Dakota
Veteran Expediter
New recommendations to people in vehicles. All the things we were taught are wrong.
Surviving a tornado: what you should do
Surviving a tornado: what you should do
Surviving a Tornado
- Thread starter Dakota
- Start date
"If you are in a car, get parked, get your seat belt on, get as low as you can in the vehicle, get a jacket or a blanket to cover yourself up with, and your odds of survival are better than if you are outside in the ditch," Sabones said. "On the other hand, if you are in a Sprinter, get yourself away from that windshield, cover yourself up with a blanket, bend over as far as you can, and kiss your аss goodbye."
(OK, he really didn't say that last part. But it's true.
)
(OK, he really didn't say that last part. But it's true.
)
Dakota
Veteran Expediter
Not sure these guidelines apply to straight trucks and semi's
but having your seatbelt on is good advice and cover your head with a blanket or comforter in case the glass breaks, the windshield is actually pretty strong since it has a layer of plastic in it, the side windows would go first!!!
but having your seatbelt on is good advice and cover your head with a blanket or comforter in case the glass breaks, the windshield is actually pretty strong since it has a layer of plastic in it, the side windows would go first!!!
Pictures from the recent tornadoes indicate that trucks are less likely to be thrown around like toy cars. Most of the trucks that were flipped were empty, so weight is another factor.
During a nasty windstorm in Kingman, AZ a while ago I was parked perpendicular to the wind and was getting rocked pretty good. So much so that I was beginning to think I might want to turn the van 90 degrees. Then I saw a big truck, waiting second in line to get fuel at the J, go right over on its side. The other trucks remained upright, and I wasted no time in reorientating my Sprinter. Turns out, the truck that flipped had an empty trailer.
dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
Yep, empty trailers don't do well, especially in an F5. These are empty trailers from the furniture company that I worked at in Xenia, OH in 1974. That's the bowling alley that they're resting on!
Dakota
Veteran Expediter
I never liked the ditch idea but thought the overpass idea was where I would be. Common sense rules. If there is no place to go, stay strapped into your truck. If your at a truck stop or restaurant, the freezer would be a safe place.
I'd much rather be in my truck than in a ditch!!!
I'd much rather be in my truck than in a ditch!!!
I agree with Ateam, the article talks about F1 and F2's. and F5's are like category 3+ Hurricanes, it's not a safe bet that much of anything is "safe", figuratively speaking that is.
Another thing I caught was that it said that overpasses are "potentially" dangerous... is that saying there is no proof that they are safe or unsafe? I'm rollin in my truck or bus, and I see an overpass- guess where I'm going- whether I'm loaded or empty.
I've seen overpasses withstand some serious winds and debris fall outs as well, and recently when those twisters hit there was a new clip showing an 18 wheeler under an overpass- maybe it was on YouTube? Twister went over and rig pulled out and went on it's way.
I've Never heard of news/media saying not to go under an overpass?
I agree with the buckle down, lay low, and cover up routine is great advice.
Except on a bus, where am I going go? Next time you see a bus- look at all that glass!!! I got an idea... I'll use my fire extinguisher to save myself!! Ha! I crack myself up!
I feel safer, and more comfortable, in a truck than in a bus...
I like the truck because I don't have people asking Stupid questions like "Does the crew sleep onboard the cruise ship?"
On the flip side, I like doing the busses because I have a captive audience- they can't change the channel on the radio! Ha, now you know that was funny!
Another thing I caught was that it said that overpasses are "potentially" dangerous... is that saying there is no proof that they are safe or unsafe? I'm rollin in my truck or bus, and I see an overpass- guess where I'm going- whether I'm loaded or empty.
I've seen overpasses withstand some serious winds and debris fall outs as well, and recently when those twisters hit there was a new clip showing an 18 wheeler under an overpass- maybe it was on YouTube? Twister went over and rig pulled out and went on it's way.
I've Never heard of news/media saying not to go under an overpass?
I agree with the buckle down, lay low, and cover up routine is great advice.
Except on a bus, where am I going go? Next time you see a bus- look at all that glass!!! I got an idea... I'll use my fire extinguisher to save myself!! Ha! I crack myself up!
I feel safer, and more comfortable, in a truck than in a bus...
I like the truck because I don't have people asking Stupid questions like "Does the crew sleep onboard the cruise ship?"
On the flip side, I like doing the busses because I have a captive audience- they can't change the channel on the radio! Ha, now you know that was funny!
Brisco
Expert Expediter
"If you are in a car, get parked, get your seat belt on, get as low as you can in the vehicle, get a jacket or a blanket to cover yourself up with, and your odds of survival are better than if you are outside in the ditch," Sabones said. "On the other hand, if you are in a Sprinter, get yourself away from that windshield, cover yourself up with a blanket, bend over as far as you can, and kiss your аss goodbye."
(OK, he really didn't say that last part. But it's true.
Compare a Sprinter Van VS a Ford or Chevy Van like this:
Sprinter - Place a June Bug in a Pepsi or Coke can and stomp on it a couple of times. June Bug would be a dead bug, period.
Ford/Chevy - Place a June Bug in a used Vegetable Can (corn-green beans-hominy
) and stomp on it a couple of times. June Bug will crawl out of can limping and what not.Same theory applies when comparing the 2, period.
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They say "potentially" because it's not a 100% lock that you'll be killed under an overpass. But it's a good bet you will, nonetheless.
That's all I've heard. Never heard or read anything in the news media that says you should go under an overpass (except for that one video, see below)
National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Miller explains his frustration: "We routinely tell people to get down, cover up, and get as many things as possible between them and the tornado. When they get up under an overpass, they’re doing the opposite of that." So there ya go.
The safest place to be during a tornado is underground in a storm shelter. The least safest place to be is the opposite of that - above ground in a debris wind tunnel where you get sandblasted with dirt, sand, rocks, bricks, sheet metal, lumber, and the occasional cow.
The whole 'hide under the overpass' notion largely comes from that endlessly televised (and now endlessly YouTubed for the masses) video shot on the Kansas Turnpike in April 1991. In it, a TV crew dramatically outruns a looming tornado and seeks shelter with a family coached to "get up under the girders" of an overpass. They survived.
Several issues to be aware of in that one, though. Unlike most highway overpasses, especially in the central Plains, this particular overpass happened to have exposed girders and even a "crawl space" at the top of the embankment. Plus, the tornado never directly hit them.
The May 3, 1999 Oklahoma tornadoes shows the danger of taking the advice from the 1991 video: Of 17 people sheltering under an I-35 overpass, all but one were blown out by the wind. All 17 were badly injured, one person was completely dismembered, just ripped apart and shredded like a rag doll, and about a dozen others suffered more serious injuries such as broken backs, severed body parts, and deep cuts from head to toe. It was pretty nasty. There's a Wiki page about the various tornado myths. On that page there's also a nifty picture that shows a school bus that had been picked up and tossed onto the top of the school building (thought you'd like that one
).
bobwg
Expert Expediter
Overpasses are not safe a Tornado can and has sucked people out from under an overpass in the past and those people died the overpass acts like a wind tunnel sure the overpass will probably remain standing but anything under it will not