Life in the Midwest

[Sweetdaisymae]

England feels so safe!
I have been to Florida three times, two out of the three I encountered a hurricane, no tornados.

 

[BiBunny]

The difference between hurricanes and tornados?

Hurricanes can be predicted DAYS in advance, including information regarding severity.

Tornados just happen.

Like the other night; 16 of them in the Dallas Metroplex from *one* slow moving storm. One of them was a mile wide. Another hooked, reformed, and hit again. Some of the hail was the size of softballs. Homes were stripped from their foundations; all that was left was the concrete slab.

Yep. That tends to be how people die in tornadoes. They can come out of nowhere, leaving you with no time to prepare.

 

[Sweetdaisymae]

My thoughts with anyone affected by the Moore tornado. If it is being reported here, it must be horriffic

 

[SirVPL]

I can see, I can see!

Wow. You know that none of us are blind, right?

My apologies, I was rather curious about the font sizes.

 

[Daddy2mylilgirl]

The car pileup in Moore Medical Center parking lot.


Tornado Survivor Finds Dog During TV Interview
http://news.sky.com/story/1093711/tornado-survivor-finds-dog-during-tv-interview

 

[SirVPL]

Hurricanes and tornadoes.

You're a bleeding amateur, mate. I lived in Florida from 1971 - 2002, of which I believe there was *one* year in which Florida did not suffer a strike or consequences of a hurricane too near. I have been evacuated from my homes - one of which was not even in a flood insurance zone! - four times for hurricanes.

As for your statement that "Hurricanes are more dangerous than tornadoes" - poppycock. That's like saying that a .38 is more dangerous than a 12-gauge shotgun. In the right circumstances, either is dangerous. Either can kill you. Is death more dangerous than death? Hurricanes, at least, don't sneak up on you and suddenly appear from nowhere like a thief in the night. Tornadoes can and do.

And as gracie said, we're not hard of seeing here... you needn't yell. You should, however, learn to write in complete sentences.

Yes tornadoes are unpredictable and dangerous, I agree. One missed my house in Branford, Fl. Less than 100yds away. The house was damaged and thankfully My family survived. We never knew when it was coming untill it was to.late.

If you check my post I said the tornadoes and water spouts within the hurricane. They are just as unpredictable. Hurricanes are more dangerous due to the unpredictability of said tornadoes and waterspouts. Along with the darkness that a hurricane produces, trying to see a tornado coming is just as difficult. Along with the gale force winds, unknown tornadoes, pummelling rain, darkness and occassional hail. Yes, I stiil say the hurricane is more dangerous than a tornado. A hurricane can be predicted but whats within it cannot.

As for my writing in full sentences, my apologies. I am not an expert in the litarary field of the English Language. All I ask for is a little patience. Thank You...

Again, yes I know Y/you are not blind. I typed an apology. My curiosity ran away with Me. I assure A/all of Y/you it wont happen again.

 

[DVS]

Yes tornadoes are unpredictable and dangerous, I agree. One missed my house in Branford, Fl. Less than 100yds away. The house was damaged and thankfully My family survived. We never knew when it was coming untill it was to.late.

If you check my post I said the tornadoes and water spouts within the hurricane. They are just as unpredictable. Hurricanes are more dangerous due to the unpredictability of said tornadoes and waterspouts. Along with the darkness that a hurricane produces, trying to see a tornado coming is just as difficult. Along with the gale force winds, unknown tornadoes, pummelling rain, darkness and occassional hail. Yes, I stiil say the hurricane is more dangerous than a tornado. A hurricane can be predicted but whats within it cannot.

As for my writing in full sentences, my apologies. I am not an expert in the litarary field of the English Language. All I ask for is a little patience. Thank You...

Again, yes I know Y/you are not blind. I typed an apology. My curiosity ran away with Me. I assure A/al of Y/you it wont happen again.

Not to make your stress any worse, but you don't need the text I've bolded in your post to show respect to anybody here. Some here like to use it so we don't always make a fuss about it. Because we are mostly accepting people here, we won't complain...unless it gets out of hand. For me in particular, it's difficult to read and I don't think I'm alone in that.

If you are one of those who prefers to use this kind of descriptor, just keep in mind there are some who find it unnecessary. We hope you will understand that and keep it to a minimum.

You're new here and so we're just filling you in on the little quarks that can irritate us. It's understandable, because you're new. Some will cut you some slack, but others will tend to let you know when you fuck up. Actually, those who correct you are helping you. The quicker you find these things out, the quicker you are accepted as a regular and not some bumbling newbie. OK, maybe bumbling is a little harsh, but newbie isn't.

Experiment as you will, but we do like to keep a tidy house. Don't take it personally.

 

[Ahlam]

I always feel like such a foreigner when I visit the midwest. There's a strange abundance of Jesuses and buffet restaurants.

