In some places in the world that poses a threat to travelers such as natural calamities that happens in a year. One of them is the tornado which happens a lot in the United States. It is a column of spinning low air pressure in which it sucks the air in its surrounding area inwards then upwards. It is able to generate high winds measuring between 100 and 200 miles per hour and also has the ability to destroy and lift heavy objects with it, carrying it along until they disappear. A tornado starts as a funnel shape from dark clouds formed in the sky then descends from it then reaches the ground. Unlike with other natural calamity (except earthquake) where you are told in advance what to prepare against being a victim of such events, tornadoes develop really quickly. In some cases they come in clusters and occur in the same areas.
In the United States there are over 1,000 tornadoes reported to have been sighted in the lands per year but only a few is ever recorded to be very powerful. Less than 30 percent of those that ever touch down the ground have made significant damages or strike buildings. In regards with the deaths that have been recorded, most of them are those in their cars or living in their mobile homes. The tornadoes occur mostly at early summer, spring and thunderstorms. Even if the odds of tornadoes occurring in the area you are visiting are relatively small, there is no harm in preparing for such an event. The signs that you should watch out for to avoid tornadoes are:
- Most of the time people are able to recognize a tornado from afar when they see a group of clouds forming a funnel then hitting the ground, from a distance. For those who are already near the tornado, it may be too late just to take a look at it. You may be lucky if the high wind it is carrying is lower than recorded.
- If you see debris from the ground being swept away and carried into the air, this is a sign that a tornado is forming nearby, even if you have not seen a funnel being formed in the clouds.
By the time when you see a tornado, it is best to run away, even if you want to capture that rare event with your camera. Run to the nearest storm shelter you can find, or go underground where it is perfectly safe to hide.