Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a

thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes can destroy buildings, flip cars, and
create deadly flying debris.

A tornado can:

 Happen anytime and anywhere.

 Bring intense winds, over 200 miles per hour.
 Look like funnels

Assessment of events

Date/Time- The time of tornado touchdown in Central Standard

Time (CST; UTC-6:00).

Injuries/Fatalities- Casualties attributed to the tornado.

Path Length- Total path length in statute miles of the tornado.

Distance- The minimum distance (in km) from the center-point of

the search area to either the touchdown or ending point of the
tornado.

Touchdown Location- Location (county/parish, state, and lat/lon) of

initial tornado touchdown

Type of Damage
Preparedness:

Severe thunderstorms can produce a tornado, a violently rotating

column of air that extends from the thunderstorm to the ground. A
tornado is a combination of water droplets, dust and debris that
forms into a condensation funnel. But even if there is no debris, a
tornado could still be present as it is not always visible to the
naked eye. According to the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), tornadoes can also happen at any time of day,
but most tornadoes occur between 3PM and 9PM.

Hazard Identification:

Tornadoes can occur anytime of the year in any place. Peak

“tornado season” varies on location. Most tornadoes are found
in the Great Plains of the central United States – an ideal
environment for the formation of severe thunderstorms. In this
area, known as Tornado Alley, storms are caused when dry cold
air moving south from Canada meets warm moist air traveling
north from the Gulf of Mexico.

Where do tornadoes occur?

Whenever and wherever conditions are right, tornadoes are

possible. "Tornado Alley," or the states at the highest risk of
getting a tornado, include Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana,
Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, and Texas. In the U.S. they are most common in the
central plains of North America, east of the Rocky Mountains and
west of the Appalachian Mountains. They occur mostly during the
spring and summer; the tornado season comes early in the south
and later in the north because spring comes later in the year as
one moves northward. They usually occur during the late afternoon
and early evening. However, they have been known to occur in
every state in the United States, on any day of the year, and at any
hour. They also occur in many other parts of the world, including
Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South Americ.
Vulnerability Analysis:
Impact and Vulnerability

Tornado vulnerability is based on various factors, including

building construction standards, availability of shelters or safe
rooms, advanced warning capabilities, etc. Many variables need to
be considered to establish an intensity-damage relationship.
Tornadoes with winds greater than 75 mph can cause significant
structural damage to most buildings, but tornadoes with lower wind
speeds can also cause damage, for example, by causing a tree to
fall into a house. Damage that is likely to occur would be damage
to trees, shrubbery, signs, antennas, with some damage to roofs
and unanchored trailers. Higher wind events can pose a serious
threat to people and infrastructure. The urban environment
provides numerous objects that can become flying debris and
severely injure people and damage structures.

Numerous wind damage investigations have revealed that the

building elements most commonly damaged by tornadoes or other
high winds are:

 Roof structure blow-off or collapse. This type of failure typically

occurs in buildings constructed before approximately 1990 or in
buildings struck by a tornado.
 Collapse of fire station apparatus bay doors in fire stations
constructed before approximately 2000.
 Glazing breakage from wind-borne debris generated by
hurricanes or tornadoes.
 Roof coverings. Roof coverings are the most commonly
damaged building element.
 Rooftop equipment. Equipment that is blown off frequently
leaves openings in the roof and often punctures the roof
covering
 Hospitals are extremely vulnerable to the destructive forces of
a tornado because many patients are dependent on medical
equipment run by electricity. Hospitals are sometimes the only
medical facility in some of the rural regions in United States,
and if their structure and power are damaged by the
indiscriminative path of a tornado, little help could be provided
to the heavily injured or those already on hospital medical
assistance.
RISK ASSESSMENT

Tornadoes can strike with little to no warning. Some communities

may be equipped with an emergency outdoor warning siren
system that alerts its residents of incoming tornadoes, flash floods,
thunderstorms or hurricanes with winds of 70 MPH or higher.
Tornado emergency alerts are issued by divisions of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Local news stations and weather channels may offer warning

alerts of an approaching tornado, as well as your community may
have a warning system. Below are the six tornado warning signs:

1. The color of the sky may change to a dark greenish color.

2. A strange quiet occurring within or shortly after a thunderstorm.
3. A loud roar that sounds similar to a freight train.
4. An approaching cloud of debris, especially at ground level.
5. Debris falling from the sky.
6. A rotating funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a
thunderstorm.

