Shocking video from Missouri

CommuterIE

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/weather/2011/05/23/natpkg.joplin.tornado1.cnn

A reminder if anyone needs one of the force of nature... not that we lacked that with the earthquakes, tsunamis etc... still very sad

cosmicfart

We need to develop a weapon of mass destruction to beat this nature monster once and for all!

Gunsfortoys

Holy tornado!

Cork Lass

OMG. That's awful. Those poor people.

Seems like every day there's another catastrophe.

cosmicfart

Cork Lass wrote: »

OMG. That's awful. Those poor people.

Seems like every day there's another catastrophe.

been happening since 1984!

dubtom

It's difficult to appreciate the power of a Tornado when I've never seen one in real life, but I am always struck when I look at video's of the destruction and the same question pops into my head,why do they insist on building their homes from timber? In that video the hospital is devastated,but it still stands. If you live in a Tornado hotspot it makes perfect sense to me to build with concrete, I really can't understand why they don't.

Mal-Adjusted

Iv'e always wondered this too. it makes no sense to build your house out of cardboard when you live in a place like that!

there must be some sort of grant or other incentive to build 'em that way

El Guapo!

Just goes to show you that no matter how much technology we have, nature can wipe it all out at the drop of a hat and we're virtually powerless to do anything about it.

Cianos

dubtom wrote: »

It's difficult to appreciate the power of a Tornado when I've never seen one in real life, but I am always struck when I look at video's of the destruction and the same question pops into my head,why do they insist on building their homes from timber? In that video the hospital is devastated,but it still stands. If you live in a Tornado hotspot it makes perfect sense to me to build with concrete, I really can't understand why they don't.

From extensive research (Googling and reading a few of the links on the first page) it seems that it just comes down to the fact that a wooden house is cheaper to build. It seems illogical in a tornado alley but then if you can't afford to build something stronger you don't have much choice. I guess if a concrete house is 2 or 3 times more expensive to build, a lot of people would just settle for a wooden structure and hope for the best.

Cianos

Dean09 wrote: »

Just goes to show you that no matter how much technology we have, nature can wipe it all out at the drop of a hat and we're virtually powerless to do anything about it.

True. People go on about the destruction that mankind causes, and how we're destroying nature. Nature is doing grand and will continue on long after we're gone. We're as quenchable as any other species really!

Calibos

Even a concrete house will get wrecked by a tornado. Yes the walls will still be standing but the roof, every window and all the contents of the house will be blown away. Better to have a basement for shelter during a tornado and cheaper to rebuild a woodframed house with a thin decorative brick/stone facade. It would actually cost more to rebuild a house around the surviving concrete walls than it is to build a whole new timber structure over the basement you sheltered from the last F5 in.

Lirange

The second video on this page (of damage) is incredible

dubtom wrote: »

I really can't understand why they don't.

When tornadoes are this strong it does not matter. The tornado outbreak in Alabama and the south last month obliterated neighbourhoods of brick homes. Practically vaporised them. The only composite material that gives a structure a better chance in tornadoes this lethal are reinforced concrete buildings. Even then it's far from safe. If such a tornado were to strike in Ireland most buildings here would fare no better. Look at the footage in the video and how it threw those cars around and shredded them ffs. It can lift homes off their foundation no matter their composition. It's easy to sit here and point fingers at what we might think is the obvious. As if to assume that people that deal with these threats in these areas had never thought of it after all these years. Most homes in and around the tornado alley region have underground storm shelters. But even that may not prevent you from being sucked out in an F5.

ETA: Population of Joplin is 50k. Not that small and it took a direct hit.

gargleblaster

F5's will pull the pavement off the street. They're uncommon though. Tornadoes like the one in Joplin, and the ones last month across the South are the least common. Usually they're much smaller and the most common problem is missing fences or roofs blown away.

Not to mention that I'd rather be sheltering in a building that won't be as likely to crush me if it falls.

Super-Rush

Between this storm and the one back in April, the death toll is now over 400 people.

westair

Calibos wrote: »

Even a concrete house will get wrecked by a tornado. Yes the walls will still be standing but the roof, every window and all the contents of the house will be blown away. Better to have a basement for shelter during a tornado and cheaper to rebuild a woodframed house with a thin decorative brick/stone facade. It would actually cost more to rebuild a house around the surviving concrete walls than it is to build a whole new timber structure over the basement you sheltered from the last F5 in.

