Click here to View before and after satellite images of the area affected by the Moore, Oklahoma tornado of May 2013 using the new Google Crisis Response map. Slimply go back and forth with a slider to instantly compare post and pre-tornadic images of Moore, OK.
Also click here to view specific sites affected by the storm. Just slide the bar from side-to-side to see before and after photos.
On a side note, frustrations mount as it was recently discovered that the two elementary schools leveled as a result of Monday’s tornado lacked designated safe rooms. Despite the common nature of lethal twisters in the Midwestern and Southern United States, state building codes do not require that schools provide safe rooms.
Following Monday’s deadly tornado in Moore, Oklahoma that resulted in substantial damage to houses, schools, and several fatalities, conversations have been springing up left and right about safe rooms, shelters, and other means of providing safe areas to those in localities prone to tornado activity.
Link to Moore Tornado 20-May-2013 Summary
“Nearly two years to the day after Joplin, MO is hit by the EF-4 tornado, Moore, OK is impacted by another powerful tornado resulting in substantial damage to houses, schools, and several fatalities. The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-5 and parts of the damage path were mapped at nearly 2 miles wide. Statistically, such powerful tornadoes have very low probability of occurrences, but by cruel twist of fate, Moore, OK has seen three powerful and destructive tornadoes since 1999…” (Continue reading)
Link to May 5th North Texas Tornado Summary
“Within 8 hours 16 tornadoes were spotted within an area located two hours west of Dallas, TX. Within that time there were at least 6 fatalities, over a hundred injuries and dozens of single-family homes damaged or destroyed. Mobile homes were blown off their foundations, and the slab of site-built homes were swept clean. The National Weather Service assigned an EF-4 rating to the most powerful tornado in Granbury, TX, and lower ratings to others. At this time, there’s limited photographic evidence available online for most of the damage but from the available information, similar failure patterns as were observed in the 2011 tornado outbreaks in Tuscaloosa, AL and Joplin, MO are apparent. The damaged homes, constructed as light-framed wood structural systems, lack component of a vertical load path (i.e. metal hurricane ties, large steel washers on wall plate anchor bolts) that could have given some homes a “fighting chance” to survive a tornado…(Continue reading)
The Center for Severe Weather Research has taken a new spin on chasing tornadoes. Radar Observations of Tornadoes and Thunderstorms Experiment (ROTATE) 2012 was an initiative, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), with the purpose of investigating low-level winds in tornadoes, exploring the dynamics of a tornado, and how airborne debris and changing winds causes damage.
Thursday morning, a little before 5 am CST, December 20th, an EF-1 tornado struck the Mobile and Prichard, Alabama area.
According to Alabama local news, the damage due to the tornado amounted to nearly 130 single-family homes and 35 businesses with light to major structural damage and left thousands without power. The tornado path stretched for a distance of six miles with wind speeds estimated up to 86 to 109 miles per hour.
A few commercial buildings were reported to had suffered heavy damaged resulting in the loss of an aluminum roof, other roof related damages, and blown out windows. Several trailers were destroyed. As of now there are no reports of fatalities.
Related Sources: Al.com | Huffingtonpost.com
Three dead, seven hospitalized, 250 displaced from their homes, several others left without power.
The tornado struck Auckland December 6th, 2012 at about 12:15pm with what was said to be indescribable force. It uprooted trees, tore through homes, and sent debris flying through the air at speeds of up to 68 miles per hour…
Dr. David O. Prevatt, PE (Massachusetts)
Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, University of Florida
