There has been a lot of discussion over the last few years
about the hazards of trying to drive out of the path of a tornado,
especially in a large city. We know early in the morning what our
tornado risk will be for that day. If you don't feel your home is safe,
make plans ahead of time and leave BEFORE warnings are issued. If you
are still home when the sirens sound it's too late. Take cover
immediately and use blankets, pillows, helmets, etc to protect yourself
from debris. The innermost room should survive all but the strongest
tornadoes but YOU WILL DIE in your car if hit by even a weak one.
I repeat,
YOU WILL DIE
if a tornado hits your car with you in it.
I repeat,
YOU WILL DIE
if a tornado hits your car with you in it.
Don't
use me as an example. Driving in severe weather is what I do. We have
annual safety training which covers incidents from last season. Even
with training we lost three professional chasers and two amateurs on May
31, 2013. Several others were injured. I keep my distance from danger
and I have communication with trusted experts to keep me out of harm's
way. You can't rely on the street by street radar analysis given on TV
or radio. Those can be inaccurate because radar is seeing thousands of
feet up in the air, not on the ground. Relying on a radar app on your
phone isn't a good idea either for the same reason, plus it is probably several minutes old. Besides, thousands of extra cars on
the road jeopardizes the lives of those who NEED to be out there.
