Tornado Warnings: Some Won’t Take them Seriously

March is typically considered the start of “severe weather season”, as springtime can bring better chances of strong storms through the Southeast.  Severe storms and tornadoes can occur in any month of the year, something that many in the South were reminded of during the “Super Tuesday” tornado outbreak of February 5-6, 2008, when nine states across the South racked up 82 tornado reports, 57 fatalities, and 350 injuries.  Damages totaled close to $400 million.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the parent organization of the National Weather Service, has just released research centered on the public response to the weather and warnings from the February, 2008 tornadoes.  While most people did attempt to seek the safest locations possible in the path of these tornadoes, there were many that did not.  It was not for lack of warning; communities and their citizens were found to have adequate warning. 

So what happened?  Some did not take the warnings seriously because it was still February.  Others decided the threat wasn’t that great…a result of a “what are the odds” thinking and believing that such bad things only happen to other people.  Still others wasted time trying to confirm the warning and did not try to seek safety until they actually saw a tornado, at which point it may have been too late to seek shelter.

These are some baffling findings to many people.  They serve as a good reminder to all of us that the next time we see a round of severe weather, not only should you pay attention to the warnings that come out, but be sure to actually heed them.  It’s your own life you may save…