“Some of the most violent storms and deadly tornadoes we have seen in Southern Missouri swept through last week, giving us an early indication that tornado season is upon us.

 

In the Heartland, tornado safety is drilled into us from a very early age.  The tornadoes that took nine lives last weekend remind us why it is so important to be prepared.  A few important steps can greatly increase the odds of surviving these storms.

 

A tornado can drop from the sky with little warning.  This is why a weather radio or a television located within a safe place in your home can be so critical.  That place should be a windowless, interior room on the lowest level of your home.  Most important, every member of the family should have a plan to get to that room as soon as conditions outside become threatening.

 

The same components of an earthquake preparedness kit are necessary to be ready for a tornado:  A three-day supply of clean drinking water and food that won’t spoil, a simple medical kit (including the prescription drugs you take), blankets, a change of clothes, a flashlight, a battery-operated radio and some extra batteries.  In addition, many households have purchased radios that automatically activate when the National Weather Service broadcasts a severe weather warning.

 

It is important to set these items aside in advance, because, although they are not impossible to forecast, tornadoes can strike with little or no warning at any time of day or night, just like an earthquake. 

 

Nationwide, about 80 tornado deaths and 1,500 injuries are reported each year from over 800 storms.  Just two percent of tornadoes are responsible for over 70 percent of tornado deaths.  The winds of these most severe storms can top 205 miles per hour, reaching all the way up to 250 mph.  In addition to the dangerous wind speed of a tornado, these storms can also produce forceful straight-line winds, lightning,  and softball-size hail.  The tornadoes can flatten nearly any structure in their paths, but the storms can be just as dangerous. 

 

The majority of tornadoes do not reach half of that strength, but they are dangerous storms nevertheless.  The recent images we have all seen of cars atop houses and splintered walls reinforce the strength of any tornado. 

 

Money allocated by Congress and the state of Missouri goes to reinforce our disaster
preparedness.  USDA Rural Development is just one entity that focuses on preparedness for weather emergencies in rural areas – allocating funds every year to build new civil defense warning sirens.  Shelters and public education are other parts of our plan to react when there is danger in the skies.

 

Our news media are stakeholders in our preparedness, too, using their ability to broadcast vital information to keep the public informed and to urge safety precautions.  Sadly, they are also responsible for reporting the casualties of the worst storms – people who no amount of preparedness could save.

 

For the families who lost loved ones, this is a terrible tragedy.  For all of us, it is necessary that we stop and reflect on this difficult time for them and for the many others who were injured by these storms.  After we do that, we should vow to ourselves to never take a tornado lightly.  We should gather our loved ones and have a serious discussion about severe weather, natural disasters, and a family plan of action for dangerous circumstances.”