Topic: Ultimate Tornado on National Geographic

[Downlinerz2]

 FYI: There is a program on National Geographic called "Ultimate Tornado".  
Lot's of good video!!

[port1]

Was it being broadcast when you posted?
Did I miss it? 

I'll check the listings for a repeat showing.

So?  Was it cool?  Did you watch it?
 

Henry

[Downlinerz2]

Was it being broadcast when you posted?
Did I miss it? 
I'll check the listings for a repeat showing.
So?  Was it cool?  Did you watch it?
 
Henry

   Yes, I missed the first 10 minutes.  I posted during a commercial when I first turned it on.  It was very good.  They showed some big recent tornados like Jarrel,Tx, an F5. And another F5 which I believe was in Moore, OK.  One video showed a 2 ton pickup truck flying out of the tornado.  One meterorologist thinks that things in a tornado like the truck are repeatedly picked up and thrown back to the ground over and over again by the up and down drafts.  That is why some vehicles look like balls of tin foil after the tornado.  They also discussed how a tornado can pick up tons and tons of dirt.  The dirt  makes the winds like a sandblaster.  One woman was in her house with her young son, in Jarrell I think.  When the tornado hit her house and it blew apart she found that she could not breath because there was so much dirt in the air.  She and her sons' lives were spared when the tornado picked them up into clear air and threw them out of the area of the house.  She said she would have suffocated if the tornado had not picked her up.  In the same tornado many people were killed when taking shelter under an underpass. 
    Everything was leading up to what would happen if an F5 tornado hit a large city like Houston.  Using CGI they showed what would happen if that happened, and, some day an F5 will hit a big city.  Well worth watching.  Sorry I didn't know about it earlier to give you all a heads up.  I too will be looking for reruns.
   FYI: While looking up where Jarrell is, I found that there are a lot of tornado videos on Youtube.

[WeatherHost]

   Yes, I missed the first 10 minutes.  I posted during a commercial when I first turned it on. 



    Everything was leading up to what would happen if an F5 tornado hit a large city like Houston.  Using CGI they showed what would happen if that happened, and, some day an F5 will hit a big city. 

It's been on repeatedly.  Probably at least a dozen times.

The CGI is extremely hokey and amatuerish.  It's a near perfect argument against CGI as a whole.

[port1]

   Oh, yes!  I did see that episode...when the people attempting to take refuge under the underpass were literally sucked out!
That's the one, right? 

CGI being amateurish and all...still leaves one with a pause to think about the power of that wind...brutal. 

Henry

[Downlinerz2]

   Actually the CGI only occupied the last 5-10 minutes of the program. The remainder of the program consisted of actual footage of two F5 tornadoes being used as examples.  I thought this was one of the best programs on tornadoes I have seen in a while.  There was no sensationalism.  No body with a 2x4 in their head.  No TIV's.  It clearly demonstrated the damage caused by F5's and showed how that damage is done by the tornado.  It then in the last 5-10 minutes or so showed what might occurr if such a tornado hit a big city, in this case Houston.  It thought it was very well done.  JMO  I have also seen this show once or twice before and I still enjoy seeing the awesome films of these tornadoes!!  This program did not show anything about people under an underpass.  They just mentioned that some were killed by doing so.

[GvlSkywarnNCS]

I've seen this one and it was good. Like so many other things in life I disagree with avoiding all underpasses for shelter. Those where the bridge is made of concrete "tees" or "double tees", and those where the steel beams are close together allow you to get tucked away into a small space where you can brace yourself against an opposing beam and as such make for a pretty good shelter when no better is availlable. Otherwise they are not safe. I lived in a mobile home for 9 years and a double-tee bridge was my only shelter option.

In discussing this with NWS staff they had no better answers. It was either get blown away in my trailer, have a flying trailer dropped on me as I laid down outside, have my car sucked up as I tried to run away, or dive under the bridge. If I had time to react that is. It seems to me that if you were in your car and couldn't escape by driving away, your odds are probably better under a good bridge unless you were in an area where the debris would be small out in the open- just my own thoughts here.

Anyway this show is good overall when you keep in mind that journalists aren't experts in the fields they report on. Catch it if you can!

Phil KG4FQG

[SlowModem]

I lived in a mobile home for 9 years and a double-tee bridge was my only shelter option.

In discussing this with NWS staff they had no better answers. It was either get blown away in my trailer, have a flying trailer dropped on me as I laid down outside, have my car sucked up as I tried to run away, or dive under the bridge.

My wife and I live in a double-wide and have pondered this on many occasions.  We are planning on/saving up for an underground storm shelter.  She also wants to use it for a root cellar.  Now if I could just hit that Powerball.......

Of course, the safest place to be in a tornado is in a mobile home factory.  A tornado is not going to bite the hand that feeds it!   

Greg

[chief-david]

I recorded it and put it on DVD for school.
They made three ULTIMATE-  tornado, earthquake and tsunami.

The graphics on the quake and tsunami make more sense.   They are much better than other videos I have had for school.

[WeatherHost]

We are planning on/saving up for an underground storm shelter.  She also wants to use it for a root cellar.  Now if I could just hit that Powerball.......

They're really not that expensive.  I've seen them for $1,000 or so plus installation.  Weird though that they're made by the same companies that make septic tanks.

[GvlSkywarnNCS]

"Of course, the safest place to be in a tornado is in a mobile home factory.  A tornado is not going to bite the hand that feeds it! 

Greg

Thanks for the laugh! I'd never considered that, you might be onto something there!  I'm wondering if a house trailer factory has ever been hit by a tornado....

There are no really great answers to Tornado shelters unless you live, work, and sleep in a deep bunker. Most people are going to wait till the very last moment to "dive for safety". In that case comfort matters little and whatever you can scrounge and bury that holds the expected number of people will be better than nothing. If you're going to be staying there awhile comfort (size mainly) grows exponentially with the amount of time you're in there. I'm out of my trailer and renting a small concrete block 1 story house that used to be an accountant's office. He had the foresight to build a "records closet" in one corner; all concrete block with a metal door frame set and tied into the block. The door is cheesy but I'll soon have a better one. I think I'll survive an EF2 (even if the walls partially collapse), anything bigger is very rare in these parts. Not much room in there but 2 people can sit on the buckets my survival goods are stored in, work my VHF handheld radio on an indoor antenna in the next room by flashlight, and listen to NOAA or whatever else I need to as I wait for the worst to happen. My main worry is that the door swings outwards so I may have to unpack the hatchet to cut my way out.

Back when I was still in my self-braced and well-tied-down trailer I finally decided that if I positively had enough time I'd run to the bridge and take my chances there. If I didn't know for sure then I'd stay put near the door and dive outside towards my fence when I thought it was appropriate. My worst there was a recorded 70+ MPH gust(pegged the homemade wind gauge I calibrated by car- another story in itself). The roof metal began flapping around but stayed put in the end. The gust ended just when my hand hit the doorknob...spooky indeed!. That was a severe cell's downdraft, not a Tornado, and I simply got lucky. Hope I don't need that kind of luck ever again!

Phil