I've lived close to tornado alleys - the force will cut right through mortar. I've seen brick walls tumble down with the mortar slit like butter. Poured concrete walls break at the joins also. The public buildings are built with steel bearings but even some of those buildings like the Home Deport had its steel bent in two and torn down.

There is no building technology that will stand up to 200 mile an hour winds.

Run_to_da_hills

Concrete Homes are Better Built Homes

Lirange

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Concrete Homes are Better Built Homes

Many of the buildings wiped out in Joplin were built from concrete. Supermarkets, restaurants, police departments, etc. If they were in the path of this tornado they were destroyed. Full stop.

amacachi

dubtom wrote: »

It's difficult to appreciate the power of a Tornado when I've never seen one in real life, but I am always struck when I look at video's of the destruction and the same question pops into my head,why do they insist on building their homes from timber? In that video the hospital is devastated,but it still stands. If you live in a Tornado hotspot it makes perfect sense to me to build with concrete, I really can't understand why they don't.

It's something I've always found ironic, in Ireland timber houses would suffice but we build concrete ones. Where they should be building with concrete they use timber.

RIP to them all, unreal devastation in the region this last month or so.

westair

Lirange wrote: »

Many of the buildings wiped out in Joplin were built from concrete. Supermarkets, restaurants, police departments, etc. If they were in the path of this tornado they were destroyed. Full stop.

As are the walls in 'townhomes' and apartment buildings - all attached homes are by building code made of concrete adjoining walls. It's only detached homes that are of the wooden structure type - and even then the basement walls are brick or poured concrete.

So when you see pictures of a town flattened - many of the flattened walls are in fact constructed from brick or concrete.

dfx-

I'm guessing tornados of that calibre will make light work of concrete by tossing a car or 40ft truck through the front door..

And if you think some tornados can ruin one side of a street and leave the other largely intact, it's probably harder to justify it..

General General

F5? Isn't that the scroll key?

Check out this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNm1rJ1qv3g

1:30 on, guy in car chases the tornado like it owes him $20.

HazDanz

Mother nature really is a b*tch these days :mad:

Kivaro

I am in the middle of it at the moment. This crap has been going on for 2 solid days now; constant lightening strikes, the booming and rumbling sound of thunder (not knowing if it's 'the one'), tornado sirens, wall clouds, flash flooding, ..........
It certainly keeps you on edge.
Today, as I watched the eerie wall cloud forming overhead and it got dark like the nighttime, I wondered if the idiot in California was just a few days off in his prediction of Armageddon.

Was just talking to some friends in Joplin. They were driving 5 blocks away when it touched down. They escaped unharmed and their house is fine, but everything else is gone; the school, the church ........ all gone.

I keep reminding myself that it's worth it i.e. to endure the 'scary season' every April/May for the reward of rain-free and warm weather for the rest of the year. This season is particularly scarier than usual though.

The good news? Very strong possibility of a repeat occurrence tomorrow night, and it may be even worse than the system that caused the Joplin tornado (according to the Weatherman, who's never wrong).

The lights are flickering now, the building is shaking and it's not serious enough for the news channel to warn us to seek shelter. But if this is not serious, I can't wait for tomorrow night.

Ah well, I will be sitting by the pool this coming weekend .... if it's still there, if I'm still here.

brendansmith

Thanks for the that reminder OP, I had almost forgotten about the force of nature. Lucky we have your dramatic self around to keep us all in check.

jive

Tornados can be lethal. I was lucky enough to survive on myself. Hear the fear in the voices of our fellow countrymen below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZhstHKqBpw

ride-the-spiral

I've coughed up scarier things than that.

Freddie59

May they Rest In Peace. Shocking. Truly shocking. And we moan about the rain.

In a perfect world, all the Americans who said "hey Japan, that's for Pearl Harbour" earlier in the year would live in Joplin.

expectationlost

the gov and builders should rmandate for basement saferooms and build neighbourhood bunkers, but that'd cost too much.

Wibbs

westair wrote: »

There is no building technology that will stand up to 200 mile an hour winds.

