More than 80 tornadoes were reported across the midwest on November 17, 2013, though that figure should be considered preliminary. At least 10 states were in under severe weather alerts, as tornado watches were posted in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, and others. Many states were hit by tornadoes and hundreds of thousands of people were left without power, according to weather officials.
“We obviously have a very dangerous situation on our hands and it’s just getting started,” NWS deputy director Laura Furgione said during a conference call with reporters earlier Sunday.
Washington, Illinois, a town 145 miles southwest of Chicago, was hit particularly hard. “I stepped outside and I heard it coming,” Michael Perdun, a resident there, told a news service. “My daughter was already in the basement, so I ran downstairs and grabbed her, crouched in the laundry room and all of a sudden I could see daylight up the stairway and my house was gone. The whole neighborhood’s gone. The wall of my fireplace is all that is left of my house.”
Amy Paul, a spokeswoman for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, told the Peoria Journal-Star that the hospital was treating 37 tornado victims, including seven trauma victims.
According to severe weather Expert Dr. Greg Forbes, the second half of October, and especially November, can often be a second season for tornadoes.
Forbes says, “In many ways, this is the counterpart to spring, when strong fronts and upper-air systems march across the United States. When enough warm, moist air accompanies these weather systems, the unstable conditions yield tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.”
We all need to have a plan… a safe place to go when severe weather strikes. If you already own a storm shelter then great! If you don’t have a safe room manufactured by a National Storm Shelter Association Producer Member then at least out together a plan with your family to meet in the safest area of your home which would be the smallest interior room of your house that does not have windows. Have an emergency kit ready with fresh batteries for flashlights, water, canned food, and spare clothes. As we can all see from what happened today we need to be prepared for tornadoes year round, not just in the spring time. If you have questions about preparing an emergency kit or the safest area of your home to hide in feel free to give us a call. We’d be happy to help you brainstorm and come up with the best plan for your family. 918-518-1551 is a toll free number and we would be happy to assist you. We do ship and install nationwide so if you are considering installing a safe room in your garage or inside a closet or other room in your home we can help with that also.