- Tornadoes
The impact of Tornados
Like all-natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and others, they end up with massive destruction to homes, property, infrastructure and cause many deaths as well. Each year, about 60 people are killed by tornadoes, mostly from airborne debris. Source: noaa.gov. This means individuals, families, communities, and the government is all affected by tornadoes in one way or the other.
Here are a few examples:
April 25-28, 2011, USA:
More than 200 tornadoes across Northern Mississippi, Central and Northern Alabama, Eastern Tennessee, Southwestern Virginia, and Northern Georgia resulted in 316 deaths. 15 of the tornadoes measured 4-5 on the E-F Scale, with 8 of them traveling for more than 50 miles. In Alabama, there were more than 2000 more injuries, with property damage in excess of 4.2billion dollars.
Source: The Historic Tornadoes of April 2011., U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE REPORT, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Tuesday, April 29, 2014, Mississippi, USA:
On this day, a massive Tornado ripped through Townships in Arkansas and Mississippi killing at least 34 people. It also caused various degrees of injuries to 200 more people. Homes were flattened and trees and cars were flying around. The tornado measured F3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. More than 2,000 homes and 100 commercial properties were reported to be damaged.
Source: www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/29/us-usa-tornado-weather-idUSBREA3R08320140429
Monday, November 18, 2013, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, USA:
Powerful tornadoes, numbering about 30 swept through the US Midwest, killing about 8 and injuring many more. Many people were trapped in buildings. Winds up to about 68mph, carrying rain and hailstones as big as tennis balls caused massive damage to buildings and property. Entire communities were wiped away leaving nothing left.
Source: www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-24982072
It is known that tornadoes cause a yearly average of 400 million dollars in losses to the USA, putting tornadoes at par with hurricanes, according to a report by Lloyds in London. In 2011, about 1600 tornadoes hit the USA, causing more than 25 billion dollars in damages.