When the Tornado sirens start to roar, finding a place to shelter is the first instinct people have.
Some are fortunate enough to have a storm shelter while others rely on old techniques such as using a bathtub for safety.
However, technology has greatly advanced over the last few decades. Today, people can receive emergency alerts from the government and mobile apps —straight to their phone. These alerts are sent to give people as much as 10 minutes to grab important items and documents and seek shelter.
Rick Smith, meteorologist at the National Weather Service said taking shelter is only one method to prevent casualties.
“The goal of that tornado warning is to get advanced notice out as far in advance as we can,” also noted that those warnings have helped tremendously “ those wireless emergency alerts have saved numerous lives since they’ve been implemented several years ago.”
He added that before an emergency alert is sent out, expert meteorologists go through different steps, like looking at live doppler radar data and gathering weather information.
This then gives them an idea of what’s happening in the atmosphere.
They also have people in the field who give visual reports of what they see.
All these steps are done to determine if it is necessary to alert the community of possible danger.
These notifications then prepare those with a storm shelter, like Mauricio Busquets of Oklahoma City.
If an unfortunate disaster were to occur, Busquet would feel ready to rush into his underground shelter, which was built underground in his front yard.
“ Always having the availability of being able to open it that it doesn’t have any obstacles that stops you from going to it.”
Busquets says having a storm shelter is beneficial since an alarm would sound off at any moment and having a place to protect his family is important. The shelter won’t only help him, but also his nearby neighbors.
“ You would need space for one neighbor or someone who needs to enter inside this shelter. You can fit up to 13 people,” Busquet added.
He says some cities, like OKC, require people who have a shelter, to keep it unlocked and in a front yard for easy accessibility for others. The shelter must also be registered with the city’s fire department to make it easy for crews to find one, which might get buried under debris and rubble.
Every year, the Oklahoma City metro area is hammered with tornadoes warnings and severe weather.
Destructive tornadoes, sometimes deadly, often plow through communities just outside the metro.
Although Busquett said he has never had to use his shelter, the fear of a tornado lives among many in the city’s Southside, where Busquette lives. It is not hard to find homes with a shelter taking up a lawn.
The importance of a shelter is notable in malls along tornado alley. It is not hard to find a storm shelter business selling some that sit underground or above ground. For many, storm shelters could be used throughout the year.
The National Weather Service says tornado season used to be between April and June. However, deadly storms have been striking the Midwest as late as November and December and as early as February. This is why the NWS warns people to be ready during what has now become, an all year long tornado season.
However, tornado season does have its peak and millions of residents will see it entering its peak months. This is why it’s important that people in tornado valley find a way to stay safe.
This year, at least 66 people have died, nearly reaching the average amount of deaths with more than half a year to go. According to the National Weather Service, the average toll a year is 71.
More tornadoes are expected to come in the following month’s due to the collision of hot and cold air masses.
These two weather systems come from the northwest Rocky Mountains while the other is from the Gulf of Mexico. When both converge, it creates unstable air, prompting violent and deadly wind gusts.
Joseph Levine survived a tornado that hit Norman, Oklahoma in February.
“My wife woke up our baby i grabbed our 3 year old and we went to the bathtub cause that’s kind of the better place to be in if you don’t have any other option.”
Levine notes that he put a blanket over his family’s head as the tornado was hitting in order to prevent any debris from falling into their head.
He feels lucky that his situation wasn’t as bad as other tornadoes that hit in other areas.
“Mississippi just got hit with an f5 … and there’s all this people dealing with this tuff and you want to help them your heart goes out for them.”
