Wilderness and Weather

[crashdive123]

The recent tragedy that occured in Iowa, killing four Boy Scouts made me think quite a bit about this. Many of the news stories are heralding the actions of the scouts that sprang into action (gotta love BSA & GSA).

We've talked about types of shelters to protect from wet weather, cold weather, hot weather.....obviously there is no shelter that we are going to carry into or build in the wilderness that would protect against a tornado. So what do you do? If you are in a wooded area? On the plains? What are some things you can do to stay alive in a situation like that?

[Pict]

That story has been bothering me. It must have been terrifying for them, bad, bad, bad.

I think the best quick solution is to get into a ditch (slit trench?) and protect your head. The wind will have a hard time picking you up in a ditch and you'd be better protected from flying debris. Mac

[wareagle69]

well in the plains try to find a ditch, in the bush i would get to the lowest ground possible on my property we have a small cave i would try to get there, but all this is hearsay for me never had to practice this skill.

[Teotwawki]

I think part of this must be prevention. As inaccurate as weather forecasting is and some areas - like ours - have strange micro-climates... If you are planning an expedition check the weather forecast... if bad weather is predicted (t-storms, heavy snows) then you need to plan for it or cancel.

Where we are tornadoes are quite rare but straight line winds can whip up without warning. But, where we "play outside" there are lots of ravines, boulders and all kinds of nooks and crannies into which we could hunker down.

I'm kinda rambling but it seems there is no universal solution - depends on where you are and what you might be facing. Seems prudent to think about the possibilities before hand and perhaps even do a practice run in the event of whatever the local weather might throw at you.

[Rick]

First, folks need to know what the signs of a tornado are.

A dark or green-colored sky indicates the tornado is either on the ground or bouncing along. This is about the eeriest thing you can imagine. I've seen this twice. It's from all the trees and plants that get sucked into the air.

A large, dark, low-lying cloud. Google wall cloud and you'll be able to see some pictures. Learn to recognize what it looks like. The odds are pretty good the tornado will emanate from the wall cloud.

Large hail. Remember that hail is water that has dropped down then hits an updraft and shoots up, freezes and falls again. The more times this happens the larger the hail. It takes strong updrafts to pull large hail stones upward so large hail might be preceding at least a very strong frontal system if not a tornado. Either way, you need to be aware that a tornado might be produced.

A loud roar that sounds like a freight train. You've all heard folks talk about this one.

The CDC offers these recommendations if caught outside:

Avoid areas with many trees.
Avoid vehicles.
Lie down flat in a gully, ditch, or low spot on the ground.
Protect your head with an object or with your arms.

This from FEMA:

Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding.

Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.

Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.

Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.

[Teotwawki]

Hey Rick - remember the outbreak of a bunch of tornadoes back in the 70s in central Indiana? One of 'em ripped through the small town where we lived... straight line to our house but oddly it "bounced" over our house came back down and continued its path of destruction...

We were all in the basement - all went completely black (you know those little basement windows just above the ground)... yep - sounds just like a freight train.

Mud and debris was embedded in the wood siding of our house... my buds and I found all kinds of strange stuff in the fields and woods and embedded in trees afterwards...

[Rick]

I know Coot can chime in on this.

I've worked the aftermath of two tornadoes and one cyclone. I've seen some bizarre stuff. Aluminum siding wrapped around a 6 foot maple tree like a candy cane and not a mark on the tree.

I went to one site where a father and son had houses next door to each other. The father's house was flat down to the sub floor and the son's house had one shingle removed from the roof. The father's phone worked and the son's was out. Go figure.

Straw stuck end first in poles that looked like a giant brush. Aerial service drops that had no metal in them. Just 30 or 40 feet of insulation. Lightening had melted the metal and there were pin holes about every two or three inches where the metal exploded out of the insulation. The ground was covered with what looked like bb's.

[dragonjimm]

i've seen broom sticks run through pine trees unharmed there would be a foot or so sticking out both sides. while i was in the field at ft hood tx I saw five twisters following each other along a ridge we were far enough away that it didnt bother us and you could see two more trying to form. we followed them for about fifteen miles before they just went away.

[Sam]

That story has been bothering me. It must have been terrifying for them, bad, bad, bad.

I think the best quick solution is to get into a ditch (slit trench?) and protect your head. The wind will have a hard time picking you up in a ditch and you'd be better protected from flying debris. Mac

I grew up in tornado alley, and the ditch can get you killed quick. As it is usually raining like crazy you get a chance to drown or get wacked with debris, and if you got no over head cover then stuff drug along the ground by the winds likes to 'stand up' in the ditches. ouch. Not a lot of places to run.

[Arkansas_Ranger]

One might consider taking a couple of National Weather Service storm spotter classes. I've taken a few of them. Like any other class, you get what you put into it. The instructor's abilities are important also. What you learn isn't really applicable at night since you can't see anything.