Sooo Sad and one of my only fears about living in a MH - RV-Dreams Community Forum

WendysPhotos · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sooo Sad and one of my only fears about living in a MH

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have had a few scares, but have been OK. In 11 years of fulltiming we have met one couple who lost their RV to fire, along with their dog (very sad), some who have had wind, flooding or hail damage, but no one we know of who was killed or badly hurt by weather while RVing. At least so far. It really is rare, which is why it is news. If you are going to travel between the Rockies and the Atlantic Ocean, severe weather happens.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Wendy,

Trust me, tornadoes are likely to happen anywhere, including Florida and on north. "Tornado Alley" has widened a lot over the years.

Oh, and it doesn't matter if one is in an RV or a regular home. The effects can be the same. I always advise folks that when arriving and checking into a campground or RV park, check on the location of emergency shelters. One doesn't want to be "under the gun" of the storm to begin thinking about shelter.

As for some tips, this reminded me of a previous thread (May 2013) where I had posted some tips on what to do to try to stay safe. Check out "Calling Terry and Jo!!!"

Terry

Bobc · RV-Dreams Family Member

we have had them up here in the northeast also ( MA)

You can't hide, Just have to be aware and have a plan when if you ever get a alert.

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

I just read a report which indicated Florida is the state with the most tornados each year on average.

A good weather radio with alert function is a valuable asset for RV'ers.

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

One of the nice things about living in an RV is you can pull-up stakes on short notice when a hurricane is coming. Though there's not a lot you can do when a tornado heads your way as there is usually not enough notice to do anything. When Katrina came I had to leave my S&B home, not knowing if it would be there when I returned. Though my home only suffered moderate damage, (to the tune of $50k) many of my neighbor's homes were completely destroyed. Had we been all been able to "bug-out" and return when safe, we all would all have had undamages homes to come back to. Besides I think a big tornado would destroy your typical S&B just as easily as it would an RV.

Chip

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm with you, Steve!

cejones4210 · RV-Dreams Family Member

So far this summer we have spent two evenings in the shower house waiting for the all clear as tornadoes were sighted near us. (Two different campgrounds). And the old Airstream survived 70 mile winds in OK last summer and 60 mile winds this summer in IA. Welcome to Iowa! :)

We have endured some really heavy storms this summer but it is all part of the experience. We keep a pretty close watch on the weather and I monitor the storms as they pass through and do not go to bed until I hear an all clear.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Steve,

I'm confused by your six-month in 2013 reference in the post about the F5/EF5 tornadoes. Are you referring to all of those tornadoes occurring in six months? If so, I'll have to disagree. F5/EF5 tornadoes are fairly rare. I think those numbers are over many years.

And here is a link that shows the average number of tornadoes per year. Texas ranks first because of its size, followed by Oklahoma and then a tie between Kansas and Florida.

Which U.S. State Gets Hit by the Most Storms Each Year

Terry

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Relatives in Vancouver WA, yes the state, has had two F0 tornadoes come within blocks of their house over the years. Tornadoes are not restricted to the east, but they are rarer outside Tornado Alley.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Storms are scary no matter which part of the country you are in. First year on the road and so far we've been told evacuate our campsite in Longmont CO due to flooding, survived an ice storm in Dallas, watched the news to see 5 bands of tornadoes go through north Texas in one night just 10 miles north of where we were parked, experienced straight line winds of 60+ mph in Nevada, etc.

Bad weather can happen anywhere that can be life threatening, we've just learned to be very aware of the local news and pay attention.

Yes it's scary, but at the same time, we've gotten calls from family members living in S&B homes who are in tornado shelters or have been told to evacuate due to flood, fires and/or threats of hurricanes. An RV might be more vulnerable in some situations but we also have the ability to leave ahead of the threat when it's a known threat.

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

I agree with you Wemdy..having lived through tornadoes and seen first hand the devastation it's a concern of mine as well. What gave me some comfort was the knowledge that there are tornado shelters in most areas even in so e campgrounds.

The Sages · RV-Dreams Family Member

We rode out a tornado just about a month ago in Vicksburg MI. We had about 10 BIG oak trees completely uprooted. One fell on the bedroom of a motorhome. The storm came on us in the middle of the night. No sirens, no warning. Woke up to howling winds and strobe light-like lightning. No time to run to the cement brick bath house. Amazingly no one was hurt. The crushed motorhome ( I don't care how much you spend on one of these it will crush like a box!) is still here. Now the poor guy is dealing with insurance issues. Lesson learned: get a weather radio, put your awning up in a storm ( ours was the only one that survived, I have no idea how), and make sure you have a good insurance policy. I really hope I don't have to experience that again...

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

For the most part there is nowhere that is truly safe from severe weather. While an EF5 tornado is a fearsome and utterly devasting thing, as Terry said those are rare. More to the point of the OP's concern, even a small tornado will smash an RV. Any tornado that hits a CG will be devastating due the fact that RV's and such are not sturdy bunkers and thus they will be at the whim of mother nature. Let's not forget the monster hail that falls from some of these storms also. Baseball or grapefruit sized hail will ruin your day by turning an RV into swiss cheese at the least and potentially kill you at the other end of the spectrum. The storms that produce tornados more commonly produce straight line winds in excess of 60MPH and occasionally over 100MPH with potentially serious damage and death ensuing. Dodging severe weather is rather hard to do when a frontal system spanning several hundred miles is heading your way. Best to hunker down, seek proper shelter and if necessary abandon the rig. It can be replaced.