A tornado watch defines an area where tornadoes and other

kinds of severe weather are possible in the next several hours. It
means that you need to be alert, and be prepared to go to safe
shelter if tornadoes happen or a warning is issued. If you have a
NOAA Weather Radio and have it set up correctly it will alert you
to the watch. Tune in to local TV, radio or internet for more
information. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been
spotted, or that Doppler radar shows a thunderstorm circulation
which can spawn a tornado. When a tornado warning is issued for
your area, seek safe shelter immediately. The Storm Prediction
Center issues tornado and severe thunderstorm watches. Your
local National Weather Service office issues tornado warnings, as
well as thunderstorm warnings, which include the possibility of
tornadoes.

Warning Systems
Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms can develop quickly, so
an important component of a severe weather plan is a reliable
warning system. Warnings are disseminated through outdoor
warning sirens, local television and radio stations, cable television
systems, cell phone apps, and NOAA weather radio. Find out how
all these systems work and which are available to you.
 Public Warning Sirens are used in many towns to warn people
of tornadoes. However, rural areas and smaller towns do not have
them. If your community does have sirens, find out how they are
used and if you can hear them. Remember, even if a siren is
nearby, they are intended as an outdoor warning system. You
may not be able to hear it inside your house. When you hear
sirens, do not call 911 to ask what is happening; instead, listen to
NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV for the warning
information.
Most local radio and television stations broadcast storm
warnings. Cable television systems will also have warning
information, sometimes on a designated channel. However,
satellite television stations do not provide local warnings unless
you are watching a local station.
Many smartphone apps are available to provide warning
notification. One particular service is the free Wireless
Emergency Alerts provided through the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. The warnings are broadcast from cell
towers in the vicinity of the tornado and flash flood, so you will
receive them if you are near the hazard.
A NOAA Weather Radio receiver will sound an alarm to alert
you when a storm warning is issued. It may be the only way you
will learn of an impending storm; especially if you’re asleep,
outdoors, or the electricity is off. The receivers needed to receive
the alarm are available at electronics stores. Most models can
operate on batteries; some are programmable to alert only for a
single county or a portion of a county. People who cannot receive
a strong signal inside their building may need to use an external
antenna.

 Absences of appropriate forecasting and early warning system

 Peoples’s lack of awareness about what to do during tornado.
 Completely unaware of the life and property saving measures
necessary to take during tornado, especially women and
children
 Livestock and poultry are heavily at risks 
 Poor and unplanned construction of houses and other
infrastructures 
 Utility services are also vulnerable.

Tornado Recovery
Once your search and rescue missions conclude, the return to
normalcy is far from over. Here are the steps that should be taken
over time to repair damages and prevent further destruction if
another tornado occurs:

 Rebuild accordingly: if a tornado could destroy buildings in your

community once, it can do it again. Rebuild old infrastructure to
be more resistant to the dangerous winds and encourage
constituents to do the same.

 Implement your Federal funds: since you took the time to

analyze where your priorities lie, as soon as your FEMA money
is available you should get going on taking action immediately.
Have vetted contractors that can perform the necessary work
ready to go and be sure to hold them accountable to pre-
established benchmarks in order to ensure a prompt, efficient,
predictable recovery.

 Keep communication lines open: as a government leader, you’ll

need to be in touch with everyone involved. Keep State and
Federal government agencies aware of your actions and where
you need support. Work with local and national non-profit
organizations who can provide critical support and hard earned
expertise. Instruct volunteers on how they can best help, by
giving them meaningful tasks so that they contribute over the
long-term. Let constituents know how progress is coming and
when they can expect things to rebound. Lastly, be sure to help
survivors and impacted constituents through the recovery
process by providing critical information on how to navigate the
FEMA assistance process, and how to avoid contractor fraud.

 Seek expertise in recovery process: Publicly-funded (FEMA,

HUD) disaster recovery and mitigation programs play a critical
role in serving a community’s most vulnerable, disaster-
impacted residents and yet these programs routinely fail to
deliver timely, predictable assistance to those who need it
most. Certain, irreversible social and economic damage occurs
when disaster recovery is delayed and unpredictable. National
non-profit, SBP helps community leaders design, plan,
implement, and execute effective and efficient mitigation and
recovery programs that reduce risk and help shrink the time
between disaster and recovery. The organization offers
government advisory services at NO cost to local governments.
SPECIAL POPULATIONS
Tornadoes can have an immense impact all across the country,
but areas with high population have a greater risk for property
damage and human impact. A tornado that tears through a
populated region can lead to many deaths and injuries.

Being elderly is a statistical determinant of tornado vulnerability. If

there is causality it might 400 be related to older people being less
mobile and more likely to have health issues limiting their ability to
seek adequate 402 shelter and to perform labor intensive
measures related to prevention. Moreover, elderly living on fixed
incomes may lack the financial resources needed to upgrade their
homes to better withstand 404 tornado winds.

