little essentials in my backpack. Snacks, water, and a toys go in Rachel's backpack. We keep them by the door in the event we have to go to the shelter.

Thankfully, here in OKC, when we are having severe weather, the weathermen stay on the air showing you when storms will hit neighborhoods in its path. Last week when the half-mile wide F-5 was headed our direction, we grabbed our bags and went underground. (this pic was taken about 10 miles from us)
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After an hour of listening to a neighbor's kid scream bloody murder in there (and the mom not even trying to comfort him at all), DH said he'd rather be in a tornado than listen to it any longer. Thankfully the storm had shifted and missed us, and we left and went home.
 
I'm with the other midwestern gals...you kind of just learn to live with it. It doesn't mean though that I'm not afraid of them...you better believe I head to the basement on a regular basis!!!

Where I grew up in the southwestern part of Nebraska, we pretty much saw about half a dozen of them a summer. And even though we had a basement in our house, we ALWAYS went to the storm cellar which was away from the house and completely underground. I kind of miss that now seeing all the crazy storms that have been happening this year!
 
To those without basements, here's a tip during tornado season:

Keep a blanket and bike helmets in the bathroom (under the sink, in a bin, whatever).

The helmet can protect against flying debris, and blankets can shield against flying glass, tree limbs, etc. Neither can keep out everything, but having them is a lot better than not having them. If you don't keep them in your bathroom, it's a good idea to keep them nearby and in the same place every time, so if you're running, you know where to find them.

Also it's a good idea to always have close-toed shoes where you shelter (if you DO have a basement, or a safe room, or something) so if your home is, heaven forbid, destroyed, you can get through the debris a bit easier.
 
pewtertm said:
Thankfully, here in OKC, when we are having severe weather, the weathermen stay on the air showing you when storms will hit neighborhoods in its path.
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This is one of the best things that they do-- I love it. What bothers me, though, is all of the complaints they get. I know a few of the weathermen in the area, and they actually get a lot of complaints emailed, tweeted, etc to them when they take programming off of the air to focus on tornadoes. During our last tornado, they actually apologized repeatedly for not being able to show Saturday Night Live, and promised to re-air the episode. I'm sorry, but I'm WAY more concerned about being informed about the tornadoes, EVEN WHEN IT DOESN'T DIRECTLY AFFECT MY NEIGHBORHOOD, than I am about the stupid programming. I hate that they get so many complaints about it...
 
pewtertm said:
Thankfully, here in OKC, when we are having severe weather, the weathermen stay on the air showing you when storms will hit neighborhoods in its path.
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They do that here too. And sometimes I don't mind, but when they do it just for severe thunderstorms it bugs the crap out of me... which is more often than for actual tornadoes.
 
emmasmommy said:
totally this.
i could never live in a house without a basement. ever. we even have a storm shelter in our basement. yes. i hate storms.
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same here... :) We bunker under the steps in the basement - calling it a fort so it's not as scary for kiddo... we have supplies down there... and as long as we still have power, I have my laptop with the radar looping and streaming the local radio station that patches into the TV coverage... and also a weather radio that is battery powered, just in case.

When I was growing up they didn't have weather radios out much - we use to list to the scanner, tuned to the tornado spotters and the local police department - hmm... the scanner was on a day long, bad weather or not... my mom was an EMT.
 
MommaTrish said:
They do that here too. And sometimes I don't mind, but when they do it just for severe thunderstorms it bugs the crap out of me... which is more often than for actual tornadoes.
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We have this too... it bugs me when they are cut into programming for something that is happening outside of the viewing area, and not moving our way... yet, when in the the viewing area and after a storm passes the city the station is in, they stop... there totally forget about the people in the viewing area that is east of the station - what are they suppose to do? :glare:
 
emmasmommy said:
totally this.
i could never live in a house without a basement. ever. we even have a storm shelter in our basement. yes. i hate storms.
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There aren't many basements in Oklahoma. (Due to our red clay instead of dirt.....I don't know why. That is just what I have been told) We don't have a basement, shelter, nothing. So, yea.....we have a 1/2 bath that is the center of our home. We load it with pillows to cover with, a couple football helmets for the kids and a first aid kit. We make sure everyone is wearing tennis shoes. And we just wait until it is time and go take cover.

I have just gotten use to them I guess. I have been in the craziest places when we have had them. There was one time I was camping and saw a tornado pass right over us.....seriously.....saw right into the middle of it and it was full of lightening. Craziness. I have always lived in tornado alley so I have many tornado stories.

After this crazy tornado season, I am starting to get a little freaked. It is like they are getting stronger or something. SO, when we close on our new house (July 8th) one of our very first things we are doing as homeowners is putting in a storm shelter. :thumbup:
 
MamaBee said:
We have this too... it bugs me when they are cut into programming for something that is happening outside of the viewing area, and not moving our way... yet, when in the the viewing area and after a storm passes the city the station is in, they stop... there totally forget about the people in the viewing area that is east of the station - what are they suppose to do? :glare:
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Totally that!!!
 
