Horrible, tragic event. This may be a stupid question, but why is it that area of the country that only has these massive twisters? I don't understand.

I'm not certain, but the air drawn from the north is much cooler an dryer, and the air from the south is much warmer and moist than anywhere else the 3 meet. Two extremes create the big boys

It's amazing with all that wide open nothingness in that area these twisters seem to always find a populated area!

This is the reason. My GF Laura Buchtel explained it explained it this AM on 870 AM.

What I find hard to believe is that storm shelters aren't mandatory in that part of Ok. In fact from what I was told by a individual who moved from Lafayette to Ok city he told me he looked at over 100 homes and only 2 had shelters.

They call it "Tornado Alley".

It's the people's responsibility to take the proper precautions, make it mandatory and guess who will pay for all of the ones that won't sacrifice a little (or haven't already) to do so, and the ones that can't due to a legitimate situation.

Move somewhere else is the way it is and the way it should be, that's the beauty of having open borders amongst the states of this great country we call home. Don't like gay marriage? Move. Scared of earthquakes and can't make proper preparations? Move. Live in a bowl and can't evacuate before the fully washer comes through? Move.

Mandatory for homes? I don't support it. Facilitating safe evacuation and adequate alerts for approaching cells at schools and such, I absolutely support it.

Just saw photos of the bowling alley. A big pile of twisted up steel girders and beams. Metal buildings didn't fare too well, but on the other hand neither did 'stick frame' construction. If I lived in that part of the country, I think I would buy about 5 of those steel shipping containers and drag about 10' of dirt over the top

Gooch I am against most government intrusion into our lives but if this can save lives why not make at the very least public shelters available? I was up there last year right before the major tornado out break and the big news at the time was all about the politicians fighting against public storm shelters. I was also told the reason they don't have more shelters is because of taxes. Oh and by the way I am 100% with you that we should take care of ourselves. I try to look at the weather before I travel to that part of the country as I don't want to get caught in a tornado. I have been threw Moore three times in the last year and I am heartbroken for those good people.

The Sooner State has got to have the worst weather in the world....although my wife won't agree. She maintains at least they don't have hurricanes. :eek: It's 100+ degrees and bone dry there in the summer, "black ice" in the winter and tornadoes in the spring/early summer. I'll take the 'canes.

Like...

"But, it's a different kind of heat..." is what I hear all the time from the locals. Yeah, it's unreal up there!!:cry:

When somebody says "but, it's a different kind of heat"...I doubt they're referring to Oklahoma. Arizona? Maybe. Oklahoma's humidity in the summer is just as thick as ours with a temp much higher. And then, I spent Christmas Day up there several years ago...12 noon...not a cloud in the sky and the temp hadn't even reached "zero". :eek:

You may be right about the worst weather. Why do people live there?

I have a question? Please don't take it the wrong way.
While the area had a tornado Sat / sun and the forecasters told the area in Oklahoma that on that day there WAS going to be severe weather w/ a Good chance of very large hail and tornadoes. WHY were schools open??? The schools Don't have storm shelters???

Not much thug life

Good Question, nothing was safe around there though.


Probably not a better reason than that.

I heard on the Radio this AM that many of the houses in that area don't have basement/storm shelters because the soil is very shallow and it's basically built on bedrock. In order to make ones own storm shelter you would have to blast through the bed rock and it very expensive.

Typically, schools are the safest places to be as far as sturdy construction. Some schools there have storm shelters. My elementary school had one that was also our cafeteria.

If they cancelled school every time a storm system was forecast they'd never finish the spring semester.

Besides that, most all structures don't have a cellar or shelter.

Corey is correct, Bob...many schools have storm shelters but not all. IMO, it should be part of the Oklahoma state building code that all schools, hospitals, nursing homes and such in the "Alley" must have some type of shelter that is tornado-proof. No matter the construction of the building itself....it cannot withstand 300 mph twistin' winds. Every home in my in-laws neighborhood had 'em. I don't think homes should be mandatory, tho.

As far as schools being open....apparently, they are not like the schools here in Washington Parish. They'll shut down here for 3 days at the mere mention of a snow flake. I remember my wife saying that, when she was in high school, they had like 15 "weather" days set aside per year. But, school was usually out during tornado season. Plenty crappy weather to go around up there, tho.