Good job, Moore, OK, but why not build storm shelters for all school children.

Sometimes, surviving a day depends on the hard work of others. In Moore, OK and in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, emergency workers are prepared for natural disasters like tornadoes. They are able to respond quickly and save many lives by getting the most appropriate care for those who injured. But could some cities and townships be more prepared?

When tragedy strikes, people are naturally confused and unprepared. Many people have refused to leave their homes despite ample warnings or they have nothing packed and ready to go, have no spare equipment, such as bicycle helmets or protective gear, or cannot locate necessary items to grab at a moment's notice. We all listen to warnings via radio and television but still, we linger, procrastinate, take chances, and fall victim to situations we might have avoided. It's human nature to doubt, but when there's a history of natural disasters, what kind of logic allows for doubt, procrastination or risk-taking? And how is it that the Moore, Oklahoma community allowed two older schools to remain in use without building storm shelters nearby?

Those familiar with Moore, OK know that this town is constantly hit by tornadoes, most of them not as powerful and therefore, not as publicized as F4 or F5 tornadoes might be, but the fact remains, Moore, OK is known for tornadoes. While the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska comprise what is popularly known as "Tornado Alley," Moore, OK is considered to be Oklahoma's individual "tornado alley." Yet, despite its history, this suburb of Oklahoma City suffered many fatalities when hit by the most recent tornado. Things could have been much worse, but could they have been much better?

According to research by Impact Forecasting, "The costliest tornado in history occurred on May 3rd, 1999, when an F5 tornado devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore." Damages totaled more than $1 billion. The following excerpt was retrieved from http://www.wildwildweather.com.

United States

Tornado History

Impact Forecasting

®

is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aon Corporation

1

The United States has the highest occurrence of tornadoes of any nation

in the world. During an average year, over 1,000 tornadoes occur across

the continental United States. Nearly a third of these tornadoes occur in

the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kans

as, and Nebraska, an area known as

“Tornado Alley”. This is the area where conditions combine during the

springtime and early summer for the formation of supercell

thunderstorms and tornadoes. Over 55% of a year’s tornadoes occur

between the months of Ap

ril and June, when cool dry air from Canada

clashes with warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. These

ingredients, when combined with a storm system, generate strong to

severe thunderstorms and, in some cases, tornadoes.

This paper details historical st

atistics on tornadoes in the United States,

gives details and damage amounts when available on past major

tornadoes, and provides some tornado safety tips.