Lullabelle
Midlands, England
I wasn't thinking about the safety of the building, I am sure it met the safety standard, my point is that tornado warnings were given so surely the towns should have been on lockdown?
The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)
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I wasn't thinking about the safety of the building, I am sure it met the safety standard, my point is that tornado warnings were given so surely the towns should have been on lockdown?
I suppose the point is that locking down doesn't work in the face of a tornado. Evacuating people elsewhere, well away from the path of the hurricane would be the only option to keep everyone safe.
That's not quite how tornado watches and warnings work here. If there's a warning during working/opening hours, places don't normally shut down. You're just expected to use your best judgment and shelter in place should a tornado come through.
Now, as a business/factory, they should have a designated tornado shelter area, and that's where you'd go in the case of an active tornado. Stories are surfacing now that workers were told if they left the worksite, they wouldn't have a job to come back to, but I don't know if that's accurate or not.
Lullabelle: I was reading the news this morning and, apparently, the tornado warnings came at (something like) 8.05 pm, then again at 8.17pm. The tornado struck at 8.27 pm.
And although I can´t verify it, the BBC said that the Amazon workers were told to go and hide in the toilets.
I´ve never experienced a tornado and would never want to, but from what I understand, these things strike in minutes after hitting the ground. Really scary.
And although I can´t verify it, the BBC said that the Amazon workers were told to go and hide in the toilets.
I´ve never experienced a tornado and would never want to, but from what I understand, these things strike in minutes after hitting the ground. Really scary.
You can't evacuate "away from the path" of a tornado. They have very unpredictable paths, and by the time you know you are in the path, it is too late to leave. Besides, they LAST place you want to be when a tornado hits is in a car. The car becomes a tumbleweed, and the occupants often die.
CD
I wondered about the designated tornado shelters. Public builds and schools MUST have them. I don't know about private buildings.
Some employees of that factory have reported to the press that they were not allowed to leave as weather conditions got really bad. However, it is hard to say if they would have been any safer if they left work, unless they left in time to get someplace safer. Like I said, you don't want to be in your car when a tornado hits.
CD
Yeah - I´ve never been near a tornado, but I´ve seen documentaries about them. A sort of morbid interest in wierd weather phenomena.
What I DID gather is - they´re totally unpredictable.
I was looking at some BBC pictures today. On one of the places where the Amazon warehouses were hit, one warehouse was flattened.Another was damaged. The other two were completely untouched. These things are extremely violent, very destructive and very, very difficult to predict.
What I DID gather is - they´re totally unpredictable.
I was looking at some BBC pictures today. On one of the places where the Amazon warehouses were hit, one warehouse was flattened.Another was damaged. The other two were completely untouched. These things are extremely violent, very destructive and very, very difficult to predict.
In buildings that have designated tornado shelters, they are often the restrooms/toilets. On newer buildings, those rooms are reinforced, and in the centers of buildings. They also have no windows.
As for a tornado warning. We get them regularly in North Texas. They mean that a hook echo has been detected, which is th first stage of a tornado's development. Most don't make it much past that stage. But, they can develop fast, and once they are on the ground, they can move fast. So, the NWS tries to issue them as early in the development cycle as possible, so people have time to find shelter, just in case the tornado fully develops and touches down.
You get to know tornados well if you live in Texas (and are smart). We lead the nation in the annual tornado count (average), and lead most countries, too.
CD
Are we talking about the same place? The building destroyed in Mayfield, KY was a candle factory, not an Amazon warehouse.
Here is a photo taken by a camera store owner in Mack Ohio in 1974. I have a framed print of that photo. That tornado passed about two blocks from my family's home. I watched it coming from a small basement window.
CD
kaneohegirlinaz
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Many years ago, DH & I were in Irving Texas USA on a two day stop-over on our way back to the Washington DC area and a tornado waring was issued. We had just sat down to dinner in our hotel, when we were very quickly escorted down to the basement. Didn't really know or understand what was going on, but I saw other folks grabbing their cocktails and heading downstairs. I thought maybe there was some sort of entertainment for the evening?
We were there for quite sometime before the "all clear" was given and we could returned to our room.
I was grateful that the hotel management was so quick to respond, because when we looked out the window I couldn't believe the devastation.
We were there for quite sometime before the "all clear" was given and we could returned to our room.
I was grateful that the hotel management was so quick to respond, because when we looked out the window I couldn't believe the devastation.
Yup, that's North Texas (Irving is right by DFW Airport, between Dallas and Fort Worth).
CD
I think the Amazon warehouse was in Edwardsville, Illinois?
Are those three people standing on a roof watching the tornado? What's the distance between them and the tornado - any idea? Cool but, eery picture!
That photo was taken with a very long lens, which compresses distance. Those people were a good five miles from the tornado. They were actually standing on a hill/levy behind those buildings, not on the roof.
CD
The same tornado - the Amazon warehouse is in Edwardsville, Illinois: Amazon criticised over safety at tornado-hit warehouse
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