Interesting. Sneakers is correct about under the stairs shelter. Yes it is one of best location.
I have been through two tornados that came by near me but no damages. I am sure you all can hear without hearing aid the train like roar sound near by or attacking your home. Right? That is what I heard with the first one I ever experienced. It was the next block over from where I lived. The tornado ran thru the NYS Thruway and I can feel viberation and hearing the roar. I said its impossible because of the train tracks are over a mile away. But I realized in my mind, a tornado! I was living in an apartment upstairs 2nd floor and the timing was..perfect. I was in the non-window bathroom in the bathtub. I was bathing! Haha.
The other was I was visiting a Deaf Bible College in Ringgold, GA. They had a tornado went by near us and I can see it from afar. Others said same thing. But no basement, no shelter, they said wait outside then they will tell us where to run to hide. I think that is a little silly. I am from Upstate NY whereas tornados are very rare. Too rare.
Reasons for the South do not have basements because of the frost line is shadower than up where I live. We are required to have it at six feet deep so we have basements here. Florida, no way. You cant because South Florida is.. a floating land if you will call it. If you did dig down there, you will get a natural pool made thanks you to your digging! Haha.
So, thats the problem for many Southern States. However, there are States have dirt all the way down so do built shelters.
Reba, I know yours is going to be expensive but it is worth the money because you and your family will be alive! Better safe than sorry as they say. You are increasing your risk on ground level.
Never be on ground level for 2 main reasons. Of course Tornados will rip through your home and you could be sucked up and thrown. The second is indirect hit. What I mean by that is you are kneeing down with head down, you can still get hit by flying 2X4 studs, nails, sharp objects including knives, or heavy objects hit you so hard. You are likely get killed that way.
Shelter or be underground are best because those sharp objects are flying horizonally, not vertically down into the ground.
Um, if you can not afford, and you have minutes, do you have a drainage pipes or ditch? Or a steel bridge within 3 minutes of your home by foot or by car? If you do, go there. Practice first though. then go hide there. I have seen on tv and even my wife long before I married her had to hide under a steel bridge and hang on tight. You have to climb up to the support beams are and stay there till it pass by.
Ditch is good because it is concrete pipe.. even if you see on the road those manholes, get in there. I know its yucky but if I were you, I rather the smelly yucky sewer than being dead!
Always have a bag of clothes ready along with a bag of your important papers with you and go hide when possible.
Hurricane evac makes a bit easier since you are aware of it at least 3 days ahead and you are out of it. Say from Miami, you can reach Syracuse, NY in 27 hours.
I know most of us are Deaf and cell phones as emergency is not a good idea. Towers knocked out. I would recommend CB radios. Small hand held types are good. Sat Phones are good too. Do not worry about not hearing anything. Do have one of those and talk to it. Not to worry about hearing them but they can hear you and come and get you when it is over.
Yes, hide and soundproof generators but be sure you have a vent to air it out! Even Tesla type of generators. Be sure your shelter is very deep because it has been proven tornados and even hurricanes can rip out foundations! I saw on TV about that. Nothing is safe. That bus as a shelter may rip out. It is not deep enough and he has windows. That is a no-no. Steel Containders are like 2500 dollars to buy. A used one. However, steel do rust and its good for a very few years in ground. So, 6000 dollars is better buy.
The US and state governments must redesign homes to have requirements such as rounded houses in hurricane areas, shelters. I heard somewhere there is a talk of requirement to have shelters in some town or state.
Rounded houses have .07 drag for wind resistance while a square house 1 or 2 stories have .14 the .07 is better shape. They have proven with a hurricane hitting one beach area that has a round house and square houses. The round house had NO damages at all while the rest were flattened completely. This was in North or South Carolina. Another rounded house in Florida a retired architect designed for hurricane.. well, no damages except for the stairs outside. That is all. It moved only 2 inches says he.
All the references I've seen refer to it for earthquake safety, not for tornado or hurricane safety.
