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Across the Fence:  What's your tornado strategy?  |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 11:53:54 AM
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Hey farmgals,
DH and I are still undaunted by the threat of tornados and plan to move to Missouri to buy land when his degree is finished. I'm an Oregon girl and I've weathered blizzards, flash floods, heavy winds, monsoons, a couple earthquakes, several wildfires and mudslides, but I've never actually sat through a tornado or been at much risk of one.
I'm not really "afraid" of them-- everyplace is subject to it's own natural disasters. But I AM trying to learn more about them so my family is properly prepared and protected. I'm paying extra close attention to tornado season this year!
I get the whole "crying wolf" scenario... as I understand it lots of tornado warnings go out and far fewer cyclones ever touch ground. I also understand the basics like staying away from open windows.
Do you have a shelter away from the house? or do you just go to the basement?
If you have a shelter what kind of construction is it and what does it cost to build one?
What do you do with all your animals when there is a serious threat?
What do you keep stocked in the shelter and what do you take with you when you go in?
How long do you normally have to stay "sheltered"?
Finally, is homeowners insurance a whole lot more expensive in Tornado Alley than elsewhere? Do you have to purchase special tornado insurance like you do flood insurance?
~*~ http://silverstarfamilyfarm.blogspot.com/ ~*~
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.”
~Erma Bombeck |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 1:15:44 PM
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Basement! I refuse to live in a place without one. Ric insists that we are fine because we are within a home run's distance of a lake, but hello--water spouts?
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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prayin granny
True Blue Farmgirl
1874 Posts
Linda
Kansas
1874 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 1:33:53 PM
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I say basements as well! And being in Wichita, just spent all last nite in our friends basement! VERY scary night and A LOT of Gods grace covered our city!!
Listen to what the weather people and the locals say. As dear Brenda (classy gram) advised? A small bag with change of clothes, water, snacks ad medications for a few days, just in case. Keep sturdy shoes and flashlight and battery radio if available.
After that? Lots of prayer!
Farmgirl hugs,
Linda
Country at Heart |
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Caron
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
Caron
Orange
Texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 1:59:44 PM
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We don't have much threat from tornados where I live but Hurricanes are another matter! Each year about this time we start making sure we have supplies in the home for a stay without electricity. In case we cannot stay we have a plan mapped out of various ways to get to another town away from our area plus we make sure the cars are never low on gas,they are tuned up and we have extra car parts if needed.
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 3:41:13 PM
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Jen, tornado events don't usually last too long so as far as supplies in the shelter, a comfortable place to sit, water, maybe a little food, a flashlight if the power goes out and a battery or hand crank radio. If you actually get hit by a tornado, then that's a complete different list, you'd need a lot more water and food, clothing etc. But just to sit out the tornado warning I think your most important item would be the radio.
Tornadoes are rare here but not unheard of. The tornado the Weather Channel actually caught on film a couple of years ago was not that far away from us. We have our trusty basement for our storm shelter. What worries me is being at the office during an event and that's a metal building with no basement.
