Support for our friends in the south

[promac850]

Man, I hope all of you stay safe in the cleanup effort, and hope the death toll doesn't go up too much more. This has to be worse than the 1998/1999 twisters that plastered the TV channels then.

 

[Anthony_Va.]

Heres a link to the two that hit near me last night. One was less than a mile away and the other was about 8 miles away. The one in the link was an F3. The other, which was less than a mile was an F2.
Tornado near me

Heres another link for pictures of it.
Tornado Pics

 

[sefh3]

I live here in Alabama and I can tell you that the warnings were given very early and often. They were on the radio, TV, everywhere. The major channels (NBC, CBS, etc.) had live weather coverage from 6pm on. Everybody was informed. The problem is, with an F-5 tornado, nowhere is safe. Houses were ripped from their foundations. Unless you had a fallout shelter, you had no chance against this tornado.

Luckily, our neighborhood was not bad. My father-in-law, however, did not fare as well. They are okay, but have extensive damage. Trees are down everywhere and they have no power. The TVA is not expecting to have power on until Monday at the earliest.

Since I just had shoulder surgery, I am no help with the cleanup. I took my generator and some supplies to my father in law. I also donated money to the Red Cross. Aside from prayers, I don't know how else to help.

As we were heading up the interstate this morning, we passed a gigantic National Guard convoy. There were also hundred of electrical company trucks headed in. The outpouring of help is wonderful. Sadly, I heard reports this afternoon that looting has already begun. There is a special place in hell for people that do that.

May I ask what part of Alabama are you from. I have family down there.

If people can, please donate to the Red Cross. There where one of the first people down there to help people. They need as much money as they can get to help are fellow Americans.

For those looters, there is a special place down below for them.

 

[barneyrb]

What I heard today was many of these homes don't have basements. Without basements there is no where to go to take cover. Also they are having problems getting to the injured people because debris is everywhere and roads are not passible.

Many areas in the south the ground water level is so high you can not build a basement, it'd be underwater except in times of drought.

 

[morgaj1]

On the evening news it was reported 204 confirmed deaths and over 1,700 people injured. This is terrible.

 

[promac850]

Many areas in the south the ground water level is so high you can not build a basement, it'd be underwater except in times of drought.

That makes sense. It is quite swampy in most areas down there.

Maybe drop a rubberized undercoated shipping container in the ground with the doors facing up, and a secure way to lock them from the inside? If you have 38 feet of a 40 foot container buried, I don't think it would go anywhere. It'd be a ladder to the bottom, with small platforms on the way down to stand on and put stuff.

Best solution I can offer, considering a concrete basement or bunker would leak and seep water inside all the time. I've heard you can get a used shipping container for 1000-2000 bucks. Nothing really wrong with them, just not fit for seafaring anymore, or maybe too expensive to repaint.

 

[tlandrum]

the field that i have my gtg's in used to have a 2 story farm house setting in the middle of it. there wqs a tornado that wiped out about 30 homes in my area about ten or so years ago. the house im living in was built back in the place of the old farm house. the area im in is bad for tornados. the weather spotters reported 2 different funnel clouds over our home yesterday.

 

[morgaj1]

That makes sense. It is quite swampy in most areas down there.

Maybe drop a rubberized undercoated shipping container in the ground with the doors facing up, and a secure way to lock them from the inside? If you have 38 feet of a 40 foot container buried, I don't think it would go anywhere. It'd be a ladder to the bottom, with small platforms on the way down to stand on and put stuff.

Best solution I can offer, considering a concrete basement or bunker would leak and seep water inside all the time. I've heard you can get a used shipping container for 1000-2000 bucks. Nothing really wrong with them, just not fit for seafaring anymore, or maybe too expensive to repaint.

There are several companies that make underground shelters that are made of a composite material for the South. If memory serves me correct, they are about $7000. However, there are supposedly some Federal Grants that people can apply for to offset some of the cost.

 

[Philbert]

Many areas in the south the ground water level is so high you can not build a basement, it'd be underwater except in times of drought.

If you can't have basements, it is possible to build reinforced shelter rooms in the center of the house (easiest in new construction) with plywood walls under the sheet rock, steel tie-down straps, etc.

Link: FEMA: Preparing For The Next Tornado; Workshop On Wind-Resistant Construction Techniques

Also possible to build community shelters:

County Storm Shelter - Walker County, Texas.

Philbert

 

[promac850]

Yeah, there are ways to both cheaply and expensively get a good shelter for protection from a tornado.

