Joplin MO disaster

[jimmyj]

Here is an "after" video of the exact gas station store the people in the first video were inside of. One of the survivors came back to film it. It's amazing they had a little protected area and everything around them is totally destroyed.

Good Heavens what a thing.

YouTube - ‪Aftermath of First person Joplin Tornado‬‏

 

[om21braz]

Or, build storm cellars like in the old days.
Dave.

I've read where some of the folks living out in "tornado alley" said they seemed to have spent quite a bit of their childhood in a storm cellar.

 

[JB4310]

Here is an "after" video of the exact gas station store the people in the first video were inside of. One of the survivors came back to film it. It's amazing they had a little protected area and everything around them is totally destroyed.

Good Heavens what a thing.

Thank God for the beer cooler, yeah there needs to be at least one strong room in the house, shouldn't be that difficult or expensive to do.

I can't even imagine how insane it must be to be in the middle of that. Good thing it didn't happen Saturday or they would of surely thought it was the Rapture coming!!!

I've read where some of the folks living out in "tornado alley" said they seemed to have spent quite a bit of their childhood in a storm cellar.

Reminds me of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. But she didn't make it to the shelter.

JB

 

[dave1949]

Thank God for the beer cooler, yeah there needs to be at least one strong room in the house, shouldn't be that difficult or expensive to do.

I can't even imagine how insane it must be to be in the middle of that. Good thing it didn't happen Saturday or they would of surely thought it was the Rapture coming!!!




Reminds me of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. But she didn't make it to the shelter.

JB

And be grateful Dorothy did not make it, we wouldn't have flying monkeys otherwise. :laughing:

I understand budgets and all, but building the same basic house design everywhere regardless of tornado, fire, hurricane or flood threats is a sort of a denial of reality.

It's possible a safe room could be something like a pre-fab concrete vault that is dropped onto a reinforced foundation/slab section during the build process. It works for septic tanks.

My heart goes out to all who are suffering.
Dave.

 

[dmccarty]

FEMA has design specs for storm shelters. I cannot remember if they had designs for below grade but they certainly do for above grade. Some jurisdictions in the midwest require a storm shelter in new homes.

As mentioned, a basement is not perfectly safe, since the house can collapse into the hole. Some sort of safe room is needed in the basement. But a basement is much better than no shelter at all.

Later,
Dan

 

[jmanatee2]

When I lived in FL I used a FEMA design to build a safe room.

I built mine as an addition. It was a stand alone structure build right next to the house. You could not tell it was standalone but if the house blue away the safe room would still be there.

It was 8' x 7'

This is from memory but is was built something like this:

8" steel reinforced concrete floor with 6 - 4' auger type anchors screwed into the ground.

It was a 2 x 4 structure with 2 layers of 3/4" plywood exterior (1st coarse vertical 2nd horizontal), Stacked bricks in the wall and 1 layer of 3/4" plywood on interior. Each layer of plywood was nailed with 16D 6" on edges 12" in field. This was done to the ceiling as well.

There were 2' steel straps that went under the sill plate and up each side of the stud and the same thing going over the two top plates. There were additional straps that went up over and down the ceiling joists. All straps had every available hole filled with 16D and if the end when through the stud they were bent over.

The sill was anchored to the concrete every 2'

The structure was then covered with sheet rock (Interior) and t11 (exterior) siding.

I would feel pretty safe in the room.

 

[dmccarty]

Some of FEMA designs for safe rooms. FEMA: Taking Shelter From the Storm

They have more design information on their website. The information is very interesting.

Later,
Dan

 

[jimmyj]

We don't get many serious storms here but I think a small investment in a safe room is a good idea.

 

[dave1949]

Some of FEMA designs for safe rooms. FEMA: Taking Shelter From the Storm

They have more design information on their website. The information is very interesting.

Later,
Dan

It is interesting, thanks for posting that. It looks like one of the plans shows how to build out a regular bathroom as a safe room.
Dave.

 

[JB4310]

We don't get many serious storms here but I think a small investment in a safe room is a good idea.

Like someone mentioned, it could be used for keeping valuables if if was lockable from the outside, also could be a safe haven from a home invasion, if it was lockable from the inside.

The first and most important part of the safe room for me would be the exit. maybe have 2 possible escape means. Would be bad if you survived the storm only to be trapped in your safe room.

JB

 

[jimmyj]

We don't have a root cellar so it could do double duty.

 

[dave1949]

We don't have a root cellar so it could do double duty.

I've seen root cellar plans based on closing in a basement corner with insulated walls and adding ventilation to the outside. Sounds pretty similar to what a basement safe room would be like. You could ride out a storm with the apples & cabbages while playing Mr. Potato Head :laughing:

Our weather is so benign by comparison, maybe a baby tornado every couple years. I think our biggest threat is the odd hurricane that goes up the coast and makes a left turn in the Gulf of Maine. If it were still powerful enough by the time it hits land, it could do some damage inland. Those are very rare.
Dave.

 

[hr3]

When a disaster like this happens why can't our military take Infrared satellite pictures for the rescuers to help them find trapped people ???

 

[dave1949]

They are saying they will release a list of up to 1500 missing in Joplin and the MO state folks are taking over the handling of that. That is so sad. Even if they can eventually account for half of the missing, it's a big number.
Dave.

 

[jimmyj]

When a disaster like this happens why can't our military take Infrared satellite pictures for the rescuers to help them find trapped people ???

That seems like a very good idea. I wonder if they do this or why they don't. Anyone know?

 

[JB4310]

That seems like a very good idea. I wonder if they do this or why they don't. Anyone know?

Because a dead body emits no heat. Sorry to be so blunt.

As far as the living, not sure how effective that equipment is with so much debris, I don't think it can "see" thru piles of building materials.

JB.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Before and after pix that help put things in perspective. Sorry if DP
Joplin MO tornado: At least 89 dead as twister cuts 4-mile swathe through Missouri town | Mail Online

 

[mmurphy]

Wow!! Thanks to all for the links. My heart goes out to all in that area. I really am surprised the count is not 1000 people after seeing the helicopter ride. I am sure the countries we always help out will be on there way with relief. (Just a little sarcasm.)

 

[dave1949]

Before and after pix that help put things in perspective. Sorry if DP
Joplin MO tornado: At least 89 dead as twister cuts 4-mile swathe through Missouri town | Mail Online

Thanks for the link - that really brings it home.
Dave.