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> tornado evacuation scenario There's no such thing as "tornado evacuation". You take cover immediately. If you're already in a building, you absolutely do not

by dave78 5y ago

> tornado evacuation scenario There's no such thing as "tornado evacuation". You take cover immediately. If you're already in a building, you absolutely do not leave. In this particular case it seems they maybe had 10-15 minutes of warning. Usually it is less than that. And, in the moment no one would have known how much warning they had. The only rational response is to find the sturdiest place in the building you're already occupying and get there. Every commercial building I've ever been in has these places designated - they're usually the bathrooms, stairwells, and interior hallways. You'll never, ever see NWS or anyone else official recommend that you go get in a car and drive somewhere in the case of a tornado. The only thing they ever say is "take shelter now", "move to an interior room", "get underground", etc. If you were in a mobile home or some other obviously-unsafe place, then maybe you'd leave to find something better but even then the recommendation would be to lay in a ditch or something, not to get in your car and drive around. A car is one of the worst possible places to be in a tornado.

throwawayboise 5y ago
I'd say a car might be safer than being exposed on open flat ground. At least it's a steel cage around you. But maybe the second-to-last place you want to be.
- dave78 5y ago
  That's just always what I was taught, but I suspect in general if you're in a car without nearby access to a building, you're in bad shape no matter what you do. FWIW: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/during.html https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/during.html "If you’re in a vehicle, Do NOT try to outrun a tornado * Don’t try to outrun a tornado. Drive to the closest shelter. The least desirable place to be during a tornado is in a motor vehicle. Cars, buses, and trucks are easily tossed by tornado winds. * If you’re unable to make it to a safe shelter, either get down in your vehicle and cover your head and neck or leave your vehicle and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine. * Stay away from highway overpasses and bridges." None of the other scenarios, such as being in a mobile home, mention anything about getting in a car.
- counters 5y ago
  It is absolutely not - the car could very easily be rolled by a wind gust, and the cabin crushed with you in it. It's counter-intuitive but you'd probably be safer lying flat on the exposed ground, with as low a profile as possible to avoid any lofted debris flung your way.

by dave78 5y ago

throwawayboise 5y ago

I'd say a car might be safer than being exposed on open flat ground. At least it's a steel cage around you. But maybe the second-to-last place you want to be.

dave78 5y ago
That's just always what I was taught, but I suspect in general if you're in a car without nearby access to a building, you're in bad shape no matter what you do. FWIW: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/during.html https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/during.html "If you’re in a vehicle, Do NOT try to outrun a tornado * Don’t try to outrun a tornado. Drive to the closest shelter. The least desirable place to be during a tornado is in a motor vehicle. Cars, buses, and trucks are easily tossed by tornado winds. * If you’re unable to make it to a safe shelter, either get down in your vehicle and cover your head and neck or leave your vehicle and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine. * Stay away from highway overpasses and bridges." None of the other scenarios, such as being in a mobile home, mention anything about getting in a car.
counters 5y ago
It is absolutely not - the car could very easily be rolled by a wind gust, and the cabin crushed with you in it. It's counter-intuitive but you'd probably be safer lying flat on the exposed ground, with as low a profile as possible to avoid any lofted debris flung your way.