Mobile homes and Tornadoes

[Sailor]

Where we are on the west coast we are living on a major fault line. According to the experts we are overdue for a major earthquake. I will stay here and take my chances. Earthquakes, forest fires, tornadoes tsunamis, avalanches, motorcycles, irate ex wives, take your pick.

[JohnT]

25 years ago Traci and I bought a mobile. Instead of up-sizing we just renovated it along the years. real siding, real insulation, real sheet rock, and so on. It also got bigger. Trailer trash with "add upons" we are. It is anchored to the concrete slab. I don't live in tornado territory. But when you live here and tornado winds whip by they call it a "micro burst". Same devastation, different name. And anything the storm wants to destroy, gets destroyed. While the building 30 feet away is unhurt. Mama Nature is finicky.

My one ***** about these areas getting rebuilt is that the person that owns it should foot the bill. No one else. Pay the insurance and take your chances. I should not have to pay for any part of a flood in Louisiana or a twister in Oklahoma. At least not property replacement. Government emergency response is fine. Folks need help. But not proerty replacement or subsidizing their insurance.

[KICKSHOT]

The storm that wiped out Jarrell Texas in 1997 blew right past my mobile home in Belton Texas. It came from north to south following right down the interstate. It scared the hell out of a lot of us here. There were twisters touching down all up and down this highway. One right across the lake from me. But after we heard what happened to Jarrell we all said a little prayer. I have to agree with the people who said "Mother nature takes what she wants when she wants!" From Wikipedia: The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak was an unusual tornado outbreak in Central Texas which occurred on May 27, 1997. The F5 tornado that struck the town of Jarrell, Texas killed 27 people out of 1319 residents.[1] The tornado was 3/4 of a mile (1.2 km) wide and tracked across the ground for 7.6 miles (12.2 km).[2] Double Creek Estates, a subdivision of Jarrell, was literally wiped off the face of the earth with all 38 homes and several mobile homes destroyed. I have friends who responded to that and you can bet every thing you ever heard about that stuff is true. But do the research and you will find that Jarrell Texas was hit a few years before that too.

kickshot

I ain't afraid of dying but I am afraid of suffering!

[Motorcycle Mike]

It doesn't mater how you build it. A direct hit WILL destroy it.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/FEMA_Aerial_view_of_May_20,_2013_Moore,_Oklahoma_tornado_damage.jpg

[blue mtn. jim]

Being in the Nursing home industry for 20+ years and living in Fla. for 30 years i have seen my share of hurricanes and water spouts unbelievable rain storms. I have seen refrigerators blown out of condos a 1/4 of a mile. We built nursing homes that was used as hurricane shelters, no gable roofs all hip roof design, walls tied into the slab, positive and negative pressure attic draft stops, 100 plus miles per hour windows. I was building one in Avon park Fla. when hurricane Andrew came to town. We where 90 miles north of the direct hit of Homestead Fla. I have seen them things come in the gulf of mexico and they would cover the whole gulf, but when Andrew came knocking he was pissed, we use to say there is a least a toilet or hot water heater standing after some came a shore. But not ole buddy Andrew, 90 miles north we got a strong breeze and a shower or two, only 90 miles from the eye!!!!!!!! He ate EVERYTHING in his path, only slabs were left, Homestead AFB was totally destroyed, they evacuated at the last moment from the hurricane tracking station in Miami. Where did all the wood and concrete, asphalt, glass go. There was NOTHING ANYWHERE and he did a job on Florida City on his way out, did I mention there was not even lawns anywhere!!!!! I never seen one do that much devastation, they had to come out and spray paint house numbers on the slabs, man can not build something to stop the fury of storms PERIOD! remember the perfect storm up in north eastern coast out in the Atlantic ocean, they made a movie of it. They lost a oil rig when over a 100 foot waves took it out. There is no place like home totoo.

[Condor]

One of my big gripes after visiting my Brother in Law at Homestead AFB was my wife and I couldn't see anything while driving there. Nothing but stick pine on both sides of the highway. It was like driving thru a tunnel. After Andrew went thru a few months later, my BIN said to come back, we won't have any trouble seeing the countryside.... As far as Homestead responding at the last minute, all the equipment was parked at an AFB in Texas. They started moving it out a week before Andy hit. There wasn't much left but empty buildings before Andrew and they disappeared afterwards....

[Sailor]

Around here it is earthquakes and tidal waves that are the fear. They put out buoys to monitor wave heights up north some time ago. They had 100 feet of slack in the line. A wave came through and lifted one right out of its anchor. They have found ocean debris 200 feet up the sides of mountains up some of the inlets. We know an earthquake is coming, just don't know when.

[Chaharly]

All I can say is if a tornado is coming just watch the water in your toilet bowl....If it disappears (goes down the drain) you better duck because the tornado is outside your door.. The air pressure in your house will change dramatically and the first sign of air pressure change is the water in the toilet begins to move a little and then it goes down the drain all by itself.

Once the water disappears this means the windows and roof could, or is, about to blow out, so make darn sure you have a motorcycle helmet (any helmet) on while watching the toilet water and have a heavy quilt/ blanket to cover up with and a pillow to cover your face from glass and such. The blanket and pillows should be placed in your bath tub so that you can jump from the toilet to the tub and get under cover quickly

If you have a storm shelter, don't be Macho man and wait until the tornado is in your yard before you head out to the shelter...I see where many try to "out smart" the tornado and yet they know nothing about a storm or what type of clouds to look for.

 

Be safe folks, tornado season is upon us.

 

 

I agree with you there, if you're in a storm warning and you hear your drains start making that sucking sound you had better be in for a rough 15 minutes!

[dacheedah]

Doesn't matter what you live in when mother nature comes a huffing and puffing. that is why they make weather safety shelters.

[saddlebum]

So once again is is those Canadians leaving the door open........:snow: :cold: :cold:

Sorry...It wasn't planned that way.....