Tornado Tidbit

Tornado Tidbit for March

A Quiz: How tornado-resistant is your house?

Once again, we're on the verge of storm season. How would your home fare against the dreaded tornado? Here's a short quiz. Add up your points, then match them to the H-scale (for home survivability) that appears at the end.

For the sake of simplification, we assume that the tornado will strike from the south or west. (In Oklahoma, more than 90 percent of all twisters do)

NOTE: This quiz is designed only to give you a rough indication of how tornado-resistant your home is. Don't use it to justify moving out of your neighborhood, suing your builder, or any other rash course of action!

1. What kind of home do you live in?

Mobile (-10)
Old building, light framing, not built to code (i.e., perhaps your Uncle Fred patched it together) (0)
Newer building, reasonably well constructed (+10)
Sturdy, well-built structure (+20)

2. (Non-mobile home) What kind of roof does your home have?

Mansard (+3)
Hip (+3)
Gable (0)
Flat (0)

3. (Non-mobile home) Do you have any of the following features?

Attached garage facing south or west (-3)
A cellar (+5)
Porch facing south or west (-3)
Large overhanging eaves facing south or west (-3)

4. How many trees do you have shielding your home to the south and west?

None (0)
A few (+1)
A moderate amount (+2)
Very many (+3)

5. Where do you live?

On flat terrain (0)
Next to a river (0)
In a valley (0)
Behind a magic tornado-proof hill blessed by four Indian tribes (0)
On a hill (0)
Other (0)

6. (Non-mobile home) If you are sure that the walls of your home have been securely anchored to the foundation (NOTE: sometimes builders, either to save time or money, will overlook this important step), add 10 points.

7. (Non-mobile home) If you have taken extra measures to ensure the roof is anchored well, give yourself five points if you have used extra nails to hold the rafters to the walls. Give yourself ten points if you have used a stronger connector, such as hurricane clips or anchor bolts.

8. (Mobile home) If you have tie-down straps anchoring your home, give yourself 3 points.

Point Totals

Less than zero: H0. Box kite. Tie a string to it.
1-10: H1. Straw house. Cross your fingers.
11-20: H2. Typical dwelling. Needs some work.
21-30: H3. Suburban special. Tough enough? Maybe.
31-40: H4. Storm shelter. Any room for the neighbors?

41-up: H5. Fort Knox. Blow wind, blow!

Tornado tidbits from previous months:
The Kansas farmer who looked up into a tornado
Interview with the Twister movie storm chasers: Mark Herndon, Pt. 1
Interview with the Twister movie storm chasers: Mark Herndon, Pt. 2
Interview with the Twister movie storm chasers: Matt Biddle
An account of the deadly Snyder, Oklahoma tornado of 1905
Taming the Wild Storm: Hail Cannons, Pt. I
Taming the Wild Storm: Hail Cannons, Pt. II
Does driving on right causes U.S. tornadoes?
Benjamin Franklin, tornado chaser
The Waco Tornado of 1953
The 10 Deadliest Oklahoma Twisters

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