Oklahomans deal with tornadoes. It’s just a fact of life for us. Whether it’s a small EF-1 that barely does any damage at all, or a gigantic EF-5 that wipes clean entire neighborhoods, Oklahoman’s have seen them all. We are one of the few people who know how the people in Joplin, MO feel right now. Due to this, Oklahomans have been forced to adapt to the ever changing weather. The process for how we deal with tornado outbreaks can be broken down into three key phases.
The first stage is before the outbreak. This is where the National Weather Service and the local news meteorologists do their best to predict when and where the outbreaks will occur, and to get the word out to everyone as efficiently as possible. With this week’s May 24th tornado outbreak, the Oklahoma City local television news stations had it almost pinpointed. They told us where it would start, when it would start, when it would come through the Oklahoma City Metro, and what types of storms there would be. They knew days ahead, and the information became more accurate and precise as the day got closer. There is actually an email that an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Captain put out that told exactly what the storm would do. And it did.
The actual storms occur in the next stage. Oklahomans have been educated their whole lives about how to be safe in a tornado outbreak. The basic rules are going underground or to a saferoom if possible. If neither of these is available to you, then go to the interior of your home away from windows and doors, preferably an interior closet or bathroom. Now that you know where to take shelter, how do you know exactly when you need to? The Oklahoma local news stations are almost always on top of it. They will tell you who needs to take shelter and when. People have actually told of taking shelter in their homes during a tornado, and watching their home on a portable television as the storm rolls through.
The third phase after the storms pass through where the emergency response teams take over. Unfortunately Oklahoma has had a great deal of practice with this. From terrorist attacks to storm recovery, Oklahoma emergency response teams have become very good. They had actually persuaded Governor Mary Fallin to let state employees leave 2 hours early the day of the outbreak. They were on scene following damage paths of the tornadoes as soon as they went through, making sure everyone was safe and accounted for. For those that were missing, searches were organized and followed through with.
In Oklahoma, tornadoes are a part of our existence, and we’ve adapted. The early warnings keep getting earlier, the shelters keep getting stronger, and the emergency response teams keep getting more efficient. Compared with historical data, deaths in Oklahoma have fallen due to these improvements and adaptations. So to all of you who help warn, protect, and respond to the public, Thanks.
Looking for Edmond OK Homes for Sale? Try out our Advanced Search of Real Estate for Sale Edmond OK