Re: Storms kill 45 across 6 states; damage widespread

[Guest guest]

As stated in another post, we dodged a bullet here. There's an article in today's paper about the storm but haven't read it yet. Most of the damage seems to have been in the county southwest of here, which means the bad stuff seems to have skipped over the city.

In Alabama is was much the same. The folks down there said that bad storms went just north and south of the town but three separate but strong storms passed directly over. A small church in the area was destroyed and a few houses damaged. Mostly it was trees blown down into the roads. Mostly hardwoods, which is not usual since they have shallow root systems and if the soil is wet there isn't much to hold them in place.

This was a really bad system. What concerns me is that the last time we had this much rain in the spring, several strong hurricanes came through later in the year.

In a message dated 4/18/2011 1:43:11 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Storms kill 45 across 6 states; damage widespread

[Guest guest]

As stated in another post, we dodged a bullet here. There's an article in today's paper about the storm but haven't read it yet. Most of the damage seems to have been in the county southwest of here, which means the bad stuff seems to have skipped over the city.

In Alabama is was much the same. The folks down there said that bad storms went just north and south of the town but three separate but strong storms passed directly over. A small church in the area was destroyed and a few houses damaged. Mostly it was trees blown down into the roads. Mostly hardwoods, which is not usual since they have shallow root systems and if the soil is wet there isn't much to hold them in place.

This was a really bad system. What concerns me is that the last time we had this much rain in the spring, several strong hurricanes came through later in the year.

In a message dated 4/18/2011 1:43:11 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Storms kill 45 across 6 states; damage widespread

[Guest guest]

I think the climate is shifting. We had snow yesterday, which is unusual, and it

took a while for a small mound of it that slid off my car to melt.

This is not to say that this shift is due to global warming. Only that I believe

there is a shift.

Administrator

As stated in another post, we dodged a bullet here. There's an article in

today's paper about the storm but haven't read it yet. Most of the damage seems

to have been in the county southwest of here, which means the bad stuff seems to

have skipped over the city.

In Alabama is was much the same. The folks down there said that bad storms went

just north and south of the town but three separate but strong storms passed

directly over. A small church in the area was destroyed and a few houses

damaged. Mostly it was trees blown down into the roads. Mostly hardwoods, which

is not usual since they have shallow root systems and if the soil is wet there

isn't much to hold them in place.

This was a really bad system. What concerns me is that the last time we had this

much rain in the spring, several strong hurricanes came through later in the

year.

[Guest guest]

I think the climate is shifting. We had snow yesterday, which is unusual, and it

took a while for a small mound of it that slid off my car to melt.

This is not to say that this shift is due to global warming. Only that I believe

there is a shift.

Administrator

As stated in another post, we dodged a bullet here. There's an article in

today's paper about the storm but haven't read it yet. Most of the damage seems

to have been in the county southwest of here, which means the bad stuff seems to

have skipped over the city.

In Alabama is was much the same. The folks down there said that bad storms went

just north and south of the town but three separate but strong storms passed

directly over. A small church in the area was destroyed and a few houses

damaged. Mostly it was trees blown down into the roads. Mostly hardwoods, which

is not usual since they have shallow root systems and if the soil is wet there

isn't much to hold them in place.

This was a really bad system. What concerns me is that the last time we had this

much rain in the spring, several strong hurricanes came through later in the

year.

[Guest guest]

A report today said that the nuclear plant in Surrey Virginia was clipped by a tornado. A power switching station was damaged but the reactors were shut down and diesel generators started up just like in the regular drills they carry out. No radiation beyond the normal was reported released.

In a message dated 4/19/2011 1:56:15 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

I think the climate is shifting. We had snow yesterday, which is unusual, and it took a while for a small mound of it that slid off my car to melt.This is not to say that this shift is due to global warming. Only that I believe there is a shift.Administrator

[Guest guest]

There are enough backups that even with low maintanance, reactors can withstand

brush-bys like that. But one of these days...something could happen.

A report today said that the nuclear plant in Surrey Virginia was clipped by a

tornado. A power switching station was damaged but the reactors were shut down

and diesel generators started up just like in the regular drills they carry out.

No radiation beyond the normal was reported released.

[Guest guest]

Okay I'll admit that I am not overly familiar with tornadoes, however I found it

interesting that the article mentions people getting into bathtubs. Is it safer

to be in a bathtub? My bathtub is upstairs in the house. I'm thankfull that the

UK doesn't get many tornadoes (if any?).