I figure if you have a buddy with an excavator, and you had your spray on rubberized undercoating applied to a shipping container that was soda blasted (easy to make your own soda blaster) you would be in for less than 3000 bucks. Hiring an excavator, probably a little more, but if it doesn't take a bunch of fuel or time to get it in the ground, then it wouldn't be that bad, I don't think.

Or if you're absolutely ####ing nuts, build the interceptor that is shown on the Stormchasers TV show... it looks like this:

I think that thing, with its drop down anti-lift plates, would be quite well off in a tight situation.

 

[dingeryote]

Just to put things in perspective.

Wind driven nails. Try driving a nail in a tractor tire with a hammer sometime....you can't.
Pic is from a Alabama gent in another forum.
Other pics he posted are just as nuts.

We have members down there, and if anyone is planning a trip to lend a hand, I would be glad to donate or participate.
Those poor folks are gonna need lots of things shortly, as well as the support to get back in the saddle and push ahead.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[mactodd]

Well, I live in Tuscaloosa, and things here are nuts. We have many churches and other groups volunteering fo rhte cleanup and other help. That video that somebody posted was at the busiest intersection in town at probably the worst time of the day. What most folks don't realize is that the power was knocked out in many areas from high winds earlier in the day. Some tornado sirens weren't working, and folks might not have know what was going on. When that monster came through, it took everything with it.

I will be busy for a while with my saws. Thankfully, my house and family are safe, and we got our power back yesterday. As was said earlier, please consider contributions to the Red Cross. They are helping all the victims of this storm.

Pray for us down here to keep us safe during the recovery, and for those who have lost homes and loved ones.

 

[TraditionalTool]

This is footage from yesterday in Alabama.

Insane...

I feel cheated...no Dorthy, no Toto...and WTF happened to the Wizzard? :msp_unsure:

 

[MacLaren]

I cant believe how lucky we were here in Asheville. Just acroos the mountain in Johnson City, Tennessee 17 were killed in and around that area. I just thank God we werent hurt or worse.

 

[promac850]

I feel cheated...no Dorthy, no Toto...and WTF happened to the Wizzard? :msp_unsure:

They're inside the ####ing funnel cloud. :msp_mad:

 

[Hank Chinaski]

I feel cheated...no Dorthy, no Toto...and WTF happened to the Wizzard? :msp_unsure:

so when the west coast falls into the ocean, or catches fire, it will be acceptable to make atlantis or hell jokes?


sorry man, that's just in poor taste, and not the kind of humor folks that are affected by this need to raise their spirits or help them in any way.

 

[slowp]

so when the west coast falls into the ocean, or catches fire, it will be acceptable to make atlantis or hell jokes?


sorry man, that's just in poor taste, and not the kind of humor folks that are affected by this need to raise their spirits or help them in any way.

Yes it will be. Some people handle distressing situations with humor.
I've gotten chewed out for it by people who don't understand. It is called gallows humor.

And you have my permission to joke about earthquakes, fires, mudslides and anything else. It is a coping mechanism. If I'm still alive after "the big one" I'll be joking about it. During cleanup from a flood here, we joked about entering our trailer heaped high with soaked insulation in a parade and having "mud princesses" riding on it and waving.

I'm sure no offense was meant. When I saw the video, the first thing that came to my mind was Cow. You may thank the Twister movie for that thought.

Sorry to hear about all the destruction. If I were closer, I'd volunteer myself and my pickup to haul stuff and cleanup.

 

[MacLaren]

Yes it will be. Some people handle distressing situations with humor.
I've gotten chewed out for it by people who don't understand. It is called gallows humor.

And you have my permission to joke about earthquakes, fires, mudslides and anything else. It is a coping mechanism. If I'm still alive after "the big one" I'll be joking about it. During cleanup from a flood here, we joked about entering our trailer heaped high with soaked insulation in a parade and having "mud princesses" riding on it and waving.

I'm sure no offense was meant. When I saw the video, the first thing that came to my mind was Cow. You may thank the Twister movie for that thought.

Sorry to hear about all the destruction. If I were closer, I'd volunteer myself and my pickup to haul stuff and cleanup.

I get what your sayin slowp. But there have been many,many lives lost. I cant help but think that was poor taste. Copin mechanism or not.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

I get what your sayin slowp. But there have been many,many lives lost. I cant help but think that was poor taste. Copin mechanism or not.

QFT

Gallows humor is when YOU are in that situation, not outside looking in at others suffering.



I'm not trying to cause a big stink about it or say the other member is an awful person etc, just that the comment made was unnecessary and inappropriate and not funny.