Tornado to close for comfort

[fabricator]

I will guarantee you that an above ground precast, prestressed concrete structure could be built that the meanest F5 wouldn't scratch, I'm not necessarily talking perpendicular outside walls either.

[rcavictim]

We were very lucky here. Wednesday a tornado killed 3, 1 in Smithville, jumped over our house,(I was out on the porch!) and hit the community of Rinnie, killing 2 there.
Friday a storm hit the community of Dodsons Branch, a few miles north of Cookeville destroying and damaging  around 100 homes, but by the
Grace of God, no one lost their lives. I think I would call that a miracle.
Ron.

Geeze Ron, waddayadoin' standing out on the porch with a huge tornado overhead?  Glad you're OK.

[Bobbie2214]

Fabricator,
That would be a structure I would love to see the blue prints for. I have never seen an F3 or F4 that left any free standing concrete structures in any condition but rubble.

The wind force being so strong it takes the bark off the trees, then uproots the trees and twists them around cars and trucks. It takes steel pipe that is concreted into the ground, bending and twisting it as if it was nothing. An they say, thats only the straight line winds before the tornado that does that. 

So if you can build a structure to withstand an F5 Tornado, that a family could use and be safe from harm in then I would be very interested in seeing your structure drawing. So far no one else has been able to build one to withstand an F3 or F4 direct hit.

I have sons in Missouri and we are building them both new tornado shelters this summer, so I would be very interested in how you would do it. 

[fabricator]

It wouldn't be cheap, but all you need to do is pour reinforced concrete walls and roof about 12 inches thick, then push up a berm around the walls, say a 30 degree angle then pour 12 inches of concrete on that all tied into the roof and walls with rebar.
All you are doing is building a reinforced hollow concrete hill, tornados don't level hills they go over em, any debris hitting those sloped walls would be deflected up, same principal as the armor on a tank, sloped surfaces for deflection, a house built like this would laugh at an F5 or anything else.

[LowGear]

How about a big container with some wings welded on the side setting on a merry-go-round table so that when the big one comes you just soar into the sky and enjoy the fabulous once in a lifetime ride.

Speaking of a once in a lifetime ride; The real question is why do people keep living in an area that  has these quality of storms and not build their houses out of concrete?  You can buy a lot of concrete for $100,000. 

Casey

[rcavictim]

How about a big container with some wings welded on the side setting on a merry-go-round table so that when the big one comes you just soar into the sky and enjoy the fabulous once in a lifetime ride.

Speaking of a once in a lifetime ride; The real question is why do people keep living in an area that  has these quality of storms and not build their houses out of concrete?  You can buy a lot of concrete for $100,000. 

Casey

That's easy to answer Casey.  It's because most people are stupid.  That can be the olny logical explanation for example why they are rebuilding New Orleans again, below sea level.

[artificer]

If I lived in tornado alley, I'd be building a monolithic dome.  There's at least one thats resisted a tornado.  From wikipedia it appears to have been only an F2, but started as a strong F3+.  Still... a direct hit with virtually no damage.  Build it stronger, and it should take the hit from a F4 or F5, as long as it didn't get sucked up into the air.

As for stupid people...  I like the story about the idiot that built his house on stilts in the floodplain, and complains that he just couldn't believe this would ever happen to him, just like last years flooding.

High priced houses on the ocean that slide down the hill, east coast houses that can't take huricane force winds, houses in flood plains that are destroyed when they get flooded...  it makes you wonder.  Except for the "my property has slid into the ocean", most of the damages could be minimized if the buildings were constructed correctly.  Insurance, and the demand that houses are boxes means theres always going to be a lot of rebuilding.

Michael

Edit:  Cool!!!  here's an F3 tornado against a monolithic dome.  And how about the "Tornado Tamer" door.

[Bobbie2214]

If people stop living in the Tornado Alley areas most of the central united states would be without people.