>

> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_severe_weather_glance

>

> Storms kill 45 across 6 states; damage widespread

>

> By The Associated Press The Associated Press – Sun Apr 17, 8:27 pm ET

> Here is a look at six states hit hard by twisters that carved their way

through the South, killing at least 45 people. More than 240 tornadoes were

reported from the storm system.

>

> NORTH CAROLINA: At least 21 were killed by Saturday's storms that spawned some

60 tornadoes in the southeastern part of the state. One of hardest hit areas was

Bertie County, where 11 people died. Gov. Beverly Perdue says federal help is

expected to help clean up the devastation that nearly brought her to tears.

Saturday was North Carolina's deadliest day for tornadoes since 1984, when 22

killed 42 people and injured hundreds.

>

> " I can replace the house, but I can't replace my babies. And that's what I

thought about. I'm alive. My babies are alive. " — Askewville's Dunlow who

survived along with his two young children when winds ripped to shreds their

doublewide mobile home.

>

> VIRGINIA: At least seven have been killed, three of whom in Gloucester County

where a tornado cut a 12-mile swath, uprooting trees, destroying homes and

injuring dozens. The tornado ripped the roof off Page Middle School and

overturned school buses and cars. Flooding also is a problem in the state. Flash

flooding killed two Waynesboro residents and several people were rescued from

rising water.

>

> " She'd put her kids in the bathtub and got on top of them. The tornado blew

the house off the foundation, and everything in the house shattered, and is

flattened to the ground. " — Gloucester's Randy Cook walking through debris of

sister's home.

>

> ALABAMA: Seven were killed across the state and Gov. Bentley has

declared a state of emergency for all counties. The first race of a busy weekend

at the Talladega Superspeedway was postponed until Saturday morning. Thousands

of people were camping in open fields and getting ready for three days of races

and they all made it through the storms. Four separate tornadoes hit Marengo

County over the span of about five to six hours.

>

> " The tornado hit and jumped and hit and jumped again. It would do some damage

and then move on. " — Autauga County Chief Deputy Sheriff Joe Sedinger about

Boone's Chapel where three adult family members were killed Friday by tornado

that ripped through homes.

>

> ARKANSAS: Seven people were killed including a woman and her 8-year-old son

when winds knocked a tree into their home in the capital city of Little Rock.

Five others died as powerful straight-line winds blew through. All but one of

the deaths occurred when people, including three children, were crushed by

falling trees.

>

> " I don't recall anything even approaching this. " — Gov. Mike Beebe.

>

> OKLAHOMA: Casualties from the storm system started in the state on Thursday

when two older people were killed in the small town of Tushka and dozens were

injured. Gov. Fallin has declared a state of emergency for 26 counties as

at least five tornadoes touched down, four in the southeastern part of the state

and a fifth in the central part of the state.

>

> " We're trying to salvage what we can. It's devastating. It's just horrible.

Thank God we have so much help. " — Tushka's , who lives across the

street from a school where the second story of the main building collapsed into

the first.

>

> MISSISSIPPI: One person was killed when at least three tornadoes hit the state

on Friday. A state of emergency was declared for 14 counties. Some of the worst

damage was in Clinton where a portion of a bank blew onto the interstate.

>

> " You could just feel the house fall down. The whole back side of the house is

gone. All you could see was this black cloud. " — 23-year-old who

got home about the time a tornado was forming in his neighborhood in Clinton,

just west of . He and family members huddled in a bathtub.

>

[Guest guest]

The idea behind going in a bathtub is that it you are safe on the bottom and the

sides. You get in the tub, and cover your head.

Is it a good idea?

If you don't have a cellar, it's the next best alternative, but my understanding

is that it also depends on what your bathtub is made of. Cast iron tubs are less

likely to be destroyed, and less likely to be lifted than plastic ones. I could

be wrong on that.

Administrator

Okay I'll admit that I am not overly familiar with tornadoes, however I found it

interesting that the article mentions people getting into bathtubs. Is it safer

to be in a bathtub? My bathtub is upstairs in the house. I'm thankfull that the

UK doesn't get many tornadoes (if any?).

[Guest guest]

" The best bet if you don't have a basement would be to get in a closet in the

middle of the house. "

is right. Disregard the bathtub advice I gave.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the replies - I was just curious, as ever :-)

>

> " The best bet if you don't have a basement would be to get in a closet in the

middle of the house. "

>

> is right. Disregard the bathtub advice I gave.

>

>

> Administrator

>