Tornado alley

Cubby · Mar 7, 2004

Well it is exciting-at least in the Spring (and early Summer, sometimes in the Fall and only occasionally in the Winter). Other than the tornado activity- Oklahoma is just like any other state. I believe our housing prices are lower-just bought a home and two acres about a year and a half ago, paid $73,000. As for pets--(outside of those of us who like to eat the road kill we find :chuckle ) I don't imagine anyone has any magic tricks for keeping their pets safe. What do people in California do during Earhquakes?

Oklahoma is a beautiful and wonderful State. Just don't let it get out--people still think we are playing Cowboys and Indians!!

Blackcat99 · Mar 8, 2004

:chuckle Thanks Cubby. I saw the movie "Twister"many years ago and it scared me to death. I guess if I lived in Tornado alley I would lock my pets in the basement everyday before I went to work. Is it true that you get hail the size of golf balls before a tornado hits? I have seen real life tornado videos and it is so shocking to me. I feel so sorry for those poor people who lose their homes and relatives in tornados.

mrdoc2005 · Mar 8, 2004

I live in Alabama in the t. alley. As far as house prices I would say they are maybe alittle cheaper but not much. The last bad tornado we had was about a year ago. It blew my neighbors house apart but left mine. They are funny like that. They just pick what they want. For example about 6 years ago we (Alabama) had the worst tornado we ever had on palm sunday. It destroyed a church during palm sunday service and killed several that were in the church. This was about 15 miles from my house.

As far as the warnings; 1 week during the peak and I have seen hail close to softball size. Sometimes the hail is so large that the only thing you hear is the hail hitting the house.

BabyRN2Be · Apr 19, 2004

What is it like to live in Tornado alley? Are houses cheap in this area? How often do you have tornado warnings? What do you do if you are at work and your pets are home alone and there is a tornado warning? Thanks

It's very interesting for a "weather geek" like me - I've dated a meteorologist before, and it's very busy in spring! In the OKC area, they seem to receive a few more tornadoes, but they seem to hit out in the open areas. It's not too often that they hit the big population areas. When they do hit, they cause such a small area of damage - you may not say that when YOUR house is hit, but compared to earthquakes in CA, I'd take tornadoes any day. I've lived in both places, and right before we left CA, I was so terrified of earthquakes.

I think that you'd have a greater chance of getting into a fatal accident on your way to work than to get hit by a tornado. But the weather pics are spectacular though.

Blackcat99 · Apr 20, 2004

:chuckle Thanks folks for your messages. Yes That's amazing! Hail almost the size of softballs! Those poor people at the church. Yes it's amazing to me how it completely destroys one house and then doesn't even touch the neighbor's house. I think earthquakes are scary too. I use to live in Calif. I'm more afraid of tornadoes even though I've never been in one. I am always in shock when I see on TV all the damages from a bad tornado.

BabyRN2Be · Apr 21, 2004

:chuckle Thanks folks for your messages. Yes That's amazing! Hail almost the size of softballs! Those poor people at the church. Yes it's amazing to me how it completely destroys one house and then doesn't even touch the neighbor's house. I think earthquakes are scary too. I use to live in Calif. I'm more afraid of tornadoes even though I've never been in one. I am always in shock when I see on TV all the damages from a bad tornado.

Hey Blackcat99,

Your original post is very timely. We are going into the second day of severe weather. Right now as I type this, the sky is very dark and there is lightning/thunder going on. I should probably be off the computer now, but hey, I try not to let the weather rule my life. :) Yesterday was very interesting. My boyfriend was not home last night when a possible tornado had passed over his house. He was watching on TV (all national programming is preempted when weather gets bad) a local weather report about a possible tornado near his house. He had to leave his friends to go home and see if his new home had been forcibly relocated to southern Kansas. He had called me on his cell on his way home to try to get the latest on the weather in that area. It's OK though, he came home to see that the rosebush in back will not tolerate another storm like that, but the home was still standing on the original lot. He will not have to retrieve his home from surrounding states. Unfortunately, that's not the case for some families in IL, the state I'm originally from. :crying2:

Sometimes it's never a dull moment in tornado alley. You get used to it, most of the time tornadoes don't do the total damage you see sensationalized on national programs.

It's kind of funny, at this very moment there are tornadoes just a few miles from here, and my dad and brother have just turned off the weather to watch a DVD. After two days, we sort of yawn at the weather.

Just for information, the hospitals around here are very well prepared for severe weather. A "Code Black" (at my current hospital) is called if the National Weather Service spots a tornado headed towards a particular hospital. We go into the rooms, get the pts who can walk out into the halls, move the beds if we have to, cover the pts w/ blankets to protect from flying glass, etc. Get everyone away from windows and into bathrooms (if not on the outside wall) or hallways.

We manage, we get by... but sometimes it gets interesting. I really believe that earthquakes cause more damage than tornadoes do. After living in OK for the last 20 years, I'd take one over an earthquake any day.

In my opinion, those tornadoes in "Twister" didn't even LOOK real.

Blackcat99 · Apr 22, 2004

Thanks BabyRN2b

:uhoh21: I am shocked to hear that your dad and your brother were watching a DVD when there was a tornado just a few miles away!!!

I just saw the TV news right now. How scary that tornado looked to me!

Thanks for gving me more information about tornadoes. Wow! Code Black!

That must be so frightening for both the patients and staff.

kklownluv · May 7, 2004

It seems weird to me (grew up all my life in Oklahoma) that people are REALLY REALLY freaked out about tornadoes. I would rather be in a tornado anyday than an earthquake or hurricane. Oklahomans just treat severe weather as a rainy day.

P.S. TAKE YOUR TORNADO PRECAUTIONS!!!

purplemania, BSN, RN · May 7, 2004

if it was horrible people would not continue to live there. As for pets, you can't predict when, how much or even IF a tornado will hit your house, so most people carry on with their lives same as anywhere else.

lisaloulou · May 8, 2004

After living in OK for years, I figured out why housing is so inexpensive....

All homes are potentially mobile :rotfl:

Blackcat99 · May 8, 2004

:chuckle :chuckle

After living in OK for years, I figured out why housing is so inexpensive....
All homes are potentially mobile :rotfl:

:chuckle Yes now I know why housing is so cheap.

You folks are braver than me. I have been in several earthquakes and they are scary. However, being anywhere near a tornado looks even scarier to me. I have thought of going on one of those "Storm Chaser" vacation tours so I can overcome my fear of a tornado.