Individuals with disabilities will face a variety of challenges in

evacuating, depending on the nature of the emergency. People
with a mobility disability may need assistance leaving a building
without a working elevator. Individuals who are blind or who have
limited vision may no longer be able to independently use
traditional orientation and navigation methods. An individual who is
deaf may be trapped somewhere unable to communicate with
anyone because the only communication device relies on voice.
Procedures should be in place to ensure that people with
disabilities can evacuate the physical area in a variety of
conditions and with or without assistance.

Poverty
Areas with high levels of poverty can make them more vulnerable
to significant tornado impacts. People in poverty may have less
safe housing arrangements, limited access to healthcare, and less
access to up rapid news updates. These factors and more lead to
a more vulnerable population.

Specific socioeconomic groups are extremely vulnerable to the

aftereffects of tornado disasters. Among them are elderly, children,
immigrants, those with preexisting health conditions, mentally ill,
poor, or uneducated individuals. These groups are less likely to act
adequately to an approaching disaster because of their limited
access to receive and interpret forecasts or warnings. Poor groups
are more likely to be affected by tornadoes disproportionately
because of their economic disadvantage to purchase supplies, to
secure better home structure, or to build a shelter. Mobile homes,
often afforded by low-income groups, have light structures and
frequently cannot withstand the wind forces associated with a
tornado. It has been estimated that there is 10–15 times greater
chance of fatalities due to tornadoes in mobile homes than there is
in a permanent structure. Furthermore, the poor and less educated
are less likely to have a reliable access to a warning system and
thus less likely to comply in a timely manner.

The disadvantage in an event of a tornado is often associated with

a limited advance warning system. The elderly are greatly
endangered because of that, since their impaired cognitive abilities
and decreased sensory awareness to interpret warning systems
limits their adequate response (Daley et al. 2005). They have been
found to be the second most at-risk population after mobile home
residents because of their compromised mobility and slower
evacuation effort (Ablah et al. 2007). People with preexisting
medical conditions, inside or outside medical facilities, are also
extremely vulnerable to tornadoes, because their need for
assistance could severely impact their effort for survival. Mental
disorders too are likely to peak after tornados because of agitation,
anxiety, and stress that affect survivors.

RECOVERY ADDITION

Your local government needs to implement its emergency

preparedness plan for tornados immediately. Here are the steps
that need to be taken right away:

Put your search and rescue team to work: the tornado response

team should be well trained for this moment. Community members
and their pets can be caught in the rubble and may need
immediate medical attention. Move quickly. 

Analyze the situation: now that the winds have died down, your
government officials will need to assess the damage and consider
where you’d like to apply for FEMA and HUD CDBG-DR funds in
the recovery process. This information should be passed along to
the federal government as quickly as possible to expedite the
sending of stimulus funds. 
The Fujita (F) Scale was originally developed by Dr. Tetsuya Theodore Fujita
to estimate tornado wind speeds based on damage left behind by a tornado.
An Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale, developed by a forum of nationally renowned
meteorologists and wind engineers, makes improvements to the original F
scale. This EF Scale has replaced the original F scale, which has been used
to assign tornado ratings since 1971.
The original F scale had limitations, such as a lack of damage indicators, no
account for construction quality and variability, and no definitive correlation
between damage and wind speed. These limitations may have led to some
tornadoes being rated in an inconsistent manner and, in some cases, an
overestimate of tornado wind speeds.
The EF Scale takes into account more variables than the original F Scale did
when assigning a wind speed rating to a tornado. The EF Scale incorporates
28 damage indicators (DIs) such as building type, structures, and trees. For
each damage indicator, there are 8 degrees of damage (DOD) ranging from
the beginning of visible damage to complete destruction of the damage
indicator. The original F Scale did not take these details into account.
For example, with the EF Scale, an EF3 tornado will have estimated wind
speeds between 136 and 165 mph (218 and 266 kph), whereas with the
original F Scale, an F3 tornado has winds estimated between 162-209 mph
(254-332 kph). The wind speeds necessary to cause "F3" damage are not as
high as once thought and this may have led to an overestimation of some
tornado wind speeds.  

How is the strength of a tornado determined?

The rating scale for tornadoes is based entirely on the damage they
cause. From the damage, we can estimate the wind speeds. An
“Enhanced Fujita Scale” was implemented by the National Weather
Service in 2007 to rate tornadoes in a more consistent and accurate
manner. The EF-Scale takes into account more variables than the
original Fujita Scale (F-Scale) when assigning a wind speed rating to a
tornado, incorporating 28 damage indicators such as building type,
structures and trees. For each damage indicator, there are 8 degrees
of damage ranging from the beginning of visible damage to complete
destruction of the damage indicator. The original F-scale did not take
these details into account. The original F-Scale historical data base will
not change. An F5 tornado rated years ago is still an F5, but the wind
speed associated with the tornado may have been somewhat less than
previously estimated.