Audrey
.jpg) Good boy Hobbs! I love and miss you. |
Edited by - acairnsmom on Apr 15 2012 3:45:06 PM |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 3:51:58 PM
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Listen to your local weather and take heed and watch...plan to go as quick as possible to your basement/storm shelter/root cellar...keep that area stocked with non-perishable food (things that do not need to be cooked, but have nutricional value), lots and lots of water, a big first-aide kit ( you don't know how many will be in need of medical help, and sometimes its hours before you get help), battery operated weather radio, with extra batteries (remember to rotate items as needed), blankets, sleeping bags, at least 3 complete sets of clothes for every member of your family, sturdy shoes/boots, gloves for all, pet food if you have time to grab them (human life ALWAYS trumps animal life, no matter how hard it is to leave them behind), camping stove and propane, lanterns, basic cooking implements, if you are on medicine, keep extras, in water proof containers, and mark them well of contents, deck of cards, a stuffed animal or two for the little ones to hug...this is just what I can think of, off the top of my head, I was born and raised in Missouri, and married and moved to California, with the San Andreas fault a few miles away...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 3:52:03 PM
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Ditto what Audrey said...we have a storm shelter which is a solid concrete construction that is underground except for the sloping door to the top that is above ground. It has two air vents with a turbin over one that keeps airflow fresh. It is large enough to sit 8 people comfortably and 10 people kinda squished. If it's just the two of us, we can sleep on cushions if we feel the need just to stay down there all night if there is a chance of nighttime tornadoes. We have a battery operated fan which is a must, a battery operated radio, a coleman lantern with flourescent bulbs, an LED flashlight. folding chairs on one side and long bench on the other and a bag with candles and matches. If it is obvious that we are going to have to go to the shelter, we take the animals, laptops, cell phones, cold water or drinks and some munchies. The laptops give us the ability to watch tv and radar and the cell phones come in handy if a tree falls across the shelter door and we can't get out!! :-) Actually, we use them to talk to other friends and family to make sure they are ok and to pass the time. Tornado shelters are not large enough to keep "stock" and they are not tight enough to keep anything of value in them for long periods. Dirt, bugs and spiders are always the issue when opening a shelter before the season. So they are simply a place to get to quickly and stay safe. They are only for short time habitation.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
Edited by - Okie Farm Girl on Apr 15 2012 4:35:03 PM |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 5:38:51 PM
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I heard after the Joplin disaster that many houses caved into the basements, are basements generally safe enough? Or should I invest in a shelter weather we have a basement or not?
~*~ http://silverstarfamilyfarm.blogspot.com/ ~*~
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.”
~Erma Bombeck |
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 6:11:03 PM
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Jen, if you have the money (it's around $2300 here) I think the shelter is the safest. It is true that the house can cave into the basement, and it has happened where the house was sucked off the foundation, leaving the basement exposed and people hurt. The nice thing about the shelter is that it has a door that latches underneath so that it doesn't come off like in the movies. It's pretty failsafe!
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2012 : 9:03:45 PM
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There's only been one or two times since I've been in this house (14 years) when I've headed to the basement. I had put my two birds in their carriers and they were already down there. I grabbed Boxer and down we went. I've never actually seen a tornado, they seem to strike more in open country. I've also heard that tornadoes usually come from the southwest, so you should hunker down in a northeast corner. (I think I got that right).
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead O'Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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woolgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
901 Posts
Elizabeth
Great Lakes
IL
USA
901 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2012 : 2:03:50 PM
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We have a corner in the basement that we have an extra bed set up for guests, but we keep emergency supplies under the bed (bottled water, extra blankets, food, flashlight, storm radio, etc...). Something I have been hearing this year is grabbing the bike helmets before heading to the basement. Apparently that has saved a few people recently.
Liz
Farmgirl #1947
www.militaryfarmgirl.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MilitaryFarmGirl |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2012 : 3:02:41 PM
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Linda I am right next to Wichita!
I like what Tina, and Mary Beth, said most.
1) All the things listed were good.
2) I would prefer a safe room, or seperate shelter. You can have a safe room in your basement, that has a reinforced ceiling of cement/concrete and rebarb. That's what my parents have. The house came like that, my mom said it was a man who built houses for a living that owned our home originally so he built it custom for the house. I have ran across others in the area with the same such "safe" rooms. They have doors that are parallel to the ground for locking and closing.
You can have a separate one but then you have to go out in rain, and such to get in it. If it gets too windy before you go getting the door shut can be hard! And I have had a uncle sucked up and his arm broke (he didn't let go of the door) trying to get it closed. I like inside if you can afford it, with like was brought out vents for air circulation.
However, if the house does cave in you could be stuck in your safe room for a while (all the debre would be on top of the door), and so you would want a few days worth of supplies.
