Posted on 05/20/2013 12:46:11 PM PDT by dirtboy
Tornado warnings up in Oklahoma. Watches in TX, OK, KS, MO, far NW Arkansas.
The one bright side is that severe storm and tornado and even hurricane predictions are so much better than it used to be. While they can’t pinpoint exactly where a tornado my come down, the NWS and the TWC was predicting this outbreak for days in advance. I was watching the TWC last night and they were pleading with people to keep their NOOA weather radios on all night and during the day and to stay aware of rapidly changing conditions and take shelter immediately in case of a tornado warning.
We had one hit our area out of the blue with no warning, one minute ? nothing, and in a few seconds ? heavy winds.
I live in PA, not exactly tornado alley and not likely to get big tornadoes but last year we had night of some pretty severe super cell storms and lot’s of radar detected tornados. I stayed up all night and was prepared to run to the basement of my apartment building to take shelter should a warning for my area come. Even an F-1 or F-2 could do a lot of damage to a building.
News anchors(sp)/reporters getting emotional....what is the latest FR news on that school?
The hospital looks okay but with lots of cars smashed against it, broken walls and windows - but no collapses or major damamge from the helicoptor shots. The school is a mess. So sad to see the lonely backpacks hanging on the hooks in the hallway outside their room.
Horrible. They are saying it’s worse than the 1999 storm.
Watching feed on TWC. They may have casualties at the school.
an underpass is a dangerous place to be - will get sucked out - don’t go there, get in ground depression.
My mother-in-law and sister-in-law both lost their homes in Joplin two years ago. After living in rentals since the tornado, they just bought a new home together....a very nice place. Have many, many relatives in SE Kansas and SW Missouri. They are facing “Thor’s Hammer” again. Please hold them in your prayers.
I was born in Kermit, where are you?
I've seen a few ropes on the ground in my day and run from a few more. Scariest thing to me about tornado's is storms that come in the night. Can't really get a feel for storms in the dark. You can still hear them, but can't see where you are relative to the path.
bump
Kermit...40 miles from me! :)
That's true up to and including an EF3. An EF4 is probably too much for that situation, and there would be roughly zero chance of survival in an EF5 (but EF5 damage is very difficult to survive in a house, even in a basement).
The part of the school where 75 kids took shelter is destroyed. They are trying to break through the debris with hammers, etc. Not seeing anyone being brought out yet. It is early though - praying.
U of Oklahoma is opening up housing facilities for displaced.
Two schools and a hospital were hit. The news helicopters are joining in the rescue effort; flying low over the wreckage to try and spot people trapped in the rubble.
That cell in Brown County is just North of my family ranch, which is not occupied by has a 100 year-old farm house on it. Strom keeps slipping SE which is disquieting.
Are you in White Settlement area?
Thank you...and yes, keep praying. There are lots of kids still trapped and there are lots of injuries in Moore from the tornado..7 critical so far. This tornado was 2 miles wide and struck one major intersection south of the kids’ house.
Also, my MIL is fine in Yukon. She didn’t even know there was a tornado..but she’s 20 miles away.
Horrible news, praying is about the only thing we can do.
I grew up in West Texas also. Flatlanders know this is going to happen eventually. Sometimes, there is just no place to run.
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