«The weather we always have breaking news. Because Oklahoma weather is killing… «, says Michael Seger, presenter of channel meteonovosti COX-23. For 10 years almost around the clock with meteorologists Michael monitors all changes in the atmosphere and in the mode onlineрассказывает on their observations of the residents of one of the 11 American States that are members of TornadoAlley.
Some like it hot
Spring this year in Oklahoma was late. To +35 degrees Celsius air temperature for the first time raised only in early may. Not to say that the locals were very upset about this. First, because there is still at least four months of heat under 40C, and even higher. Forty degrees, which in our area due to the increased humidity felt like you put on his shoulders the heavy hot sack of wet sand. And most importantly, it means that along with the heat and late season tornadoes.
According to the National weather service, a tornado sweeps through our planet on average 1000 times per year. The wind speed at the time of movement of a tornado can reach 250 km per hour. (Every time I try to call a tornado a hurricane, really corrected me, explaining: in Oklahoma there are tornadoes and earthquakes and hurricanes did not reach us, the ocean is too far.)
Moreover, three out of every four occur on the territory of the United States. As a rule, under tornado attack Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South and North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado and Minnesota. They called TornadoAlley. On average, each year in the U.S. from tornado killed 70 people and another fifteen thousand Americans get injured.
Let stronger break out
For the first time in the area of the tornado I was in a month after moving to the States. Then the tornado frolic in the streets of the town Sikota (Chekotah), the population of which constitute the Indian tribe Muskogee. Monitor the movement of the tornado we started in the morning. Every 10-15 minutes the TV shows and movies, the TV was interrupted for an emergency message: «a Tornado moving East, speed is…», «Tornado deviated…», «Tornado turned around and is now rushing to…». In the same mode worked and all radio stations. In addition, the constantly falling Tones, and, even on a deactivated cell. In short, to stay in the dark about the approaching tornado was very difficult.
Twist between Talsi and Oklahoma city, the evening element finally got to us. I have to say: we are lucky in our area the tornado went on a tangent. What was that a heavy wind would raise and throw right plastic houses and sandboxes in children’s playgrounds, wildly swinging lanterns, a wall of pouring rain. But just on the next street fell on the roof and the roadway, uprooted huge trees, falling power poles, breaking off the wire… However, we saw already in the morning when daughter went to look at the implications of yesterday’s disaster. By the time city services are already being repaired electricity, and owners of homes that have fallen trees – who on their own, and who with the help of special lifts – they shoveled the rubble.
Personally, I was quite impressed with what he saw. But my daughter was left disappointed: «Well, it’s so… baby-tornado… Nothing interesting…» Not only victims, but even of any significant damage happened. Judging by the fact that on one side of the street there is not one «adult» tree, and on the other, with rose bushes planted under the Windows, not even off of the petal tornado that night did what is called filigree. As it turned out, is that even his «signature style». Local residents remembered a lot of similar stories when half the area was destroyed almost to the dust, and literally across the street on the sidewalk did not fall even a drop of rain.
But the tornado that struck the Oklahoma city Moogi may of 2013, was not «childish». The speed at which the wind turbine pole raced through the streets, and then was more than 322 kilometers per hour, and the amount of energy released by the vortex in just 40 minutes, your destructive power is matched to 600 (!) atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. Less than an hour the tornado demolished two schools, a hospital and 1150 houses. Has not managed and without victims – 25 dead, 237 people suffered serious injuries.
Listen and do not say I did not hear
As you know, to stop the tornado the Americans have not yet learned, system of tracking the slightest change in its «behavior» and alert the people working on the five plus. Monitoring here are not only meteorologists, but also the staff of service weather news. Leading this program in our area necessarily have special meteorological education and monitor the situation in real time. «Although our cooperation with meteorological services are arranged very clearly, in those days, we cannot only rely on the reports of colleagues, says Michael Seger. – Wind speed, direction of movement, tornado, coverage can change with lightning speed. It is our duty to inform the population immediately. Even the smallest hitch can someone cost lives».
Messages about the behavior of a tornado is normally coming «from every iron». TV stations constantly interrupt the screening of films and shows on news about the weather. Any program on the local radio stations starts with the weather reports. Have Smsok announcing the impending bad weather, a specific ringtone that is accompanied by vibration. To disable this option impossible. Not to mention the fact that many of the houses are equipped with a special «tornado» transmitters, which is automatically activated in case of danger. And in areas where the probability of a tornado is particularly high, still howling siren. In General, you need to try very hard to be ignorant about the fact that the state declared a special position.