Aaron and La.....I am glad to hear you guys are okay!!!! I can't believe how close it got to you Aaron! That is crazy!
 
what I don't understand, is you gals live with this every year, but a lot of you are afraid of earthquakes. I've lived with earthquakes my entire life...but usually just get a nice rolling ride...nothing more. they are so few and far between too...and really...just a little bumpy ride is all!
 
4noisyboys said:
what I don't understand, is you gals live with this every year, but a lot of you are afraid of earthquakes. I've lived with earthquakes my entire life...but usually just get a nice rolling ride...nothing more. they are so few and far between too...and really...just a little bumpy ride is all!
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YES! Totally this. I know it probably doesn't make sense to you but earthquakes DO freak me out. Just experienced my first one last fall. I think what bothers me about earthquakes is there doesn't seem to be any warning. At least with tornados, hurricanes, ect there is a warning of what is to come. I am a planner. I can't handle surprises like that! LOL
 
You do kinda get used to it, but they are always scary. Thankfully we have a fantastic local weather crew that gets on the air (or the internet if the tv goes down) and literally tells us what streets they're headed for next. We've spent many hours in the closet (no basements here) watching the live reports on the laptop.
 
I agree tara.. earthquakes are scary.

Tornados terrify me. I will never ever live in a house w/o a basement. Ever.
 
I think we're used to it but it's always scary. Bad weather days are the WORST..and here in Dixie Alley we can have them ANY time of the year..I can remember several Thanksgivings/Christmases and even New Year's tornado outbreaks...since it's not uncommon for us at all to have warm spells during the winter and then comes a cold front and hold on for the tornadoes.

Basements are not common at all in the South..my Daddy always said it's due to the high humidity or something. So we just hunker down in the bathroom with blankets and pillows and do a lot of praying when we have a warning.

But we have a bad season in the spring of course and then another in the fall and like I said winter can bring them too here. The worst thing about tornadoes in the South is that they usually occur at night and they are usually big ones.

Summer is quieter thank goodness...unless we have an active hurricane season.
 
I'm actually right outside of Springfield, MA. Where the first tornado touched down is about 10 minutes away on the highway. It's so surreal, really, because it's so unusual here.

Celeste, I didn't realize you were so close!
 
taracotta7 said:
There aren't many basements in Oklahoma. (Due to our red clay instead of dirt.....I don't know why. That is just what I have been told) We don't have a basement, shelter, nothing. So, yea.....we have a 1/2 bath that is the center of our home. We load it with pillows to cover with, a couple football helmets for the kids and a first aid kit. We make sure everyone is wearing tennis shoes. And we just wait until it is time and go take cover.
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You aren't far from us in TX and I want basements too. We are putting in a tornado shelter this spring after taxes are done. I don't care if I have to finance it or put it on a CC, it will be going in.
 
If we ever get to move...we're HOPING to be able to move onto a few acres in a few years...the first thing we are going to do is build a storm shelter. Goodness knows anyone in a mobile home (or any house to be honest) needs one around here. Those F-1s are bad enough, but when those F-4s and F-5s come through, you NEED to be underground.
 
totally used to them... but they still freak me out... I was more freaked when we lived in a highise apartment... I had no clue where I was supposed to go...

we don't have a basement in our house but we have a lower level that's half underground so we'd probably end up in the bathroom down there since it's the only place w/o windows
 
I remember one partiucularly bad christmas tornado outbreak here in Florida. We rarely get those big ones like you see in other states but this storm just had so many tonadoes and so much damage with it. I remember waking up and it was just storming and we had no power. The kids wanted to go to family and we had to tell them no not until the storm passes. It rained for most of the day that day. I think it was a few years back. Maybe like 2007 or 2006? Anyhow I think alot of times the damage from teh straightwinds can be just as bad as the tornadoes. I know we had a bad one come through here back in march. The tornadoes all missed us. But the actual wind was rocking the house and it actually felt like the walls were going to implode. Scared even my husband and older son and they are never scared of storms. That night the power was out for about 15 hours. And now it is hurricane season so I know I wont be calm until oh about the end of October!! I really do hate storms of any kind myself so I am always nervous when there is a bad storm coming tornado or not.
 
I agree with everyone else that you just kind of get used to it. They're still scary as heck but they're a part of life so we learn to deal with them. :/ We don't have a basement in the house we live in so we generally go to the IL's house down the road and hole up there. We do have a cellar but I'd only go down there in an absolute emergency - like if it was practically on top of me. LOL When we finally build a new house it will have a safe room built in.
 
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