For us personally we have always had a weeks worth of supplies, if your town/neighborhood is hit (not common but has happened to me more then once in Wichita!) you could be with out power for up to 2 weeks! You want your shelter to be stocked cause you "could" go to the store if it hasn't been hit, BUT, more then likely it will be picked clean in such a ordeal. (food flies off the shelves!). Water is a huge thing even if you go to restaurants if your town was hit, you can't drink water, or anything from a tap for contamination, so having enough bottled water is important.
I would seriously have one weeks worth, cause we've needed it more then once.
The tornadoes can come and go fast. They often happen in the night or evening though. So we like to have beds, and such for ever one always set up as well. So if it happens in the night you aren't going up and down. Just go down and go to bed, and relax. That's what we do. If you plan on staying up or it is early in the evening though you would also probably like some games down there. We always keep card games, and other family games (get them at garage sales, clearance, etc cause they may be extra ones then the ones you play upstairs normal game nights). It helps pass the time, and calm scared kids, etc. You could be there for hours just for warnings-depending. And if you do in fact get hit, again you could be down there up to two weeks! (depending on if your house was hit, if there is debri on top of your door, etc) So yeah think about all the things you would want.
You don't have to have it perfect at first, but when you live in these areas, as you spend your times down there during such, you learn what you would want to change, what you want down there next time, what maybe you didn't need etc.
But, I'm in the boat of ALWAYS seek shelter.
I lived across the street from the Arkansas River most of my life, I've seen more then one tornado go right down the river! (follow the river all the way for miles!) water is no safer then land. They go with the wind literally and are very very unpredictable. I always go to shelter.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2012 : 3:08:43 PM
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oh my ps, I don't like just a "basement" cause of the cave ins. I have known of more then one person killed by the house caving in on them. If I was though in a situation where only the basement is the option, then I would try to get under a area that doesn't have heavy things on top, like say a piano! lol haha I don't want that landing on me!
If you do not have a basement at all or any shelter, the bathtub with a mattress on top of you or a closet is what is suggested.
Again though for us we want a shelter/safe room!
Oh and if you have nothing, you also if you live in a city, may make sure you know of the nearest shelter for your neighborhood, in the cities there is often public shelters-school gyms, church gyms, trailer parks often invest in their own shelters, for the whole park, etc. DO NOT NOT NOT stay in a trailer, LEAVE a trailer at all cost during one...I think you would be safer laying in a ditch (and I'm not being sarcastic when I say this, I'm being honest).
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2012 : 3:26:15 PM
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Heather, very thorough. Of course, you know that you've made me decide to go down and make my dull concrete walls, pretty. I'm thinking mint green with big pink flowers!! If nothing else, we can count the flowers to pass the time!:-)
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2012 : 3:47:44 PM
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Sounds fun to me Mary Beth.
Here there is a man who finishes concrete with a really really nice finish so our floor likes like tanned cow hide! I love it. And it's smooth as a baby's bottom! I'm all for painting.
