Tornado - What to do?

[thestrangebrew1]

I'm in the Central Valley CA where it seems like the last 5 years or so we've had more potential tornadoes than I can remember. The news this morning said we have a chance for some severe thunderstorms and maybe even a tornado in my county. Got me thinking, what the heck do we do if we don't have a basement? My daughter is in online school so she's home all the time and it's not something I've ever talked to her about in case one actually touched down. I think I read or saw somewhere (maybe even in a movie) you get in the bathtub? Damn you climate change!!

 

[IronWing]

Interior room, away from windows, close doors, bathtub is good.

If mobile home: get out and go lie in a ditch, cover your head, seriously.

 

[BoomerD]

Put your head between your knees…and kiss your ass goodbye.


Tornados, while not as common as in the Midwest, really aren’t that unusual in the valley. We lived in the Modesto/Turlock area for ~25 years. I’d hear about one or two every couple of years…usually not causing too much damage…maybe take out a section of fence…or a shed.

 

[K1052]

Get in the tub and cover yourself with something is the best you can do.

Though if I still lived in a place that got tornados without a basement I'd probably harden the house some to improve my chances.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Tornados, while not as common as in the Midwest, really aren’t that unusual in the valley. We lived in the Modesto/Turlock area for ~25 years. I’d hear about one or two every couple of years…usually not causing too much damage…maybe take out a section of fence…or a shed.

I figured you'd chime in Boomer as a long time central valley resident ha! I think I've only seen one actually touchdown here in the valley from video and it was in a field so just some slight damage to crops. I've seen one funnel cloud form pretty close to our old house but it never touched down.

 

[BoomerD]

After leaving the valley, we moved to Kitsap County (Silverdale/Bremerton) WA…a place that doesn’t have tornadoes…until it did in 2018…about two weeks after we moved to the coast.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tornado-touches-down-near-port-orchard/281-e118f73d-7503-4611-9e60-4ddc39cc84ee

 

[brianmanahan]

make sure to get to the basement like ichinisan and czroe did

 

[BoomerD]

make sure to get to the basement like ichinisan and czroe did

That’s great if you live some place where you can have basements…here you hit ground water at 2 feet…and during a really high tide, less than that. (I basically live on a large sand bar sticking into the Pacific Ocean)

In California’s Central Valley, basements aren‘t common…ground water tends to run pretty shallow there as well…depending on location.

 

[brianmanahan]

oh i missed the no basement part... well i guess the bathtub is the most common thing i've heard, or the center of the building (i had to do that in a hotel in kentucky with no basement once).

or get one of those fancy storm shelter beds

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'd look into building a bunker of sorts. Might be able to make one from a concrete septic tank that you bury. They are designed to be water tight, so shouldn't leak, but might want a sump pump in it to be safe. Probably want to incorporate some sort of ventilation system as well.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Dig a hole and make a storm shelter if you dont have a basement.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Maybe I'll drain our pool and cover it. Wife would be stoked!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Could work but need something pretty heavy duty to cover it with. Maybe some sort of concrete/steel reinforced cover that can roll on somehow. Might be easier to just dig a basement then setup a small shelter within the basement with concrete ceiling and steel door. Make sure door opens inwards but has heavy duty latches that can be closed from inside.

 

[Muse]

I'm in the Central Valley CA where it seems like the last 5 years or so we've had more potential tornadoes than I can remember. The news this morning said we have a chance for some severe thunderstorms and maybe even a tornado in my county. Got me thinking, what the heck do we do if we don't have a basement? My daughter is in online school so she's home all the time and it's not something I've ever talked to her about in case one actually touched down. I think I read or saw somewhere (maybe even in a movie) you get in the bathtub? Damn you climate change!!

They were saying it would be grade 0 or 1, so 80 to at most maybe 110mph winds. They also said (around 24 hours ago?) that the odds of a tornado occurring were 5%. Anyway, try to see the big picture with climate change. It affects the whole planet.

 

[Iron Woode]

I'm in the Central Valley CA where it seems like the last 5 years or so we've had more potential tornadoes than I can remember. The news this morning said we have a chance for some severe thunderstorms and maybe even a tornado in my county. Got me thinking, what the heck do we do if we don't have a basement? My daughter is in online school so she's home all the time and it's not something I've ever talked to her about in case one actually touched down. I think I read or saw somewhere (maybe even in a movie) you get in the bathtub? Damn you climate change!!

my area gets hit with severe thunderstorms every summer and we get tornado watches/warnings as well.

The best thing to do would be to get everyone into the smallest, most secure room available that has the fewest windows. A bathroom makes sense.

 

[Sukhoi]

In California’s Central Valley, basements aren‘t common…ground water tends to run pretty shallow there as well…depending on location.

I don't think it's too shallow anymore There's been just a wee bit of well pumping recently

 

[BoomerD]

I don't think it's too shallow anymore There's been just a wee bit of well pumping recently

Hey...Stuart Reznick needs the money!

 

[thestrangebrew1]

We survived unscathed yesterday! lol I didn't see any reported funnel clouds or anything so that's good.