Tornados

[SillyGrl]

I taught at a school in the middle of where the Haysville KS/South Wichita tornado went through. Driving through neighborhood and looking at lots of land cleaned bare by the tornado where yesterday a house stood, is breathtaking. We thought "Wow, they sure cleaned this area quickly!". Nope, there was just nothing left. No grass, no trash, no house,...everything just gone. We had students that struggled years later with the trauma.

I lived in a "newer" house that had been built after the tornado in Haysville. They have that historic park all rebuilt, and you really can't even tell unless you see the pictures that all of that was just gone. There is a tree in that park with a sign that points up. You can see a metal frame twisted around the trunk of the tree. They left it there as a reminder.

[jenn]

I lived in a "newer" house that had been built after the tornado in Haysville. They have that historic park all rebuilt, and you really can't even tell unless you see the pictures that all of that was just gone. There is a tree in that park with a sign that points up. You can see a metal frame twisted around the trunk of the tree. They left it there as a reminder.

I'm so glad they rebuilt. I don't work there anymore and live in another area of town, so I haven't seen it in many years.

[SilverSabre25]

However, I think living in tornado alley kind of deadens us to it at the same time. We know the risk. We know the possibilities. However, when the warnings are issued, we don't get too concerned until it's headed right at us. When the sirens go off, we don't always jump and take cover. We wait it out. We watch. I think we get used to hearing the tornado warnings and just assume they will pass us. I think I will check our emergency stuff in the basement today.

I'm not in tornado alley, but with the better technology and things like live doppler radar, cell phones, smart phones, etc, we don't RUSH for cover either. I hear sirens, I check the sky first (), I flip to the best live radar station second, and unless it is near or headed for my part of town we just sit tight. I'm on the north east side of the city and in the north east corner of the county and the sirens are county wide. MOST often the "bad" part of the storm cell is on the south or south west edge of the city/county, many miles away. So, no reason to shelter.

It's all about responding with intelligence. If a siren sounds and our power is out? I check the sky but take shelter because I don't have the radar to know for sure where it is.

[Jack Sprat]

Before I opened the daycare we were watch and see people when it came to warnings etc. Now, the 2nd that siren goes off we are hauling our bottoms down those stairs. My fear is parents wanting to come pick up while we are waiting in the basement. I don't like the idea of them leaving during a storm. I don't have a problem with them waiting it out with us. But, its a small basement we use for storage so it could get crowded.

[SilverSabre25]

Before I opened the daycare we were watch and see people when it came to warnings etc. Now, the 2nd that siren goes off we are hauling our bottoms down those stairs. My fear is parents wanting to come pick up while we are waiting in the basement. I don't like the idea of them leaving during a storm. I don't have a problem with them waiting it out with us. But, its a small basement we use for storage so it could get crowded.

I was just contemplating posting something on this exact topic. I figure we have no choice, but could we be liable if something bad happened?

[Jack Sprat]

We I was teaching we had the sirens go off and were in our safe room. Parents who choose to pick up during the storm had to say a waiver saying they were responsible for their child from that point on and understood they had an option to wait it out with us. Many came right back when they saw how quickly the streets were flooding.

I assume we could do the same thing.

[mountainside13]

I wouldn't mind sharing the basement with parents but I don't think there would be enough room in the shelter for everyone! It was very cramped with myself, hubby and our 2 kids. We are going to see if we can expand the area. We are planning to reenforce the inside and a door with a lock. Right now we are using a mattress with ratcheting straps to hold onto for a door. ::

[SilverSabre25]

aaaand my nervy-ness was warranted. just finished an "exciting" series of tornado warnings and multiple tornados in the surrounding counties. Egad. This was a nasty evening.

[momofboys]

aaaand my nervy-ness was warranted. just finished an "exciting" series of tornado warnings and multiple tornados in the surrounding counties. Egad. This was a nasty evening.

Yikes - that was me - several surrounded us & one was sited a few miles from our home. Thankfully the warning has been lifted for us. A little too exciting for me! Our boys were freaking

[SilverSabre25]

Yikes - that was me - several surrounded us & one was sited a few miles from our home. Thankfully the warning has been lifted for us. A little too exciting for me! Our boys were freaking

You're west aren't you? The one that triggered our sirens was the one down near Canal Winchester, but we watched the coverage of that western one too. Glad you guys are safe!!

This has to be some kind of, I don't know, record. I don't know that I've ever seen such an active day here in Central OH! I hope this isn't a sign of things to come...

[Meeko]

I remember several cold and scary nights in our storm cellar when we lived in Oklahoma! After we moved onto the base (Air Force) I didn't feel quite so safe as we didn't have our own shelter then like we did with our rental.

Every month, we would do our daycare emergency drills when they did the siren test in town. I always wondered if what I was teaching the kids went in one ear and out the other. Until one weekend, we had a big storm and the sirens went off. On Monday morning, DCM shows up with her 2 year old. She was impressed that when the sirens went off, her cool as a cucumber child told them exactly what to do and where to go in the house etc!!

[momofboys]

You're west aren't you? The one that triggered our sirens was the one down near Canal Winchester, but we watched the coverage of that western one too. Glad you guys are safe!!

This has to be some kind of, I don't know, record. I don't know that I've ever seen such an active day here in Central OH! I hope this isn't a sign of things to come...

Yep, I am in Madison Co just west of Franklin. It was sort of funny in that they would lift our warning only to replace it with a new warning. All's good for us & glad you are okay, too.lovethis

[Cradle2crayons]

Before I opened the daycare we were watch and see people when it came to warnings etc. Now, the 2nd that siren goes off we are hauling our bottoms down those stairs. My fear is parents wanting to come pick up while we are waiting in the basement. I don't like the idea of them leaving during a storm. I don't have a problem with them waiting it out with us. But, its a small basement we use for storage so it could get crowded.

I do he same things our school does. Delayed pick up of we are in the middle of a tornado. If they want to pick up hours before while we are still under a watch that's fine though.

Parents sign their understanding at enrollment.