Tornado Season is here

They even reported tornadoes up here in Wisconsin, not nearly what GreenTwin and others experienced, but it shows how wide spread this weather is. Our son in Pueblo, CO said that some highways were shut down in Colorado due to 80mph winds blowing semi trucks off the road.
We're hoping GreenTwin and others in the area are doing well and recover from all that damage.

We live in Murfreesboro TN lots of storm destruction here. More storms Wed.

Yep, round 2 Wednesday.

Tis the season.

Keep your head down.

GreenTwin said:

Yep, round 2 Wednesday.

Tis the season.

Keep your head down.

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I do not live where is tornados but I am ready for most problems and tell others on NextDoor to be prepared.
We do loss power in the summer it does get up to 114°F witch can kill. So generator running small AC does job. Even water out hot water tank or fill bathtub just before a storm so flush.
But I lived most life in the county not city.

Dave

Dave

Ah, tornado season. I've been watching and dodging for most of my adult life. I've lost family to one in 2011. And living in the tornado ally areas, one sure learns to watch the radar.

I feel sorry for the ones effected by any of the tornadoes or high winds. We were under tornado watch/warnings last Friday into the we hours of the morning.

Finally got internet service back today.

Still running on the generator.

Trying to look at stuff on that tiny phone screen was getting old.

You can bet I will be watching the weather radar tomorrow and wednesday.

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We are tried of living in tornado alley. More storms Wed.

This storm was not nearly as bad in Memphis as "Hurricane Elvis" a few years ago, luckily.

The insulator was chipped, and so was being discarded.

Lots of nice wood going into the trash.

We really were lucky this time.
This is minor damage compared to previous years.

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Rocket Man said:

We are tried of living in tornado alley. More storms Wed.

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I grew up in tornado alley, and so it is a "normal" part of life around here.

I am seriously considering digging a fallout shelter though.

Those direct hits are bad, but you can survive them with a shelter.

I have a photo somewhere from last year where someone built an above ground concrete room about 36" square, and the family got in it, and that is the only thing standing up in the middle of the lot.

Pretty much all of the damage in this city was caused by trees falling on things, not by high winds.
We had one straight-line wind that plowed through a neigborhood a few years ago, and that leveled a bunch of houses, like a lawn mower running over them.

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Wow. Hope you have a chain saw. I have always been a fan of underground power lines. Some years ago a plough wind took out both main power lines for the province. These were mostly for export so we weren't affected in the city. It cost millions to fix them. They put the third one on the other side of the province so they all couldn’t be taken out together. Underground would cost a huge amount initially but long term would probably be cheaper.

This was 2008 in Greers Ferry Arkansas.
Not my photo.

This is an example of some newer construction, with plywood or chip board roof, and rafters 24" on center, with a high roof.

This type of construction does not do well in high winds.

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Shopgeezer said:

Wow. Hope you have a chain saw. I have always been a fan of underground power lines. Some years ago a plough wind took out both main power lines for the province. These were mostly for export so we weren't affected in the city. It cost millions to fix them. They put the third one on the other side of the province so they all couldn’t be taken out together. Underground would cost a huge amount initially but long term would probably be cheaper.

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They tried underground in some subdivisions in this City, and it was an expensive failure.

All sorts of things dig into the cables, as well as roots, etc.
It was a multi-million dollar failure.

Overhead lines are very reliable, inexpensive, and easy to repair too.

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The wind storm in 2003 here, which is what we call "Hurricane Elvis".

This one was some big straight-line winds.

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Storm 2017.

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Running on a gasoline generator is expensive, and I have just been running the refrigerator, a small window air conditioning unit, and a few LED lights.

Cost for gasoline has been about $50.00 / day (about 15 gallons per 24 hour period).

Normal utility company cost for power, gas, sewer and water combined is $10.00 per day.

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GreenTwin said:

Finally got internet service back today.

Still running on the generator.

Trying to look at stuff on that tiny phone screen was getting old.

You can bet I will be watching the weather radar tomorrow and wednesday.

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I use my phone as a hot spot for a tablet or small laptop. That way it is much easier to see and you'll have a keyboard that will work.

Can you let the frig be off for a few hours at a time, and the lights, etc. It could save you some gallons of gas.

The hot spot is a good idea.
I will have to check into that.

I work out of the house, and so I have to run a computer or two, and a window A/C unit, so I am not worried too much about saving gas.
Main thing is to keep the business running, because the clients don't care about power problems, and they don't want any excuses.

It sure would be nice to have a bunker.

I found a modest bunker arrangement online, out west somewhere; perhaps Nevada.
House above grade, and another house down below grade.
I think this would serve my needs.

Edit:
Check out the view out the kitchen window.

One picture shows a swimming pool.


Not my pictures.

More bunker pictures.

Complete with swimming pool.

It was for sale not to long ago.

Looks like it has an underground main house and guest house.
I guess I could give up the guest house.

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Hi, life is tough when bad weather happens.. maybe why so many keep coming to the UK? Or is that because of the relative wealth, as so many leave the UK for better weather!
After 40 years I cannot get used to the cold here in North East England. Mostly wet Westerly winds, except daily cold blows in off the North sea. And regular Artic weather from the North. Tops 22C in Summer, lows of -5 in winter, winds never dangerous, no floods, Tsunamis, or droughts. So we really have nothing to complain about. (BUT I am always Cold!).
I do feel for the 250 MILLION affected by hurricanes in Florida - almost annually. And Tornado alley populations, and many more. But I wonder at the logic of having buildings that cannot survive the natural weather that happens frequently in the life of a property? How can Insurances work with regular and repeated huge disasters devastating huge areas? Who can afford premiums?
I visited Carribean islands (Grand Turks.) on a first cruise ship after a major Hurricane. Concrete buildings with no windows or doors, roof, etc. Locals living in temporary sheds built from any remaining wood that didn't blow into the sea...
Is it poor building design? Minimalist Construction? A lack of Planning or Regulation? Corruption in the industry? Etc.
In the UK - without extreme weather - most Urban electricity etc. is buried underground. It is 1/3 the cost to run it on poles. But similar cost to run it on Hurricane proof poles.
So maybe society cannot afford to protect itself from the weather.
Sad for those (millions!) who suffer the effects of weather... and I think we are less able to resist the weather than our forebears, mostly due to modern life's desires and money.
Makes me thankful that I don't live there in the warm sunny places...
Reminds me of 3 little pigs... Huff, Puff... etc. Is the big, bad wolf just the weather?
K2