Maybe in Oklahoma
Under the current methods of tracking the slightest changes in the atmosphere and tested algorithms alerts about the danger, time to evacuate the population has. But that’s only to escape especially no hurry. For two years, and hence two seasons of tornado that I live in Oklahoma, I had the opportunity to hear the warning siren sound at least five times, i.e. 5 times the tornado was close to us alarmingly close. At the same time, I do not recall a single case that our neighbors (and ourselves) quickly shipped the household things in the car and left in a safe place to wait out the elements. And many do refer to a tornado as some almost entertaining show. No wonder that the folding plastic tables and chairs that can easily fit in the trunk of a car, oklahomans are called kits not for a picnic, and tornado. A joke of course. But as you know, in every joke…
«It is generally accepted that each generation has only one major tornado. Of course, no scientific evidence for this does not exist. And on the contrary, there are cases when «the bomb fell in the same funnel» not once. But, you know: the people’s «meteorology» is usually stronger than scientific facts» — says the special correspondent of a popular Tulsa radio station KRMGРассел mills leaves for each case associated with the raging tornado, not only in Oklahoma but surrounding States for almost 10 years.
Partly, apparently, so the state is still, even after such devastating stories of how the town of Moore, there is no special «antitrades» insurance. Tornado, or rather, its consequences along with fires, leaks, trees falling on the roof and so forth are included in the list of typical cases that cover the usual Homeinsurance. To bear any special, separately framed contract costs «in the wind» oklahomans do not want. Many of them can not afford to call even health insurance to tornado is there suffering?
House Oklahoma needs to be a fortress
— I think the local authorities and almost every year develop, update and clarify the Tornado Building Codes – regulations on the construction of buildings in the territory of Oklahoma. In the list of requirements to residential homes (and commercial properties) spelled out in detail, it seems that everything – from the thickness of the timber for the frame and the diameter of the pipes and to the attachment methods of the roof and refractory materials.I must say that to meet the residential house of brick or monolith in Oklahoma is almost impossible. First, because it is expensive first to build and then serve. When the heat above 40 degrees Celsius, which often comes in April, such a structure will heat up pretty quickly, but cool down will be up to the Oct. Without air conditioning in a wooden house in Oklahoma, hard, and in the stone even more. Last year a tornado within 10-15 minutes blew not only the shopping street in Tulsa, but thoroughly battered the mains in broken arrow. While city services around the clock, repaired the wires, our friends from BA after work went to sleep in Church where the air conditioning worked.
In addition, stone (monolithic, prefabricated) homes are not in demand on the market. That is to sell a property extremely difficult and oftentimes impossible. Finally, a philosophical attitude towards the tornado has also left an imprint on the attitude of oklahomans to home. According to statistics, every citizen of the state for their lives on average 11 times changed his place of residence. So is it worth to build a «fortress forever»?
Most that are doing the most responsible (and maybe unsettling?) residents of the state – building in the yard of a special asylum. Or rather, dig a big hole, which is then placed in a special monolithic bunker, which you can buy in any hardware store. Live in it, of course, uncomfortable little space, not to mention the lack of toilet and other amenities. But to sit out the raging elements – completely. Moreover, the account is usually.
«And what if a shelter?» — I fussed in my first tornado season. My relative had me puzzled. «Take a mattress, get in the tub and covered» — without a shadow of a smile said to me brother-in-law, a serious man, Marshal of the Indian police. I tried black to joke: «It then to make it easier for the body to find?» and all waited that he finally recognized in the drawing. But no. This rule, followed in Oklahoma, which suggest in all seriousness. And the reason is not to facilitate the work of rescuers that happen. Just bathroom has the most rigid structure in the house – in addition to the frame to hold it still and water pipes. The probability to survive sitting in the tub under a mattress that will cushion the falling debris, when at your house with the speed of a train hurtling tornado, much higher. By the way, on the train. That tornado is near, oklahomans reported not wind speed (windy we almost always,) and torrential rain (we have in the summer is not uncommon). A tornado’s coming, the locals know the sound. «It seems that runs at you fast train» — say the old-timers. At this point, and need to go to the shelter, or at least in the tub. I did not yet heard. Hear – tell. Mattress and bath we are always at the ready.
