Just a word of caution...DON'T take shelter under a bridge or overpass. The notion that an overpass is a safe place began with that Kansas TV crew back in 1991. The tornado they were trying to outrun (another bad idea) passed behind their overpass, not directly through it.
Meterologists and EMA personnel have been trying to knock down the "underpass idea" ever since. In reality, a tornado passing through an underpass or bridge creates a wind tunnel effect, channeling the full force of the wind (and debris) through the underpass. During the Oklahoma City outbreak of 1999, three people died while taking shelter under overpass and several others suffered horrendous injuries (limbs severed by flying objects).
Bottom line: if you're on the road during a tornado, try to drive away from it at a 90 degree angle. If that's not possible, pull over and get in a ditch or other low spot. But don't take shelter under an overpass or bridge.
Thanks for a good advise.
At that memorable time (May 1987) I drove from Dallas to El Paso with my relative who just came from old country to visit us. We stopped in Odessa to eat. It was perfect, blue sky West Texas weather, windy though. An hour later I noticed a lot of flying papers and other stuff in a window. Finally there was tornado warning on TV screen.
When we left restaurant the sky was black with white/yellow band on the horizon. No rain yet but heavy wind and lightning all around. I turned the radio on and sure enough there were reports about funnel clouds here, there and over there plus heavy rain and hail.
Because it was so dark and there was no way to tell what's going on around, and when finally extremely heavy rain hit us I decided to stop under the bridge, opened the window (to hear incoming baby) and instructed my relative: "When I tell you, we're gonna climb this here rough concrete and hold tight to the girders, kapish?" Poor EU girl was shaken to the core, but promissed to follow the orders. By that time several cars and a bike stopped next to us and we all were ready to hug the girders. Fortunately the real hell missed us.
And yes, I was prepared to lose my vehicle and maybe life but we didn't have too many choices in this total darkness and unknown terrain.
Exactly a week later tornado destroyed Saragosa, TX and killed a lot of people.
http://www.pecos.net/news/arch87/sarpix1.htm
http://glenn.humphries.com/saragosa.htm