And now for the reason I came back to this thread.... why did the woman on TV just interviewed have to call it a fraidy hole? lol Let's perpetuate this stigma of us hicks, right? lol hahaha
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
Edited by - MagnoliaWhisper on Apr 16 2012 3:48:12 PM |
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2012 : 4:01:32 PM
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Welllll..I guess I've been known to call it a "fraidy-hole" a time or two, myself. To be sure, I am totally afeared when they is a twister a-comin'! I'm a redneck and proud of it!! On that note, though, I will never forget when we had the May 3rd, 1999 tornado here. A mile wide and on the ground for 80 miles, it was beyond F5 measurement on the scale. Midwest City, where my daughter lives, was wiped out as was Moore, Bridgecreek and parts of Tinker Air Force base. It was the most horrible thing I've ever seen. There was a man who was sitting in his house and he got sucked out and thrown into a pond several hundred yards away. Miraculously, he survived with just a bunch of cuts. He looked like he had walked into a room of razor blades because there wasn't a part of him that didn't have cuts. Anyway, they interviewed him from his hospital bed on the Today Show. They asked the journalistic dumb question, "So how do you feel?" He answered, "Walll. Ah'm a hurtin' a right smart." Yep. We're rednecks. :-)
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
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mrs2bears
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Annette
Vancouver
WA
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2012 : 11:43:41 AM
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| Get certified as a CERT member. Community Emergency Response Team members are taught how to deal with the type of weather emergencies you could find in your area of the country. Just knowing what to do will help your frame of mind, and knowing how to safely help others in the aftermath of a disaster will give you a sense of peace. Contact the Americorp website or your local fire department for training information. |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2012 : 7:01:17 PM
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| Annette, that sounds like really good advice. Knowledge might not always be power, but it sure helps! Can you really create a "hidey hole" shelter for $2300? We live in a 100+-year-old farmhouse with no basement. Our only place to hide during tornado warnings is under the stairs. Not very reassuring! And we;'re getting more and more tornadoes here than there ever were in the past. I wish we had a special shelter. Do they have to be very deep? What's involved? I'd love to know more. Unfortunately, our soil here is very rocky; when you start digging, you're just as likely as not to hit a boulder! Still, I'd like to see if we could create something for us (and the cats) to weather storms. |
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2012 : 7:44:38 PM
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Mara, that's what we paid for ours. And right now, banks are giving low interest loans to anyone who needs to borrow money to put one in.
I am adding a note here..I didn't answer all of your question. Tornado shelters are usually preformed of concrete or fiberglass. The latter is very hot so we think the concrete is the best. It is brought to the home in two pieces, the top and the bottom and a backhoe digs a hole to drop the bottom in. It is placed about 4 or 5 feet down into the ground and then they put this gooey stuff all over the edges. They lower the top down onto the bottom and it puts into place, held there by the goo. The men get down into the cellar, then, and smooth the rubber goo around the crack to seal the shelter from moisture. Then dirt is pulled up around the whole thing to within 10 inches from the very top. It looks like a hill going up to the shelter.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
Edited by - Okie Farm Girl on Apr 28 2012 8:21:42 PM |
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rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3331 Posts
marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW
Washington State
USA
3331 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2012 : 8:05:10 PM
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Jen,
I was raised in CA - dealt with earthquakes. We have moved ALOT and had a taste of a lot of different types of weather. East coast Nor-Easters and Washington wildfires. But living in Kansas for two years scared the liver out of me. God Bless You, you are braver than I.
Marianne |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2012 : 2:04:54 PM
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I guess I've inherited a very scandinavian attitude towards mortality.
To quote the 13th warrior:
"The All-father wove the skein of our lives ages before we were ever born. Worrying profits a man nothing."
~*~ http://silverstarfamilyfarm.blogspot.com/ ~*~
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.”
~Erma Bombeck |
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machick
True Blue Farmgirl
60 Posts
Diana
Park City
Kansas
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2012 : 2:44:32 PM
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Gotta jump in here. Lived in Kansas all my life, around Wichita, Basements are good. Safe rooms much better. They do build what they call Storm bunkers. They are part in the ground and part above. Reenforced concret. We just built a new home and had a safe room built under the front porch. we enter in the basement but it is not under the house just under the front porch. I am a "fredy cat" have been my whole life. Yes you can build a shelter for around 2500.00. Also you can have above ground safe rooms built in your house. Good for the handicap or seniors who can't get down in the basement. Most of the time if you pay attention to the weather you will have a good idea whats heading your why. And make sure to have a Weather radio. Have it on at all times.
Have a good plan and you will be fine. The Lord will be with you.
May your bobbins always be full!!! |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2012 : 2:58:20 PM
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| Thanks for the info. ladies. It really does seem that the safest bet is to be alert to dangerous weather and drive to someplace safer in advance of it and right now, $2500 would be hard for us to justify spending on something we might never have to use -- but I sure am tempted to look into it. |
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Across the Fence: What's your tornado strategy? |
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What's your tornado strategy?
