Disaster Safety Blog

Tornado Count Low for 2009

According the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) data, 2009 is running in the lowest 10 percent of tornado counts since 1954.

Currently there have been 1030 tornadoes recorded for 2009, compared to a YTD average of about 1200. While a developing El Nino could generate an above-average number of tornadoes during the months of November and December, it is unlikely that this activity will be enough to make 2009 even a “normal” tornado season.

Tornado-related deaths are also below average for 2009. Currently at 22, with only one fatality since May, and adjusting for a November-December average (about 5) would still result in a figure of 25-30 percent of the usual human toll in this regard. The three-year average (2006-2008) is 91 deaths nationally each year.

The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) provides several basic steps that the average home or business owner can take in order to protect their families and properties from the devastating effects of tornados.Learn more.

Save trees and reduce risks

Falling trees and limbs cause hundreds of millions of dollars of damage each year, as well as personal injuries and deaths.

After an EF-0 tornado destroyed 250 trees along city streets of south Minneapolis, the city hopes a new program will help reshape the landscape.

The city has already hauled 180 semi-truck loads of brush and logs after the storm; all of which will be chipped and turned into landscape mulch.

Councilor Robert Lillegren discussed extending the city’s tree program, which makes trees available for $25 each through TreeTrust.org.

Firm numbers are still unknown about the total number of trees homeowners lost during the storm.
The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) can help home and business owners reduce their risks of tree damage. Property owners represent the first line of defense.  It is important to regularly examine trees and check for damage or other trouble signs and take corrective action if necessary, either on your own or with the help of an expert.

Learn more from IBHS about the steps you can take to trim your risk.

Tornadoes put properties to the test

Damage estimates from last week's tornadoes in central Illinois continue to climb and will exceed $5 million in one county alone, emergency officials say. 

The National Weather Service verified that three tornadoes touched down Aug. 19. The worst damage was due to an EF3 tornado with wind speeds ranging from 158 to 209 mph. It touched down in the areas around Williamsville in Logan County, where damage is expected to top $5 million. A second tornado with winds in excess of 125 mph struck in Morgan County and the third hit Greene County. 

While only a few specialty buildings are designed to withstand the direct impact of a severe tornado, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) says that good construction choices can give added protection and increase the likelihood that at least part of a home will remain standing to provide some shelter. Strengthened homes near the storm's edge would have a good chance of surviving intact or with minor cosmetic damage.

Understanding Your Home's Strength

• Homes in inland areas of the United States are typically held together only with nails, instead of straps connecting the roof, walls and foundation. This type of construction is commonplace in hurricane-prone areas, but should also be considered by anyone who wants to increase their property's protection from other severe windstorms.
  • Refer to the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC), developed by the International Code Council, for specific references to guides for building wind-resistant structures.  
• Inspect It
  • If you want to get a sense of how well your home is built, you can conduct a relatively quick inspection. Depending upon what you find, it may be a wise investment to add strapping to help tie the house together.
    
    • Look at the connection between your roof system (rafters or trusses) and the exterior walls.
      • Pay specific attention to whether there are any straps used to connect the two. Older homes and those located in inland areas are less likely to have straps.
    • If your garage has unfinished interior walls or your home has a crawl space, try to determine whether the walls and floor system are anchored to the foundation.
      • Look for bolts with nuts and washers that attach the bottom of the wall to the floor slab or foundation.
    • Also check for any additional strapping tying the walls or wood-frame floor to the foundation.   

Learn more with help from IBHS.

Tornado damage estimates are trickling in

After a string of tornadoes ripped through the Midwest last week estimates of damages are starting to trickle in.

Officials in the tiny village community of Williamsville, Illinois, estimate about $10 million of damage. Located about 10 miles northeast of Springfield, the village has a population of about 1,400 people.
According to authorities, Williamsville was hit the hardest resulting in several injuries and dozens of village buildings damaged or destroyed.

“Tornados, 70 mile-an-hour winds, lightening, tree limbs flying all over the place — it was one heck of storm," said Leigh Morris, a spokesman for the Ameren utility that provides electricity to central Illinois.

According to the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) below is a list of the top 10 structural retrofits you can do to provide better protection from tornadoes.

• Brace your Garage Door Opening
• Brace your Chimney
• Strengthen your Cripple Walls and Anchor the Building to the Foundation
• Protect your Windows
• Select your Light Fixtures Carefully
• Brace Water Heaters
• Secure your Appliances
• Protect your Personal Belongings
• Protect your Loved Ones
• Renovate Wisely

Learn how to perform these retrofits and get prepared for tornadoes with help from IBHS. It's never too early to prepare and you can take several basic steps right now to protect your family and your home from disaster.

More than a Dozen Tornadoes Rip through the Midwest

A severe weather outbreak across the Midwest resulted in over a dozen tornadoes touching down in parts of Illinois and Indiana last night leaving people injured, buildings completely destroyed, trees uprooted and many without power.

Significant property damage resulted in Illinois as the string of storms tore through the state early last evening. In Logan County, 15 homes were damaged while the roof was torn off a machine shed and blown several hundred feet across Highway 104 in Adams County. In Williamsville, northwest of Springfield, three people were injured and more than two dozen homes were reportedly destroyed. In downtown Mattoon, wind gusts ripped roofs off buildings, sliced trees in half and tossed cars around a parking lot.  Farther south in Greenville, several homes were damaged and downed trees blocked several roadways.

As the storms progressed across Illinois and into Indiana, more significant damage was reported. In Chesterton, Indiana, a weather-net sensor reported winds over 100 mph with significant damage sustained throughout the town where an 8-unit apartment complex was completely destroyed. Roofs were ripped off and windows were blown out as the storm reportedly headed in a northeasterly direction. In the area of the Chesterton Middle School, entire trees were down in the streets and three-fourths of the school’s gymnasium’s roof was blown off. 

