Claremore Daily Progress

Mobile

April 27, 2010

Tornado researcher says sometimes safety is relative

Joy Hampton Staff Reporter

CLAREMORE — In Oklahoma, we know about tornadoes. Located in Tornado Alley, Oklahoma has one of the highest occurrences of tornadoes in the nation. And while early warning means fewer deaths related to those tornadoes, fatalities are still inevitable.

Historically, mobile homes are one of the most hazardous places to be during a tornado.

“There are 4,712 mobile homes in Rogers County,” said County Assessor Scott Marsh.

“Half the deaths in this country from tornadoes now are in mobile homes,” said  Dr. Thomas W. Schmidlin of Kent State University, Department of Geography,  who has been studying fatalities related to tornadoes for over 15 years.

A search for the deadliest tornadoes reveals the top 25 deadliest tornadoes occurred during the first half of the 20th century or late in the 1800s before the advanced warning systems we have today. Tornado warnings save lives by allowing people to take shelter before the storm hits.

But what about the person caught off-guard, without safe shelter? What about people living in mobile homes in isolated portions of the county?

Schmidlin said safety is relative. The key is to find the safest place to shelter you can under the circumstances.

For years, it was believed that anyone in a mobile home or in a vehicle should get out and take cover in a ditch.

“The recommendation actually has been changed,” said Schmidlin. “There had never been any research to show that a person is safer in a ditch.”

In the Catoosa tornado 16 years ago, most of the fatalities were people in vehicles hit when the tornado crossed the interstate. But even in cases such as Catoosa, a car might be better shelter than no shelter at all if the person is wearing a seatbelt.

Video taken from a patrol car during the Catoosa tornado shows large hail and debris hitting the roadway violently while many cars sit out the storm safely despite that in other cases deaths did occur in vehicles. The chances for survival inside those vehicles may still have been better than outside on the ground.

And in most cases, Schmidlin believes a vehicle is better shelter than a mobile home. He made his case in Washington D.C. last summer. As of July 2009, NOAA and the Red Cross have issued new guidelines.

According to Volume 2 of “Aware” a newsletter published by  NOAA’s National Weather Service, the new guidelines advise staying inside your vehicle under certain conditions.

“For mobile home residents who don’t have a shelter nearby, get in the vehicle and buckle in,” said Schmidlin. “You can then go someplace better.”

He urges people to seek shelter whenever possible during a tornado, but said that his research has indicated that most mobile home residents will not get into a ditch.

“Nobody does it,” said Schmidlin.

There are several hazards someone without shelter faces. There may be water in the ditch, downed power lines, large hail, flying debris, and strong winds.

“Getting in the vehicle and buckling in puts you into a safer position than you would have been staying in the mobile home,” said Schmidlin.” Being in a car is not the best place to be, but it’s better than being in a mobile home, and it’s better than being outdoors.”

Vehicles are designed to protect drivers and passengers in a catastrophic accident while traveling 60-70 miles per hour, said Schmidlin. Modern vehicles are equipped with safety glass, roll over protection in the roof, sidebar protection in the doors, and seatbelt harnesses to keep people from rolling around inside the vehicle.

“They have a padded interior whereas the mobile home is not designed to roll over,” said Schmidlin. “When the mobile home comes apart in the wind, it breaks into deadly pieces of wood, metal and glass. Cars are heavy and they’re low and they’re streamlined. They’re designed for the wind. It takes more wind to tip a car over than it does to tip or destroy a mobile home even if that home is tied down.”

When evaluating where to seek shelter, a person has to consider the relative risk, said Schmidlin.

Most times a strong wind will pick up a person before it will pick up a 3,000 pound vehicle.

“The people who got out of their cars were much more injured than those who stayed in the car in the Moore/Oklahoma City tornado of May 3, 1999,” said Schmidlin.

That cluster of tornadoes also raised the question as to whether it was better to take cover beneath an underpass.

An older underpass with big girders and beams that allow people to get out of the wind might be a good choice of cover. In the case of the tornado in Moore, the underpass was smooth with no cover from the wind. Instead of offering protection, it seemed the wind accelerated through the underpass.

“Get to a sturdy building or get underground,” said Schmidlin. “It’s best to take shelter in a frame house or basement, but lots of people don’t have that.”

Schmidlin said his research indicates there are times people have been killed when there was a car or pickup sitting in the driveway.

“They’d probably have still been alive (if they sheltered in the vehicle),” said Schmidlin. “Go to the safest place you can. Even if you can’t drive to a sturdier place, you’ve probably gotten to a better position (by buckling up in the car).”