 

[DVS]

I would say there are disasters in all parts of the world that I wouldn't prefer to experience first hand. I think we all can say we feel safer where we are, rather than in some places where some disasters occur.

Tornadoes can spring up out of nowhere. There are temperatures and weather conditions that happen around tornadoes, so people who live in this area tend to know when the conditions are right. Some animals start acting strange. Birds stop flying around. There can be a sudden stillness, a certain color in the sky, or when the temperature changes from warm to cool very quickly. That's when we see hail. The air above is cooler and the rain drops get tossed around by the wind. The more they are tossed around, the larger they get before they eventually get heavy enough to fall onto cars, trees, and roofs. Hail can be a sign that the weather is right for a tornado.

Incidentally and a little off the subject, I remember the old days when hail wasn't a big deal, by itself. That's when cars were tanks and hail didn't damage them. Now, we all panic when we hear about hail, because the larger sizes can really do nasty things to a car body.

I've lived in this area nearly all of my life. I've seen a few tornadoes, but never close enough to experience damage first hand. I remember when I was a senior in high school, all of the sudden the air pressure changed and all of the classroom windows popped open. Looking up into the sky, we saw the clouds right above us were rotating. If it had started forming sooner, our high school would have been right in the path. Back then, weather forecasters weren't so well educated. We usually found out about tornadoes after they did their damage.

On my way home from school that day, I found tree limbs in the street. It had just topped the trees as it went over our town. We later heard it touched down on open farmland, just outside of town, like many end up doing.

If you live in an area where tornadoes happen, you know there's usually a short time frame when you have to be fast to act. Many populated areas have sirens that sound, when the weather is primed for tornadoes. TV stations take over the airwaves when the weather is favorable and warn people to take cover, when a tornado is sighted.

I'm sure those forecasters literally love the times when they have such power, but because of the nature of a tornado, it can be a small thing that does very little, or it can quickly become a very strong storm. And the stronger these storms get, the debris they pick up gets thrown out around them. Just watching one from a near distance can get you hurt from something flying at you at nearly 200 mph.

Thinking of Oklahoma, I wonder why those schools didn't have a better place to take the kids. Sure, internal bathrooms are a good place if you have nothing else, but when the possibility of a monster like yesterday is always possible, I hope they think about that, when they rebuild. I know the ground is very rocky in Oklahoma, but you don't mess with mother nature.

 

[DVS]

I always feel like such a foreigner when I visit the midwest. There's a strange abundance of Jesuses and buffet restaurants.

See, that's when you need a resident to follow. We know where not to go.

Personally, I see nothing wrong with buffets. We have a very nice and very large salad buffet in my city. It's full of good food that is good for you. Oh, if you don't like salads or other green things, I can see how that might not tempt you.

We also have our share of Chinese buffets, but I wouldn't think we are the only place for those. I love a good Chinese buffet, but you do have to be able to pick the right ones. They are NOT created equal!

We even have some pizza restaurants that have a lunch buffet. That's cool because you don't have to buy a whole pizza, if you are eating by yourself. You pay a reasonable price and get to taste a variety of pizzas, slice by slice. Well, if you don't like pizza, I can see how that might not sound good.

As for the religious houses, I can agree with you. When I was growing up, my small town had the basic denominations, but in time, people would get pissed at somebody and branch out on their own. I checked the local paper one day, and counted over 30 different Sunday services in a town of 2,000. A bit of overkill, maybe?

We even had one church decide they didn't like how the school was teaching their kids. That church built their own grade school and hired their own teachers. I guess that's not uncommon in some areas, but it sure was in our small town.

And don't forget The Phelps family in Topeka. We've lived with them for a long time. I'm glad they finally decided to go to other parts of the world. they don't bother us locals so much, any more.

 

[graceanne]

My apologies, I was rather curious about the font sizes.

Ah. Ok. If you have any other questions, just ask. We'll answer.

N

Experiment as you will, but we do like to keep a tidy house. Don't take it personally.

What he^^^^^^ said.

 

[Netzach]

I guess I'm a gambler at heart, but I'll take the localized potentially lethal "ha GOT you" of a tornado over the "well there goes the neighborhood, as in the WHOLE neighborhood" of a hurricane.

Yeah, it's bad, it's really bad at the moment, but nothing on a Katrina/Rita scale.

I live in the Midwest. You can go days without eating anything but Pho and Tacos where I live, and the only super devout around my immediate surroundings are Muslim. It's all changing.

 

[Ahlam]

And don't forget The Phelps family in Topeka. We've lived with them for a long time. I'm glad they finally decided to go to other parts of the world. they don't bother us locals so much, any more.

That's a relief! How is it that those people are still alive? I always figured that someone would have knocked them off by now.

