Tornado

[Southern]

Two days ago, a water spout in my area caused me to think, "How would I handle a tornado while camping"? The spout was rather large, or at least bigger than any waterspout I have seen in the past. It looked like a small tornado and scared us all pretty good until we saw the local weather reports.

Would you just dig a trench and laydown in it? Are there any other safety measures to be taken?

 

[failghe]

Honestly I don't know. I would like to hear some responses. But I would probably sit in my truck?

 

[jason]

If I was close enough to a car or truck, I would try to out run it. If you have a good road and no traffic or any other obstacles, you can go faster then a tornado.

If I could not do that, I would try to find a shelter that protects me from flying debris. Below ground or in a cave would be my first choice. I would stay away from ditches and ravines as you could get hit with a flash flood.

 

[Sky]

Even though I have heard that it is wise to take shelter in an underpass, I now hear that it is not. Apparently, the winds of a tornado can suck you out from under the bridge.

 

[katharina]

Two days ago, a water spout in my area caused me to think, "How would I handle a tornado while camping"? The spout was rather large, or at least bigger than any waterspout I have seen in the past. It looked like a small tornado and scared us all pretty good until we saw the local weather reports.

Would you just dig a trench and laydown in it? Are there any other safety measures to be taken?

If that's Jacksonville (I LOVE that area, especially St. Augustine!) I've heard that it had actually been a tornado for a while.

I don't really know what you would do while camping if a tornado came up... I assume that the trench you mentioned might be good. If driving, we're supposed to get out of the car and "find a ditch to lie in" so it makes sense. Not that there'd be time to actually dig a trench though, of course.

 

[Taggart]

I think I may have seen that storm system covered on the TV news.

I think outrunning it when possible is a great idea. Even if you couldn't, it must be tempting to get inside a vehicle, but I gather it's not a good idea to just sit there, right?

 

[southerngal]

I wouldn't just sit there but I don't know what I would do. If you are at a campsite with public restrooms I might try and run for those. Inside somewhere is probably better than outside.

 

[Ted]

Any kind of concrete or block shelter is pretty good. You could head for the showers if you are close enough. Don't shelter under trees. If nothing else find a deep ditch and get down. If you can find any kind of concrete abutment or a bunch of very large rocks you could get there. Honestly, if you are in the open and there is nothing there, you're pretty much out of luck.

 

[HillbillyMama]

I have a Dodge Ram 4x4.... With a HEMI, I'd load up the kids and haul some booty. I think your best bet would be to camp near caves though like Jason had said, that might be fairly safe.

 

[Southern]

WOW! Lots of people here from JAX? We should get camping trip together. If you are going to get into a truck, I guess you would need that red truck from the movie Twister. Otherwise, I heard outrunning a tornado is foolhardy, and you might be better off getting low and hanging tight.

 

[Paige]

I would be terrified! I would head for the hills, literally! If you can find a gorge or something like that to hide in you may be able to get out of it. It's a scary thing to even think about. But the shower thing that Ted was talking about sounds like an option if you are around the camp ground.