We've had some tornados in Wisconsin but nothing near me in the Milwaukee area. La Nina has the bulk of the seriuosly shitty weather down south at least three or four hundred miles south from my area much of this year.

John in Wauwatosa

Personally, I am all for earth sheltered homes or underground homes. Unfortumately shallow ground water in many places where jobs are available make it less than optimal to build them. They are, though, more energy efficient and do protect against things like tornados. And they do take up more land, something that our local realtor just can't see allowing. Zero property lines are the ticket to riches for them. If you do build one, twice the property size and good sump pumps have to be installed, and have back up power for power losses to keep them from flooding.

CaroL

Your points are taken and in the main accepted. I've actually been through a tornado, (Water Spout) in the Mallaca Straits Between Malay and Indonesia. It occurred at night and we didn't see it coming in all the rain cluttter. (<em>Even the 3 cm Radar failed to pick it up because of all the heavy rain clutter and it was very dark.) Fortunately the winds were probably only about 200 mph and we were a tanker. These ships are pretty tough buggers and can certainly withstand a lot of battering.

Fortunately, we were in Ballast going from Japan back to the Gulf and our tank lids were open so there were no (Well much reduced,) vacuum effects in the tanks. Had we not had the tank lids open for tank cleaning, (It goes on 24 hours)some of the decks might have been split or ruptured by sudden pressure changes. Or the tank lids might have 'blown.

Ships are designed to withstand about a gradual,dynamic impact of about 3 Cums (3.03 tonnes)of water per square metre but an almost instantaneous prsssure change of just 5 lbs per square inch is more than that, and it's working outwards instead of inward thus acting against the design strength of the ship's steel. (It's the dynamical forces that are a bastard.)

We were extremely lucky and we had to put into Sri Lanka, Colombo for minor repairs to the upper superstructure. The worst damage was to some wooden 'weather doors' high up on the superstructure where one would not expect heavy seas to hit. All the heavy, dogged watertight doors on the lower decks withstood the pressure differential and only a couple of windows were cracked high up on 'top-side'. Fortunately, in the days before air conditioning, lots of cabin doors and windows were open despite the rain, it being the hot tropical waters of Mallaca. Lot's of the pressure differnetial was unwittingly relieved throughout the accomodation by this simple situation.

The strange thing is that instead of the deafening roar reported by earthbound observers, waterborn tornadoes tend to shriek and whine more. I suppose it''s the lack of the all destructive debris that earthbound twisters 'suck up. The surface being just water.

Being mariners and more alert to the dangers of tornadoes, (The main one for ships being rapid pressure changes, (differentials,) affecting the watertight and mostly airtight steel construction.) we understand the dynamics of Tornadoes if not the exact mathematical principles of the cloud physics. (Very complex maths.)

Mariners, like most other sensible people, invariably steer to avoid them (IF THEY SEE THEM COMING!)

I see your arguments against concrete, yes it is expensive and ugly but for safety of life it's infinitely more effective.

I suppose American's get used to living with the risks.

Cheers and hugs.

XZXX.

Bev.

Growing old disgracefully.