Fabricator: It wouldn't be cheap, but all you need to do is pour reinforced concrete walls and roof about 12 inches thick, then push up a berm around the walls, say a 30 degree angle then pour 12 inches of concrete on that all tied into the roof and walls with rebar.
All you are doing is building a reinforced hollow concrete hill, tornados don't level hills they go over em, any debris hitting those sloped walls would be deflected up, same principal as the armor on a tank, sloped surfaces for deflection, a house built like this would laugh at an F5 or anything else

I see what your saying, but I wouldnt want to put my grandkids in one that hasnt been tested. Besides it wouldnt be very cost effective your way. Think I'll stay with the underground concrete room, cheap enough and super safe, good enough for me.

[mike90045]

Get rid of the trailer parks, an most of the tornadoes will leave too  

As for building, engineering for my place, involved digging a giant pit, +10 of each side of the house footprint, about 12' deep, and compacting to >95% on refill.  This was to provide stable ground, on flat land, for earthquake resistance.  It cost, in labor and imported materials, as much as a modest house. Unbelievable.   (photos shot on foggy day.)  Engineer was there with "Radioactive Soil Density Meter", testing every 3' as they refilled.  I should have just tossed in a couple bags of cement as they were filling it back up.  And the existing soil was holding together just fine as they were digging.

[BruceM]

Wow, that's one expensive foundation, Mike.  What's up with the native soil and geology that such measures had to be taken?  Just curious. 

[mike90045]

The soil type is "Russian Loam" like the near by Russian River.  It's well drained, at least down to 12 feet, and makes for great septic fields.  But the geo maps claim the "potential for a mag 7 earthquake" is "possible" and so engineering for a single house ( a 200 house sub-division was going in across the street, and no giant pits ever happened there) they get all nervous and proactive. Yet the soil is stable enough for 200+ year old oaks to still be standing.  Don't get me started on bureaucrats and the nanny state.

[mobile_bob]

rough night to be from kansas (last night) 

news just reported we got 63 tornado's in all of last year
last night we got a confirmed 97 touchdowns across the state.

lucky for us the first wave missed us by about 20 miles north
the second round missed us by about the same amount south
and the third round came right over us, but had no rotation, just some stiff winds and a bunch or rain
that lasted about 45 minutes.

lots of mobile homes got popped across the state,
spirit aerospace got beat up pretty good in wichita along with some neighborhoods

on the upside no one got killed

bob g

[Apogee]

Hi Bob,

Good to hear from you and that you guys are okay.

Also good that so far, everyone one else seems to be okay.

Have been worried.

Take care,

Steve

[vdubnut62]

We were very lucky here. Wednesday a tornado killed 3, 1 in Smithville, jumped over our house,(I was out on the porch!) and hit the community of Rinnie, killing 2 there.
Friday a storm hit the community of Dodsons Branch, a few miles north of Cookeville destroying and damaging  around 100 homes, but by the
Grace of God, no one lost their lives. I think I would call that a miracle.
Ron.

Geeze Ron, waddayadoin' standing out on the porch with a huge tornado overhead?  Glad you're OK.

Aw, just my normal, looking stupid.  No, I was caught by surprise while on the phone!.  My cell won't work in my house, it's wrapped in aluminum foil with a steel roof- another story for another day-I didn't do it.

[wiebe]

If I lived in tornado alley, I'd be building a monolithic dome.  There's at least one thats resisted a tornado.  From wikipedia it appears to have been only an F2, but started as a strong F3+.  Still... a direct hit with virtually no damage.  Build it stronger, and it should take the hit from a F4 or F5, as long as it didn't get sucked up into the air.

As for stupid people...  I like the story about the idiot that built his house on stilts in the floodplain, and complains that he just couldn't believe this would ever happen to him, just like last years flooding.

High priced houses on the ocean that slide down the hill, east coast houses that can't take huricane force winds, houses in flood plains that are destroyed when they get flooded...  it makes you wonder.  Except for the "my property has slid into the ocean", most of the damages could be minimized if the buildings were constructed correctly.  Insurance, and the demand that houses are boxes means theres always going to be a lot of rebuilding.

Michael

Edit:  Cool!!!  here's an F3 tornado against a monolithic dome.  And how about the "Tornado Tamer" door.

Here the like 50% is below sea level ,but the home,s are a littlebit different [brick ].
And i am not even speaking about elektrical wire,s in the home,s there in pvc pipe,s with a live wire ground wire and earth wire .
Hihi i now from a mate in NH how it is there .

Greetings Wiebe.