 

Text Only
Mobile
  • obamaweb.jpg Obama budget predicts $1.3T deficit for 2012

    The White House on Friday confirmed a report that President Barack Obama’s new budget predicts a $1.3 trillion deficit for the ongoing fiscal year. The deficit would drop to $901 billion next year under the administration’s tax and spending policies.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • RSU takes down NWOSU

    The Rogers State University men’s basketball team swept the regular season series over Northwestern Oklahoma State with an 85-78 victory Thursday night in Sooner Athletic Conference action at Percefull Fieldhouse.
    RSU took a five-point lead with 2:30 minutes to play thanks to a jumper by Kendrell Thompson and two made free throws by Meneptha Darden.

    February 10, 2012

  • Lady ‘Cats fall on the road

    The Rogers State women’s basketball team fell short on Thursday evening as Northwestern Oklahoma State registered a 68-65 victory over the Hillcats at Percefull Fieldhouse.
     
    The Hillcats got the last look as Leah Smith shot a trey from the corner at the buzzer however, the shot bounced in and out of the basket as the RSU suffered its second straight defeat.

    February 10, 2012

  • SequoyahVsChelsea_231cweb.jpg Tharp sparks Chelsea past Sequoyah, 59-48

    The Chelsea Green Dragons used a 33-point second-half performance to steal the spotlight from the Claremore Sequoyah Eagles.
    Lonnie Tharp tallied a game-high 23 points to spark the Green Dragons to a 59-48 over Claremore Sequoyah on Senior Night at the Olan Graham Fieldhouse.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • SequoyahVsChelsea_155web.jpg Lady Eagles soar on Senior Night

    Claremore Sequoyah senior guard Berdena Anderson made her last home game memorable Thursday night, using a 12-point performance to spark the Lady Eagles past Chelsea, 33-25.
    Anderson drained a pair of treys in the second quarter as the Lady Eagles clung to a 15-11 halftime lead.
    Chelsea’s tenacious defense, led by point guard Danielle Wolf, held Anderson to one field goal and 4-of-4 free throws in the final 16 minutes.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • Zebras host 6A Bartlesville tonight

    With the regional tournament two weeks away, the Claremore Zebras are hoping to gain a little momentum and steal an upset win over Class 6A Bartlesville tonight.
    The Zebras (5-14) extended their losing to six-straight games Tuesday night, falling to Skiatook, 53-47. To make matters worse, Claremore senior point guard Garrick Prelesnick also was sidelined in the first quarter with an injury to his foot.
    The status of whether Prelesnick would play against Bartlesville remained uncertain at press time.
    Tonight’s doubleheader tips off at 6:30 and 8 p.m. inside the Zebra Fieldhouse.

    February 10, 2012

  • Verdigris travels to Tahlequah Sequoyah tonight

    The Verdigris High School basketball teams resume regular season action tonight on the road at Tahlequah Sequoyah.
    Game times are set for 6:30 and 8 p.m.

    February 10, 2012

  • OSU visits tradition-rich Kansas on Saturday

    The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team travels to Lawrence, Kan., on Saturday for a matchup with the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks.
    Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. inside Phog Allen Fieldhouse, and the game will be televised by the Big 12 Network (KTUL Ch. 8 in Tulsa).

    February 10, 2012

  • Tulsa softball starts season today in Louisiana

    The No. 24-ranked Tulsa softball team opens the 2012 season this weekend at the 26th Annual Louisiana Classics Softball Tournament, beginning with a game against Rutgers at 11 a.m. today at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La.

    TU will also face Mississippi Valley State at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Saturday, the Hurricane plays the host and No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette at 3:30 p.m. and Mississippi Valley State at 6 p.m. Tulsa rounds out the tournament against ULL at noon on Sunday. Live stats for every game of the weekend can be found here.
     
    The Golden Hurricane opens its 20th season ranked in the preseason top-25 for the first time in program history in the 24th spot by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The 2011 C-USA co-Champions, TU ended the 2011 season with a 46-15 overall record, and a 19-5 mark in league play.

    February 10, 2012

  • Tulsa's Mayberry hits career milestone against Houston

    Taleya Mayberry raced down the court after grabbing a defensive rebound, and she banked home a fast-break layup at the 8:28 mark of the second half.

    The basket gave her 1,001 points for her career, and she became just the eighth member of the Tulsa women's basketball team to reach the career milestone as TU defeated Houston 67-53 Sunday afternoon inside Donald W. Reynolds Center.

    February 10, 2012