Tornado safety

Science Daily: …A consortium of government officials and academics are now working to raise awareness about the life-saving capabilities of storm shelters…. Their focus is a pilot project called the Resilient Home Program, which is funded in part by S&T's Infrastructure and Geophysical Division. The program incorporates newly revised guidance from FEMA on designs for basement, in-ground, and above-ground safe rooms; and an ICC standard, which specifies requirements for the design and construction of such sanctuaries.

The program takes place in the American Southeast, a region that draws tornadoes with a frequency and fury that rival the famous "tornado alley" of the Midwest. Making matters worse, the Southeast is a magnet for nocturnal storms, which strike between sunset and sunrise and often double the fatalities of their daytime counterparts. Furthermore, the Southeast's population is particularly vulnerable to disasters, with large numbers of seniors and mobile homes.

…"The Resilient Home Program isn't a 30-page report that winds up in a binder on a bookshelf," says S&T program manager Mike Matthews. "It's a roll-up-your-sleeves collaboration among many different entities -- homeowners, builders, and insurers -- that will help to fortify people's homes, lives and communities." As Matthews sees it, the sooner families can return to their homes, the faster a community can recapture its vitality.

The team is undertaking a two-part process. First, the research: Why do some homeowners opt for safe rooms while others go without? Then the outreach: Use these findings to communicate with the public and the construction and insurance industries.

The team surveyed 822 homeowners in seven states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Participants were asked a battery of questions about their knowledge of and interest in safe rooms. From their answers, certain patterns emerged. For instance, homeowners are well-aware that safe rooms can save their lives. Yet they see little value in investing in something that would be used so little or perhaps not at all….

Two tornadoes swept through downtown Charleston, SC on the morning of 29 September 1938. Although the name of the photographer is not known, it was more than likely taken by an employee of the US Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service) immediately following the storm. At that time, the Weather Bureau's office was at the Customs House. The photo depicts people rushing to inspect the extensive damage to the City Market.