Coping with Tornados

Tom,

The oceans are rising. :) There you go! And maybe the bridge over Deception Pass could fall down some day.

Despite all that, I still want to retire on Whidbey some day.

We've lived on Budd Inlet (southern most extent of Puget Sound) for 24 years and I can't say that I've noticed any difference in the water level, other than the usual variation due to the tides. And while it would have to go up around 60 feet to get our house wet, the lift station for the sewage system for the neighborhood would be long under water by then.
 
Worst "disaster" we get here in Wisconsin is tornadoes. But, they're rare enough and encompass a small enough land area when they do happen that it's incredibly rare to be affected by them.

In all my travels, I've seen three tornados in my life: One at home in WI in 1984, One in De Kalb, IL in 1993, and one in Ankeny (?), IA in 2002. Every 9 years... I guess I'm overdue by a couple and need to go outside more. ;)

Earthquakes affect a wide area, but damaging ones are quite rare. My brother moved to silicon valley 12 years ago and hasn't even felt one yet.

Hurricanes are the "big one" to me. They cause widespread evacuations and widespread damage.
 
Hurricanes are the "big one" to me. They cause widespread evacuations and widespread damage.

The good thing about hurricanes is that you have plenty of warning. You can evacuate. Tornadoes, avalanches, earthquakes, etc. give you little or no warning. The bad thing about hurricanes is they are bigger and more powerful than other disasters, so they eff up a whole lotta stuff.
 
We saw a tornado out our back window very shortly after moving to Kansas. After that, I made this warning sign because my wife was busy posting pictures to Facebook (she's from Nebraska, so they got 'naders too):

View attachment 84715

Hahaha... Reminds me of this classic:

seismic_waves.png
 
Same reason I live in New York City during the Pandemic. It is home! :)

After the 20 years that I lived there, this remains my theme song. :)

 
I once had to do an emergency takeoff. On my way back to CO from Oshkosh in 2015, I had stopped over in Storm Lake IA for fuel. I called the briefer for the remaining leg home, world's chattiest guy slips in a "We've got a thunderstorm with tornadic activity that should be at storm lake in about 30 minutes" doesn't seem to think that's too significant and keeps talking, all the meanwhile I'm very VERY rapidly collecting pax from the bathroom to get them the hell back in the airplane to get out of there. I had everyone sitting in the plane ready to go and this guy was STILL jabbering on and on. I eventually had to interrupt him that we were leaving IMMEDIATELY to avoid the previously reported tornado. So... first emergency takeoff, that was cool.
 
I once had to do an emergency takeoff. We've got a thunderstorm with tornadic activity that should be at storm lake in about 30 minutes"

I was on a sailing trip to PNS, and did an expedited departure for the same reason. Impending line of TS rolling in from the SW, was departing to the NE. Time to go, NOW!
 
E25BB049-BE57-4D06-8713-34203A0FF584.jpeg 019A5333-4601-4145-8227-19A91298F1E1.jpeg E223AEFC-9F05-45D5-94C7-C150C32FCF1B.jpeg Damage from tornadoes in Chattanooga area.
 
I once had to do an emergency takeoff. On my way back to CO from Oshkosh in 2015, I had stopped over in Storm Lake IA for fuel. I called the briefer for the remaining leg home, world's chattiest guy slips in a "We've got a thunderstorm with tornadic activity that should be at storm lake in about 30 minutes" doesn't seem to think that's too significant and keeps talking, all the meanwhile I'm very VERY rapidly collecting pax from the bathroom to get them the hell back in the airplane to get out of there. I had everyone sitting in the plane ready to go and this guy was STILL jabbering on and on. I eventually had to interrupt him that we were leaving IMMEDIATELY to avoid the previously reported tornado. So... first emergency takeoff, that was cool.

you do realize that you landed at Storm Lake...right?
 
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