Friday is the 48th anniversary since an F5 tornado hit Lubbock, killing 26 and injuring more than 1,000 people. Is your home and the city safer than it would have been in the 70s?
Experts are saying tornado safety has only gotten better.
“We have a full industry of manufacturers and home builders that are now building shelters,” said Larry Tanner, researcher at Texas Tech’s National Wind Institute.
An air cannon is an example of advanced technology that helps these researchers do their job to protect the public.
“It tests shelter and shelter components with flying debris,” Tanner said.
Because there’s a lot that goes into making sure a shelter is protected against a twister.
“Any shelter has to resist the wind pressures but also the debris impacts,” said Tanner.
Most structures resist the pressure, but not always the impact.
“That’s the the real issue that’s a grave concern because doors are the most vulnerable part of the shelter,” he said.
“In 1970 when the Lubbock tornado hit, about the only shelters I was aware of were outdoor dugouts and backyard of houses,” said Ernst Kiesling with the National Wind Institute and National Storm Shelter Association.
At that time, there was little knowledge of tornados and what to do to protect yourself against them.
“We didn’t know what the wind speeds were, what the debris impacts, what the wind borne debris consisted of,” said Kiesling.
Post-storm studies helped researchers, like Kiesling and Tanner, reduce damage from any future tornados.
“The total loss of your structure can be somewhat prevented by just better construction,” said Tanner.
They also said no one can prevent a tornado from happening, but we can try to do our best to keep everyone as safe as possible.
