A comparison of the frequency of tornados in the USA
TORNADOES
Natural disasters may not always hit hardest where you’d expect
The week before last, the southeastern US was pummelled by a swarm of tornadoes that killed more than 300 people in 6 states, including Alabama (which appears to have borne the brunt of the damage) and Mississippi. Although tornadoes are hardly an uncommon occurrence in these states, if you were simply assessing the hazard based on the frequency of tornadoes, you might expect to be in more danger in states like Kansas and Oklahoma Alabama and Mississippi
see also The Deadliest Years NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/04/28/us/tornado-deaths.html
Tornadoes: Being Prepared CDC
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NOAA What YOU Can Do
Before the Storm:
Develop a plan for you and your family for home, work, school and when outdoors.
Have frequent drills.
Know the county/parish in which you live, and keep a highway map nearby to follow storm movement from weather bulletins.
Have a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm tone and battery back-up to receive warnings.
Listen to radio and television for information.
If planning a trip outdoors, listen to the latest forecasts and take necessary action if threatening weather is possible.
If a Warning is issued or if threatening weather approaches:
In a home or building, move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement.
If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor and get under a sturdy piece of furniture.
Stay away from windows.
Get out of automobiles.
Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car; instead, leave it immediately.
Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes and should be abandoned.
The Facts (and Fiction) of Tornadoes
WIKIPEDIA Tornado Safety
Though tornadoes can strike in an instant, there are precautions and preventative measures that people can take to increase the chances of surviving a tornado. Authorities such as the Storm Prediction Center advise having a pre-determined plan should a tornado warning be issued. When a warning is issued, going to a basement or an interior first-floor room of a sturdy building greatly increases chances of survival.[97] In tornado-prone areas, many buildings have storm cellars on the property. These underground refuges have saved thousands of lives.[98]Some countries have meteorological agencies which distribute tornado forecasts and increase levels of alert of a possible tornado (such as tornado watches and warnings in the
Myths and misconceptions
Salt Lake City Tornado, August 11, 1999. This tornado disproved several misconceptions, including the idea that tornadoes cannot occur in areas like Utah or in cities.
Folklore often identifies a green sky with tornadoes, and though the phenomenon may be associated with severe weather, there is no evidence linking it specifically with tornadoes.[100] It is often thought that opening windows will lessen the damage caused by the tornado. While there is a large drop in atmospheric pressure inside a strong tornado, it is unlikely that the pressure drop would be enough to cause the house to explode. Some research indicates that opening windows may actually increase the severity of the tornado's damage. A violent tornado can destroy a house whether its windows are open or closed.[101][102]Another commonly held belief is that highway overpasses provide adequate shelter from tornadoes. On the contrary, a highway overpass is a dangerous place during a tornado. In the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak of May 3, 1999, three highway overpasses were directly struck by tornadoes, and at all three locations there was a fatality, along with many life-threatening injuries. The small area under the overpasses is believed to cause a Venturi effect.[103] By comparison, during the same tornado outbreak, more than 2000 homes were completely destroyed, with another 7000 damaged, and yet only a few dozen people died in their homes.[99]
An old belief is that the southwest corner of a basement provides the most protection during a tornado. The safest place is the side or corner of an underground room opposite the tornado's direction of approach (usually the northeast corner), or the central-most room on the lowest floor. Taking shelter in a basement, under a staircase, or under a sturdy piece of furniture such as a workbench further increases chances of survival.[101][102]
Finally, there are areas which people believe to be protected from tornadoes, whether by being in a city, near a major river, hill, or mountain, or even protected by supernatural forces.[104] Tornadoes have been known to cross major rivers, climb mountains,[105] affect valleys, and have damaged several city centers. As a general rule, no area is "safe" from tornadoes, though some areas are more susceptible than others.[23][101][102]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado#Safety
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List of tornadoes causing 100 or more deaths
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(15 of 42 occurred in US)
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List of North American Tornados and Tornado Outbreaks
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FEMA
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