http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/13/us/midwest-storms/

Heads up. One has already touched down in Norman, Oklahoma.

Wow, Izzy. Thanks for sharing that. It's fascinating to hear stories like that. What an interesting family history. Your Grandparents must have been heartbroken. That generation sure did have gumption, didn't they?

I said to my husband tonight, that I couldn't live in a place with that kind of risk. I don't know how all you tornado alley and earthquake coast people do it. You hurricaners either, for that matter. You're braver than me. My hat's off to you. Be safe!

Those of us in tornado alley are getting a good laugh out of the stories in the national media. This type of weather and these types of alerts are common here. They have never made the news before & it's really amusing to see the national media suddenly decide it's a story.

The headline on MSNBC is "Tornado sirens sound in Oklahoma after
'life-threatening' storms forecast".

Life threatening forecast? We have tornado watches ALL the time in Oklahoma in the spring.

What's next "torrential darkness"? (for any Patrick McManus fans our there. )

How do you do it? One day at a time. And you prep. And become informed. Every place has hazards and challenges. Jac, doesn't it get just a bit nippy in a normal winter up where you live? You just have to be ready for what might come...

Its good to have some sort of media on for advance warnings; TV, radio,
And a weather radio, or app, or text messaging service. 5-10 min warnings are gold.

TRO

( Me? I gotta put a kitten in a kennel and go to the basement - that's 10 mins right there. Another 5 for bactine application.)

Bacpacjac, it's probably a bit easier for most people - you get weather warnings.

Growing up in Cali, there aren't exactly earthquake forecasts. I'm not trying to start a pissing match on which is worse(do you go for the frequency, or the wide-spread devastation, or what?) , but at least with hurricanes you've got days of warning, snow storms ditto. Tornadoes typically a few minutes. Tsunami, a few minutes if you're lucky. Asteroid strike and earthquake, your first warning might be your last.

The National Weather Service is apparently feeling like they aren't taken seriously, so they're busting out new and scarier words to use. That seems to be what's making it a story.

It's true that there's risks everywhere. I hate sounding like an alarmist. I guess it's all a matter of perspective and experience. From the outside looking in, things can seem pretty scary. On the inside, it makes sense what you say about learning, adapting and preparing.

So, I guess my next question is when/how do you decide to bug in or out when we're talking about predicted but unpredictable tornadoes?

The only way to bug out for tornadoes that makes sense to me is to not live in a tornado-prone area, at least during the season.

Bugging out for hurricanes makes sense to me: you typically have days of warning and you generally know that it is going to hit you and cause widespread devastation. Tornadoes can miss you easily and if they do hit you chances are good that they didn't hit everybody else, so first responders will hopefully be able to get to you quickly.

I think that is part of the reason for the added attention.

As far as bugging out, where tornadoes are concerned, the only way to bug out is well in advance. We are constantly reminded not to try and outrun a tornado.

If you wait until you are warned that a tornado is imminent then you can't chance trying to outrun it and should find the best cover to shelter in place.

The two biggies in my region are earthquakes, wildfires, and tsunamis. Definitely no way to predict earthquakes, although work is being accomplished on "warning systems that will give at least a minute or so of advance notice - enough time to open the doors to the fire station equipment bays, withdraw scalpels from incisions, etc. You will generally have advance word of wildfires coming your way, although they can travel very fast, especially during high winds. Tsunamis are interesting. Depending upon the distance to the event, you may have minutes to hours to prepare and seek higher ground. During the Japanese event a year ago, the West Coast had about twelve hours notification. The local harbor received about one million dollars damage even so.

Our preps encompass both staying and leaving, depending upon the particular event contemplated.

Twisters touch down, 5 killed

Agreed...I'll take our winter storms any day over the things other parts of the country have to deal with! Especially the earthquakes and tornadoes--at least hurricanes give you some time to get ready/get out of the path.

It might snow too.