Tornadoes - When Disaster Strikes - page 320

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Tornadoes
“ Darden describes a family of five who lived on a farm outside of Higdon, Alabama, a small commu-
nity in the northern part of the state. They had no storm shelter, but they did live in a home that he
says was well built.
On Saturday, Darden and a partner visited the family. 'The mother and three daughters were there
at the time,' he recalls. Looking at the wall-free ground floor—all that remained of the home—'I intro-
duced myself and said: “Thank God y'all were not home.'” Her response? 'Oh, we were here.' With no
storm shelter and nothing but a slab foundation left, 'I really thought she was joking,' he continues. 'I
asked: “'Where were you at?”'
She led the two men to a spot on the storm-swept slab, where nothing but a small patch of hardwood
flooring and a scrap of carpeting remained—parts of each pulled up by the tornado. The rest of the
flooring vanished into the vortex and hasn't been found. The patch is all that was left of the interi-
or hallway in which the family huddled. 'They were not touched,' he says, in a voice tinged with
amazement. 'They were not sucked up. They didn't have a scratch on them.' ” —Pete Spotts, “Lessons
from the Wreckage: How Alabama Could Help Tornado Preparedness,” Christian Science Monitor ,
May 4, 2011
Who could not be shocked and saddened by the images of massive devastation left in the wake
of the record-breaking string of tornadoes that struck the central, southern, and eastern parts of
the United States in the spring of 2011? With winds clocked at speeds of over 300 mph (500
km/hr), combined with their unpredictable and erratic nature, tornadoes can be both awe inspir-
ing and terrifying at the same time. Though nothing can guarantee absolute safety in the path of
a tornado, outside of a shelter with reinforced concrete and steel walls, understanding
something about the nature of tornadoes, safety tips for surviving a tornado strike, and which
common folklore is to be trusted or ignored, will improve your chances for making the right
decision when confronted by a tornado. The above-mentioned story illustrates the value of
seeking shelter on the bottommost floor of a building and at the innermost area with no win-
dows, such as a hallway, bathroom, or closet.