According to weather experts, this was the most active day for tornadoes this month and the most reported tornadoes, since July 29th, where there were 20 reports of tornadoes.

Learn more about how to prepare for tornadoes and reduce property losses from the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).

Tennessee wakes up to severe storm damage

Parts of Tennessee were pounded by strong storms Thursday night, leaving dozens of homes and businesses damaged.

A tornado struck the Wolfchase area of Shelby County, east of Memphis, according to The National Weather Service. The EF-1 tornado was 250 yards wide cut a five-mile swath of damage just south of Interstate 40.

The tornado hit just before 5 p.m. Thursday with winds between 80 and 90 miles per hour. There was also storm damage in the Midtown area of Memphis.

The storm system then moved in to parts of Sumner County, northeast of Nashville, damaging several homes, dropping trees that blocked roads and knocking out electricity to more than 2,500 customers.

Roof damage is a common outcome of strong storms. When reroofing, consider strengthening the connects between the roof and walls and renailing the roof deck to reduce the chances of future damage. Find out more in the High Wind section of DisasterSafety.org.

Climate change affects tornado activity

A new U.S. study suggests climate changes during the autumn and winter may affect the number of tornadoes during the spring.

According to University of Georgia researches, global warming will likely mean more unpredictable weather conditions.

According to Associate Professor Marshall Shepherd, a meteorologist and lead author of the study, “Results suggest that there is a statistically significant reduction in tornado activity during a tornado season following a drought the proceeding fall and winter. On the other hand, wet autumns and winters examined in the study had nearly twice as many spring tornado days as drought years.”

While their study was specific to Georgia and the Southeastern United States, further research could reveal patterns that might make findings more general.

Tornado caught on tape

The Weather Channel's VORTEX2 team successfully captured amazing video of a tornado as it was touching down in Wyoming. The entire event lasted about a half hour and was broadcast live Friday evening. Be sure to watch the awe-inspiring footage all the way through for a unique look inside the twister.

If you're not familiar with the science initiative, VORTEX2 is by far the largest and most ambitious effort ever made to understand tornadoes. More than 100 experts and crew in up to 40 science and support vehicles will participate in this fully nomadic, field program in May/June 2009-2010.

Is your home or business prepared for tornadoes and the high winds of summer storms? While nothing can withstand the direct hit of a severe tornado, structures that are well-connected are better equipped to resist high wind loads, increasing the likelihood at least part of the building will remain standing to provide some shelter. Strengthened homes near the storm's edge would have a good chance of surviving intact or with minor cosmetic damage. The Institute for Business & Home Safety recommends everyone have a NOAA Weather Radio on hand and takes these steps to harden residential and commercial buildings.

South Carolina storm repairs are a work in progress

Repairs are in full force after several tornadoes swept through South Carolina on April 10 causing more than $3 million in damage.

Five weeks after the storm, several homes in Petticoat Junction, one of the areas hit hardest by the storm, are getting roof repairs or are in line for work.

Several of the new rooftops are the work of Robert Miller, who owns Miller’s Building and lives nearby in Beech Island. According to Mr. Miller, “work is progressing as the weather allows.” He estimates that it will take another four months before things are back to normal.

Officials report that tree cleanup is still needed for the Petticoat and Beech Island areas. The South Carolina Department of Transportation plans to continue removing vegetative storm debris in that area until May 29.

The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) offers several tips to help home and business owners recover after a disaster. Some tips include:

• Report the Loss as Soon as Possible
• Prepare a list of damaged or lost items
• Consider adding home safety features
• Ask the right questions

Tornado Chase Project Hopes to Lengthen Warning Time

    
The largest tornado-research project in history, coordinated by the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., known as Vortex2, is currently underway. The project, designed to gather clues about quicker ways to predict tornadoes and thunderstorms with the hope of saving lives, kicked off on May 10 and continues through June 13.

More than 100 scientists in an armada of vehicles equipped with state-of-the-art mobile atmospheric monitoring devices will roam across the central United States in search of tornadoes hoping to collect the most data ever assembled about individual tornadic thunderstorms.

The tornado-prone area the team will cover encompasses nine states, roughly 900 miles north to south, from eastern New Mexico to southwestern Minnesota.

The goal of Vortex2 is to find ways to allow more warning time before tornadoes hit. The $12 million project, funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will help improve both accuracy and the lead time of tornado warnings. Currently, warnings are issued on about 75 percent of the storms that produce tornadoes, and warning time average is about 18 minutes.

The scientists participating represent various universities and research institutes. Each one has a specific role within the project, and will measure different aspects of the storms from various angles. They will generate a composite view of a tornado, from the first raindrops to the aftermath. While the fleet roams the plains, meteorologists at the National Weather Center in Norman will work to provide daily forecasts – as well as safety tips – to help the scientists in the field make decisions.

Researchers plan to position mobile radars around the storms. They will supplement the radar with video photogrammetry, which uses frame-by-frame analysis of clouds or debris to gauge the winds around a tornado. Researchers also plan to utilize 24 StickNets, small, tripod-mounted weather stations, and 14 wind-sampling Tornado Pods. They will launch up to 15 weather balloons, plus an unmanned aircraft in some situations; and position 10 weather stations mounted on vehicle roofs.

According to Jim Purpura, who heads the National Weather Service office in Rancho Bernardo, the team is hoping to watch slower-moving storms – ones moving 20 to 25 mph. “That’s a good speed to be able to keep up with the storm. If we get a couple of storms like that, we’ll be happy,” he said.

After these initial five weeks, the Vortex2 project will resume again next spring.

Learn more about preparing for tornadoes from the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).