 Now we have to re-educate the public about the dangers of seeking shelter under an overpass. Where did this "bad advice" all begin? On April 10, 1979 a powerful late afternoon F-5 tornado headed into Wichita Falls, TX. Most of the fatalities took place in automobiles. Many of the residents got into their cars and tried to get away from the approaching tornado. The death toll was the greatest for those who encountered the tornado in their car as opposed to those who remained in their homes. It was obvious that a car was not a safe place to be and the official advice for years following this event was to "abandon your vehicle and lie down in a ditch or depression" when trapped by a tornado. The advice made many of us nervous as we wished we knew a way to just keep people out of harms way. The ultimate solution seemed to appear in a video seen around the world. The famous "get up under the girders" video. On April 26, 1991 a news team was photographing a tornado in Kansas. They herded some people from their cars and yelled for them to take cover up under the girders of an overpass. The weak tornado, although appearing to pass directly over the overpass, in fact merely passed nearby. This video took on a life of its own and became for many conclusive proof that people should head to the overpasses when a tornado approaches. Then along came the tornado outbreak of May 3rd, 1999. In Oklahoma City, three overpasses were directly hit by the large tornadoes. There was a fatality at each of the three overpasses. Injuries were numerous and gruesome for those seeking shelter at these three overpasses, which is not surprising with shrapnel flying at over 300 miles per hour. We have spent years trying to get as many barriers between people and tornado produced winds and yet, as Chuck Doswell reported, people actually left their homes to be outside in the wind under the overpasses up to 30 minutes before the tornado arrived. Why is this a bad location? 1. People are directly exposed to flying debris; 2. The winds increase in speed as they are channeled around the overpass structure; and, 3. The vehicles abandoned on the highway below are a huge traffic hazard and block the passage of emergency vehicles. So, what is the best advice? Avoid the hazard by remaining at home or at work or in the business you are visiting until after the storm passes. If possible, especially if daylight, drive away from the storm instead of pressing onward in a direct collision path. While traveling in areas unfamiliar to you, listen to the news oriented AM radio stations and when a tornado warning is issued for the area, pull off the road and go into a restaurant or large grocery store which usually have strong storage rooms for shelter. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MYTH THAT OVERPASSES ARE SAFE AS A SHELTER AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER TORNADO MYTHS, VISIT THE HIGH PLAINS CLIMATE CENTER INTERNET SITE: http://hpccsun.unl.edu/nebraska/tornado-myths.html |