You OK, Legion?

[herr_oberst]

Nasty business in your state, are you and yours safe?

[legion]

I'm fine.

The closest tornado was about 10 miles north of us. I had no idea the extent of the damage until I went to a local restaurant to pick up carry-out and there was a line out the door. (Which is very unusual for a Sunday.) I heard stories about the damage: 15,000 people without power in town. Power lines and roads closed all over.

Washington (near Peoria) got hit very hard. At least one fatality. A whole subdivision leveled. Lots of people in serious condition in the hospital. I lived in Washington the first 3 years of my life.

I feel kind of bad that I was complaining about the local NBC station superseding the F1 race, but they also weren't telling us what was going on either.

[herr_oberst]

Well, to me ten miles seems pretty close. Glad you're OK....

[legion]

Went out to Washington, IL to help with cleanup today.

[legion]

[pavulon]

Each time I see stuff like this I wonder about concrete or earthen homes w/ tempered glass and/or some sort of sturdy shutter system linked to a weather warning system.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Unfortunately construction methods are driven by price point.

[syncroid]

WOW! Lots of damage. I went through a tornado ONCE. I was just a kid and living in Topeka Kansas at the time. (1969, The day the sky fell) Very nice of you to help with the chore of cleaning up. Glad you are well.

[Gogar]

Seeing those foundations and sidewalks and basement stairs really brings home how crazy that really is.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Each time I see stuff like this I wonder about concrete or earthen homes w/ tempered glass and/or some sort of sturdy shutter system linked to a weather warning system.

or living under ground...

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Each time I see stuff like this I wonder about concrete or earthen homes w/ tempered glass and/or some sort of sturdy shutter system linked to a weather warning system.

I agree. There must be a better way to build in those parts of the country. How about reinforced concrete grid shells with reinforced cinder block fill-ins plus reinforced concrete ceilings. These are standard building methods in most parts of the civilized world. Why are we still stuck with this flimsy stick and plaster board tradition?

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Unfortunately construction methods are driven by price point.

Construction methods are also driven by established building industries and their "tried and proven" practices together with accommodating local building codes. Different building standards, successfully practiced in other countries, are consistently ignored and suppressed.

[Gogar]

What percentage of the 120 million plus homes in the USA has been struck by a tornado this year?

One hundredth of a percent? One thousandth of a percent?
Shall we build every home in the USA out of concrete to ensure that the few hundred homes leveled by a tornado each year "might" survive?

No, we shant.

If I want to, I will. If you want to, do it. Legislate or mandate it? no.

Yes, it's a tragedy.

[Bill Douglas]

OMG it looks like a war zone. I'm pleased you are OK and feel sorry for all those effected.

[lawereyanlu]

Well, to me ten miles seems pretty close.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Unfortunately construction methods are driven by price point.

Originally Posted by Gogar

What percentage of the 120 million plus homes in the USA has been struck by a tornado this year?

One hundredth of a percent? One thousandth of a percent?
Shall we build every home in the USA out of concrete to ensure that the few hundred homes leveled by a tornado each year "might" survive?

No, we shant.

If I want to, I will. If you want to, do it. Legislate or mandate it? no.

Yes, it's a tragedy.

Yes and yes. In addition, fatalities during tornados are pretty rare and are most often someone caught out in the storm. I can't personally recall hearing of someone that died while sheltered in their basement. So your percentage declines further.

Stick building is popular because it is cheap. You can easily add a concrete safe room in the basement, but it costs money. My in-laws built their home out of 12" thick foam block that goes together like Legos and is then filled with concrete and rebar. Hyper efficient and tested to survive an EF4 tornado, but EXPENSIVE. You get what you pay for, and in our Walmart society people buy based on low price.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by Gogar

What percentage of the 120 million plus homes in the USA has been struck by a tornado this year?

One hundredth of a percent? One thousandth of a percent?
Shall we build every home in the USA out of concrete to ensure that the few hundred homes leveled by a tornado each year "might" survive?

No, we shant.

If I want to, I will. If you want to, do it. Legislate or mandate it? no.

Yes, it's a tragedy.

Of course you are correct from a statistical standpoint...unless it happens to you. Then the odds are 100%.

Historically, homes took much more effort to build. People were willing to consider a home their biggest (often only) investment and builders considered their works as an end unto themselves. Neither of those principles hold very true anymore. People buy whatever is biggest and cheapest and builders are happy to provide the minimum product engineered to the lowest possible standards. I hope that trend has peaked. I often wonder what will become of the thousands and thousands of houses built to biggest for least principles.

I was nervous when I lived in Nebraska...less so now. If I were to go back, I'd be living in a differently engineered and constructed house...and then be killed by a tornado because it struck when I was shopping for groceries...at a Wal-Mart.

[GH85Carrera]

Most of the worst damage is at the mobile home parks. Are we going to outlaw mobile homes? Just make the folks that can't afford a stick house homeless? Tornadoes seem to be attracted to mobile homes because it does not take much to blow it over. There is no way to make a mobile home safe.