I seriously doubt that and it strikes me as both fatalist and narrow in planning. IMHO Thinking out of the box would come up with a building technique or a set of them that would reduce damage and reduce cost over time, so everyone benefits. I dunno, go back to one of the earliest and long lived house designs. Round houses. Harder for a wind to build up pressure differences. Reinforced roofs and steel shutters on windows and doors again to prevent internal pressure differences which would rip the roof off. Sticking with a basic square european house design with separate roof and then making it out of wood offers zero protection. Three little pigs anyone?

Terrible for the people in that part of the world though. Terrible to see the utter devastation of communities and memories never mind the deaths. Very sad.





Is it me or is the OP's video ruined because of the guy saying "Oh my gosh" repeatedly? Too much of a god botherer to say oh my God, even though it's certainly warranted. "Oh my gosh" makes a person sound such a retard, even if they're not.

Lirange

Disturbing video of people that gathered at the back of a shop and then relocated to freezer as the tornado struck. People were tossed against walls and against each other. Good news is that all of them made it out alive and none of the injuries were major/life threatening. It's mostly for the audio as it's too dark to make out much when the tornado arrives. (1.5mill hits in 24hrs).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnvxJZucds

Note though that it does have a woman in the background shouting Jesus and praying. It is the bible belt.

tmcw

Anyone know what those symbols mean on the cars, yellow and green x's in that video?

I remember seeing similar markings on the houses after Katrina, indicating whether a house had been checked, number inside, etc. Is there a key somewhere?

CommuterIE

brendansmith wrote: »

Thanks for the that reminder OP, I had almost forgotten about the force of nature. Lucky we have your dramatic self around to keep us all in check.

I wasn't trying to be dramatic... I simply posted a video of the destruction.

gargleblaster

Wibbs wrote: »

I seriously doubt that and it strikes me as both fatalist and narrow in planning. IMHO Thinking out of the box would come up with a building technique or a set of them that would reduce damage and reduce cost over time, so everyone benefits. I dunno, go back to one of the earliest and long lived house designs. Round houses. Harder for a wind to build up pressure differences. Reinforced roofs and steel shutters on windows and doors again to prevent internal pressure differences which would rip the roof off. Sticking with a basic square european house design with separate roof and then making it out of wood offers zero protection. Three little pigs anyone?

Terrible for the people in that part of the world though. Terrible to see the utter devastation of communities and memories never mind the deaths. Very sad.





Is it me or is the OP's video ruined because of the guy saying "Oh my gosh" repeatedly? Too much of a god botherer to say oh my God, even though it's certainly warranted. "Oh my gosh" makes a person sound such a retard, even if they're not.

I think the opposite. Gosh is just a word to me, but praying? To me, that's what makes people sound retarded. As if the 100+ people who died, what, didn't pray hard enough? Pissed off "God" somehow? So annoying.

As for round houses, that did get a start back in the 70's. However, it didn't catch on. After all, humans for the most part prefer to be followers. Living in a round house is "weird" and "out there". Everyone knows "normal" middle class people have traditional boxy homes and nice new cars every four years and go to church and all that happy crap. (Middle class and rich people are pretty much the only ones buying new homes.)

mgmt

cosmicfart wrote: »

We need to develop a weapon of mass destruction to beat this nature monster once and for all!

The Americans already have. Allegedly! It's called the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). It's supposed to heat the atmosphere and then be able to control and steer weather systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkLTzesBxGE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Frequency_Active_Auroral_Research_Program

dfx-

Wibbs wrote: »

I seriously doubt that and it strikes me as both fatalist and narrow in planning. IMHO Thinking out of the box would come up with a building technique or a set of them that would reduce damage and reduce cost over time, so everyone benefits. I dunno, go back to one of the earliest and long lived house designs. Round houses. Harder for a wind to build up pressure differences. Reinforced roofs and steel shutters on windows and doors again to prevent internal pressure differences which would rip the roof off. Sticking with a basic square european house design with separate roof and then making it out of wood offers zero protection. Three little pigs anyone?

The wind itself might not be the trouble, but what it is carrying would be. The remnants of the shed, garage or the car outside in the driveway or from several cars from the dealership across the town would soon get through at 200mph.

So for tornadoes of that strength, is it affordable to reinforce beyond having a safe-room for your own personal safety? Terrible dichotomy..