Severe weather happens, your best defense is knowledge and a plan of action to protect yourself and family first, neighbors second, then if you have time, mitigate potential damage to your rig and its contents. Being aware to the weather situation should allow you to accomplish all three.

One does not need to be fearful of mother nature, but she deserves your respect. Condolences and/or sympathies to all that have suffered any kind of loss to mother nature's scorn.

Brian

-- Edited by biggaRView on Friday 25th of July 2014 07:32:01 AM

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

People coming into KS are always so paranoid about tornadoes and having lived off and on, a combined total of about 20+ years, we haven't seen one yet. Now, having traveled around the US for many years and listening to the news and some preppers, I could make a list of things that might happen that are much more scarey than tornadoes. So, you can sit and hide away trying to be "safe" or go out and live your life to the fullest. I think that these days, "safe" is a frame of mind not anything about physical surroundings. We have experienced sustained 70 mph winds and the "eye" of the hurricane in a 24' foot TT and it was, frankly, scarey and awesome but we wouldn't do it again, probably. We tend to believe that when it is your time to go.................

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

The Junkman wrote:
Terry and Jo wrote:
Steve,
I'm confused by your six-month in 2013 reference in the post about the F5/EF5 tornadoes. Are you referring to all of those tornadoes occurring in six months? If so, I'll have to disagree. F5/EF5 tornadoes are fairly rare. I think those numbers are over many years.
And here is a link that shows the average number of tornadoes per year. Texas ranks first because of its size, followed by Oklahoma and then a tie between Kansas and Florida.
Which U.S. State Gets Hit by the Most Storms Each Year
Terry
Not sure.. mine is F5 / yours is storms.. different..

All the data is here..Enjoy
www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2013/13

Only the name in the link title is different. If you look at the url location after clicking the link, it specifically mentions average number of tornadoes. My post was in reference to the earlier topic of what state has the most average number of tornadoes as mentioned by The Bear.

Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 25th of July 2014 10:09:56 AM

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

As full-timers we experienced many severe weather situations. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more important than an good insurance policy. RV's can be replaced. The policy I had with Progressive on our coach included full replacement. Second, when severe weather threatens, get out of your RV. When we were in tornado country we always asked at check-in for the location of a shelter. I can't tell you how many times we were camp hosts and when severe weather approached and we notified guests they refused to leave their rigs. And third, when the wind blows we do not travel. We had some very close calls with high winds early in our RV life and now we don't risk it. We find the nearest RV park, and it doesn't matter what rating it has from Good Sam, we park the rig and wait for better conditions.

We carry a battery operated weather radio with S.A.M.E. technology. Warning of severe weather issued when sleeping these radios will wake you up. Another nice item is a cell phone with web capability. It's nice to be able to see a radar picture of the storm as you sit in the shelter. When traveling my ham radio has a receiver that will pick up the weather radio frequencies. Some CB radio's also have weather radio receivers. The NWS issues warnings by county so be sure to know where you are, both when traveling and when parked.

One last tidbit...there is nothing wrong with being skittish about severe weather. It deserves, no demands, your complete attention. Respect it, minimize your exposure, and when necessary, take shelter or get off the road.

Bill and Jodee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Having lived in California my whole life,I worry about severe storms in other parts of the country. Mostly because I am unfamiliar with them. I don't fear earthquakes (other than the "big" one) because I'm familiar with them. I have to remember that

.

I think a weather radio with warning system, and knowing where the shelters are, will be key for riding out the unavoidable storms and tornadoes. And good RV insurance! Basically, trying to be smart and respecting the power of mother nature will be our goal.

Jodee

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

The Junkman wrote:
I guess I now see one benefit to a heavy RV.

With reference to Steve's (Junkman's) comment here, the heavier RV's do have some advantages, especially if one is towing in a strong wind. However, in a tornado, anything outside can be a projectile going inside. The image below is from pictures of a Mobile Suites that "survived" a tornado in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2011. The board with its end in the woodwork was part of a nearby fence.

This is one more reason why one should not "ride out" a tornado in an RV. The force of a tornado could have driven that same board through the walls of a regular home. I grew up remembering that someone once said that they had seen a single blade of straw driven through a high-line pole and still impaled within it, having ends sticking out both sides of the pole.

Terry

2riker2go · RV-Dreams Family Member

The Junkman wrote:
Here's a complete list of F5/EF5 tornadoes by state since 1950

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I think the above list is the total for each state since the year 1950.

Severe weather, especially tornadoes, is also one of my biggest concerns/fears. We have a couple times altered our travel plans and stayed somewhere longer, or traveled faster, to avoid an area where the long term forecast is calling for potential for severe storms.

-- Edited by 2riker2go on Sunday 27th of July 2014 05:49:19 AM

-- Edited by 2riker2go on Sunday 27th of July 2014 05:51:33 AM

Wildrose Acres · RV-Dreams Family Member

I've been in four tornadoes and near several more in my lifetime. They were in Nebraska and Missouri. You are safer in a ditch than in a mobile home or an RV. That said, I understand the reluctance of wanting to leave a structure for being out in the weather. There was a child sucked into a tornado and carried several miles near us. Another bad place to be is under an overpass. A weather radio and awareness of a safe building are the best ways to be prepared for bad weather.