DVS was right about the quality variance of Chinese Buffets. I learned this the hard way while I was there last Winter. Buffets of the Chinese food variety are pretty much the only buffet restaurants you will see where I am from, so their variety and popularity there is often surprising by comparison.

If what Netzach said is true, then maybe I will move to the Midwest after all. A diet of pho and tacos would be excellent! If I were to die by tornado, hopefully it'd be with a taco in one hand and someone's naughty bits in the other.

 

[Shankara20]

And don't forget The Phelps family in Topeka. We've lived with them for a long time. I'm glad they finally decided to go to other parts of the world. they don't bother us locals so much, any more.

​

 

[graceanne]

​

Love that. lol

 

[SirVPL]

I agree Netz

I guess I'm a gambler at heart, but I'll take the localized potentially lethal "ha GOT you" of a tornado over the "well there goes the neighborhood, as in the WHOLE neighborhood" of a hurricane.

Yeah, it's bad, it's really bad at the moment, but nothing on a Katrina/Rita scale.

I live in the Midwest. You can go days without eating anything but Pho and Tacos where I live, and the only super devout around my immediate surroundings are Muslim. It's all changing.

The St. Johns areea of KC are now an Arabic neighborhood since the yrs of Desert Storm. Refugees from the Hussein Regime. Dearborn, Mi as well.

 

[LWulf]

I came up with an idea for a tornado safe home, but it's so radical, I questioned myself; if anybody would even want to try it.

 

[BiBunny]

Texas was my first taste of tornado season-now that I live in the south-they are pretty much a regular thing-half of the time its not even a real tornado causing the damage but straight line winds that can still send a tree through the side of a house and peel off a roof.

Straight-line winds are a bitch. I live on top of (what passes as) a mountain in East-Central Alabama, and our local area takes worse hits from the straight-line winds that usually precede the formation of tornadoes than from the tornadoes themselves. The river basins to the west and south catch more hell from the tornadoes, though, so I think it's either geography, luck of the draw, or both.

Also, it floods here all the damn time lately. I've lived in this county since 2002, and I don't remember it ever flooding here as much as it has the last few months. WTF, Alabama? What. The. Fuck?

 

[Miles Long]

I grew up in the rural Midwest and have lived most of my life in the region. I love to watch violent storms come rolling through the fields. Nature is amazing and the power of the storms is impressive. I just wish there wasn't damage or loss of life.

 

[Ulfsmouse]

It depends on the situation. Ideally, I would have preferred being down in a storm cellar, and if there had been anywhere to stop and take cover, I would have done it (and probably died, this sucker was huge). The old "hunker down in a ditch" thing would not have cut it with this one, but I did NOT like being out in the open with nowhere to go except drive faster. I'm getting too old for this crap, give me a hurricane with time to get out of the way. Give me a blizzard where planning ahead reduces the risks. Argh.

 

[Ulfsmouse]

Thinking of Oklahoma, I wonder why those schools didn't have a better place to take the kids. Sure, internal bathrooms are a good place if you have nothing else, but when the possibility of a monster like yesterday is always possible, I hope they think about that, when they rebuild. I know the ground is very rocky in Oklahoma, but you don't mess with mother nature.

From what I've heard, the water table is pretty close to the surface, too. I'm told that's why in sections where the road is cut through a rocky hill, you can see water running out of the rock, but I haven't researched to verify.

 

[DVS]

It depends on the situation. Ideally, I would have preferred being down in a storm cellar, and if there had been anywhere to stop and take cover, I would have done it (and probably died, this sucker was huge). The old "hunker down in a ditch" thing would not have cut it with this one, but I did NOT like being out in the open with nowhere to go except drive faster. I'm getting too old for this crap, give me a hurricane with time to get out of the way. Give me a blizzard where planning ahead reduces the risks. Argh.

I understand. I remember hearing you can sometimes lay flat in a ditch and not get sucked up into the tornado. I really don't think that would have worked with this one. It was just too damn big.

From what I've heard, the water table is pretty close to the surface, too. I'm told that's why in sections where the road is cut through a rocky hill, you can see water running out of the rock, but I haven't researched to verify.

I've also heard that the dirt is pretty sandy and not that good for digging good holes, so most of the houses down there are on concrete slabs. That's not much better than a trailer park and we all know how tornadoes don't like trailer parks.

I saw a show that talked about the old days when it was suggested that everybody build a shelter in case there was a nuclear war. Now, it's not a bomb we're worried about, but 200+ MPH winds. Oklahoma is just damn flat which allows a tornado to just pick up speed and size as it goes.

It sounds like a good business to get into as well as an interesting one...building heavy duty storm shelters down there. I'd think they should be mostly round like an igloo, so winds wouldn't be able to catch hold of a wall, and also most debris would just slide off. But, they also need to be reinforced, in case a car happens to be blowing by. A tornado just picks em up and throws them around like toys.

 

[Ahlam]

I may be moving to Missouri next Fall. Are there any insider tips for life in the midwest? I want to be prepared.

