12 Tornado Myths
There are lots and lots of common tornado myths,
some of these are very dangerous and can cause serious injuries or even be fatal.
If you know the difference between fact and fiction
then you stand a better chance in the face of a tornado.
Here are my top 12 marvelous myths.
Myth: Opening windows before a tornado strikes will equalize pressure.
Fact: This does no help at all, if anything opening the windows
can even be more dangerous because they let more debris into the house
and opening them is a waste of precious time.
Also the windows will probably get blown off any way.
Myth: Tornadoes don’t cross rivers.
Fact: Yes its true small tornadoes can’t cross water
but stronger ones will have no trouble.
Sometimes if a tornado crosses a lake it flings fish up into the air
people call these ‘tornado flying fish’.
Myth: The southwest corner of your house is the safest place to be in a tornado.
Fact: There is no corner that is safest.
If caught in a tornado you should always seek shelter
in a basement or in an open clearing.
Myth: Tornadoes never strike twice in the same place
Fact: A tornado hit Cordell, Kansas on the 20th of May three years in a row;
the dates were 1916, 1917 and 1918.
Another example of this is in Guy, Arkansas,
three different tornadoes hit the same church on the same day.
Myth: If you’re on the road the safest place is under an underpass or bridge.
Fact: This is complete nonsense. A bridge or underpass offers no protection
against a tornado. If you are on the road abandon your vehicle
and find a clearing to lie down in. In some cases if the overpass is not stable it will fall,
and under a collapsing overpass is not a good place to be.
Myth: Tornadoes avoid big cities.
Fact: Tornadoes avoid nothing. There are many large cities
which tornadoes have had hit or destroyed. These include Oklahoma City,
Dallas and many cities in Texas. Urban tornadoes are usually more dangerous
because the tornado gathers more debris than if it struck in a small town or village.
Myth: Tornadoes don’t happen in the mountains.
Fact: Tornadoes can happen anywhere, any day, anytime.
Although as the mountains are less inhabited there are less people
to report tornadoes, therefore there are less tornado sightings in the mountains.
Myth: You can out run a tornado.
Fact: There is no way you can out run a tornado, even in a car.
In a tornado driving would be very hard, because you would be constantly
dodging objects and your car would probably be picked up off the ground as well.
Myth: If a tornado is coming you should tie yourself to a pipe like they did in the movie ‘Twister’.
Fact: Usually if you are tied to a pipe the pipe will just be lifted up as well.
If an airborne object smashes into your pipe then it will most likely break.
In that case you will be tied to a broken pipe and there is a high possibility
that you will be cut by the broken jagged pipe edges.
As a final point remember that the movie ‘Twister’ is fiction
and the whole scene is just special effects.
Myth: Tornadoes cannot change direction.
Fact: At any time a tornado can completely change direction,
and some have even been known to retrace their steps.
It only takes something as small as a change in the wind direction
to lead a tornado totally off its course.
Myth: Tornadoes cannot climb hills
Fact: Unlike the smaller tornadoes, larger tornadoes can climb pretty much anything,
this includes small mountains, city slopes and hills.
Myth: A tornado can pick something up and put it down entirely unharmed.
Fact: Yes its not completely myth, there have been many reports of people finding
family members, pets, precious china tea sets or even whole pieces of furniture totally unharmed,
besides the fact that they are 2-3 miles away from where they started.
Although there are many reports of this, it is still extremely rare, so don’t bet your money on this happening to you.