 

[Netzach]

I always feel like such a foreigner when I visit the midwest. There's a strange abundance of Jesuses and buffet restaurants.

There's an abundance of modernism and farm to table restos, you just need to do a bit more legwork.

Check out your farmer's markets and look for micro breweries - there's a good brewery in every cow patch in southern MN at this point, MO is obviously different, but a lot of similar trends are moving through the region - a lot of social scene popping up around the local foods.

Depending where you live, bike trails and biking are a big thing too. A lot of rail to trail activity.

Buffets are ew, but those old Swedish ladies throw a hell of a church breakfast.

OK, I lie. Chinese and American buffets: ew.

Indian Buffets: WIN.

 

[DVS]

I may be moving to Missouri next Fall. Are there any insider tips for life in the midwest? I want to be prepared.

It's difficult to tell you how to be prepared for living in any local area. But, in the midwest, depending on where you live, you have hot humid summers and cold snowy winters. The more north you go, you have more cold and more snow. The more south you go, you have more humidity and heat.

If you move to tornado alley, that's another thing you have to deal with. I think we've already talked about that. You can check the Internet to find out the areas that are considered tornado alley, but Missouri is in it. Spring is usually the time of year we deal with tornadoes and severe thunder storms. That's what we're going through right now.

If you are moving to the southern part of the state, there are more wooded areas and in some cases, it has a kind of "Deliverance" feel to it. Did you see that movie? I don't mean to scare you. And the lake of the Ozarks is down there. It's a very large and very popular lake, but the area around it can be different. The more south you go in the state, the more the area is rocky. Gravel roads up around the north of the state are made of rocks about 1 inch in size. the more south you go, those rocks can be 2 or more inches in size. That's the way they are right on the state line with Arkansas.

Silver Dollar City is also down there. It didn't use to be so large, but now it's gotten to be quite popular, with a lot of movie stars and singers having their own theaters. It's like a small Vegas. Unfortunately, the town itself hasn't been able to keep up with the popularity and so it can be difficult to get around. I'm sure they are trying to fix it, though.

Because of the colder weather this spring, we haven't had that many tornadoes, but now that it's warmed up, we are getting our share of them. You watch the skies and watch the TV weather forecasts. Unfortunately, the forecasts can be spotty and sometimes not that accurate. But, they are getting a lot better. A meteorologist told me that the midwest is very difficult to forecast because of how the weather comes from all areas. Warm weather from the south, cold from the north. Most of the weather comes from the west, but what comes from the south and north often influences it.

Tornadoes and other severe weather usually comes from the southwest. Once a tornado touches down, it can follow another path, but it will travel mostly from west to east.

Winter is probably the first nastiness you'll experience. Fall is a beautiful time of year with the changing of the leaves, but winter can be pretty nasty. Temps can get really could, and of course, the more north you go, the more of that you get. Snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain, black ice...we get it all. If you've never driven in these conditions, you'll have to learn how. Don't worry though. Some people who have lived her a long time still do stupid things. The sad part is when the engage the rest of us in their stupidity when they can't drive. Unfortunately, nobody can drive when there's ice on the road, and that black ice is down right scary.

Are you going to live in a house, or apartment? Apartments usually have someone plow for you, but not always. In a house, it's up to you to dig yourself out. Everybody plans on getting up early to dig out their car and go to work. It's just a fact of life. Nobody will cut you any slack for not doing it, because they had to, too. You'll have to invest in a snow shovel or plow, depending on the size of your property and terrain. A strong back is also a good thing to have.

And you'll learn how to weatherize your car so it starts in winter. All season radials are OK, but if you live in an area with deep snow, actual snow tires would be best. Also, if you have a smaller, lighter car, you might have to get actual snow tires. It god damn cold last winter and my battery died. That's what happens when they get a certain age. The cold weather can kill it prematurely, though.

There is a very good Chinese buffet in my city but unless it's busy, even it can be mediocre. But, it's usually difficult to find a parking spot. There are also a lot of Mexican restaurants in my city, some good and some not so good. Some serve actual Mexican food, and some are more of a Texican type of thing. But, I'm sure other parts of the country are similar.

But, if you move to an area where BBQ is popular, you could be in for a treat. Like in my city, we have so many BBQ places, it's ridiculous. There are good ones, bad ones and then we have those that are so famous, you have to stand in line. The Kansas City area is big on its BBQ, just like Texas is on theirs. St. Louis has their own twist on it, too, but I'm partial to the Kansas City style. Every year, there is a national BBQ cook off in Kansas City. They have it outside and you can smell all of the different aromas for several miles around. It's wonderful. Depending on where you move to, they'll have their own version, too. God, now I'm hungry!

Oops, they just said we're in a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 PM tonight. I guess I should check to see what it's doing outside.