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TORNADO OUTBREAK IN OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS, AND IOWA Round One: April 26-27, 2014

TORNADO OUTBREAK IN OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS, AND IOWA Round One: April 26-27, 2014. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA .

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TORNADO OUTBREAK IN OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS, AND IOWA Round One: April 26-27, 2014

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  1. TORNADO OUTBREAK IN OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS, AND IOWARound One: April 26-27, 2014 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA 

  2. The most destructive tornado outbreak of 2014 killed at least 18 people in three states and hammered the suburbs of Little Rock, Arkansas over a 200-mile-long path.

  3. THE FORECAST: APRIL 14

  4. ACTUAL: APRIL 26-27

  5. In all, at least 31 tornadoes were recorded. They formed late in the day, and were especially destructive in Arkansas because they struck as night fell.

  6. Some of the tornadoes were rated as EF-3, which have wind fields of at least 246 kph (136 mph).

  7. VILONIA, ARKANSAS (ALSO HIT BY TORNADOES IN 2011)

  8. IMPACTS • Faulkner County, Ark., particularly the suburbs of Mayflower and Vilonia, was the hardest hit on Sunday, with as many as 18 people dead, including two children • At least 150 homes destroyed. • Two highways closed; 20,000 power outages

  9. “ROUND TWO”MONDAY, APRIL 28 Millions of people braced for more severe weather as at least three tornadoes struck Mississippi on Monday afternoon .

  10. TUEPLO, MISSISSIPPI:APRIL 28

  11. INITIAL IMPACT REPORTS • A tornado hit Tupelo and tracked northward, causing "significant property damage, but no deaths" Tueplo Mayor Jason Shelton said.

  12. BACKGROUNDSEVERE WINDSTORMS-- TORNADOES

  13. UNDERSTANDING AND PREPARING FOR TORNADOES A PRIMER OF KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN MULTIPLY AND SPILL OVER FOR THE BENEFIT OF MILLIONS

  14. THE PHYSICS OF SEVERE WINDSTORMS SEVERE WINDSTORMS: TORNADOES

  15. Storm Hazards: • Wind pressure • Surge • Rain • Flood • Waves • Salt water • Missiles • Tornadoes • SEVERE WINDSTORM HAZARDS • INVENTORY • VULNERABILITY • LOCATION • PREVENTION/MITIGATION • PREPAREDNESS • EMERGENCY RESPONSE • RECOVERY and • RECONSTRUCTION • EDUCATIONAL SURGES RISK ASSESSMENT POLICY OPTIONS ACCEPTABLE RISK RISK UNACCEPTABLE RISK SEVERE WINDSTORM RISK REDUCTION Wind profile DATA BASES AND INFORMATION Gradient Wind Ocean COMMUNITY

  16. CAUSES OF RISK WIND AND WATER PENETRATE BUILDING ENVELOPE UPLIFT OF ROOF SYSTEM FLYING DEBRIS PENETRATES WINDOWS HEAVY PRECIPITATION SEVERE WINDSTORMS IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION AND PLAN CASE HISTORIES POOR WORKMANSHIP IGNORING NON-STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

  17. HEAT AND HEAT FLOW PRESSURE AND PRESSURE FLOW GRAVITY FIELD KINETIC ENERGY POTENTIAL ENERGY BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS UNDERPINNING WINDSTORMS

  18. SEVERE WINDSTORMS TORNADOESOCCUR OVER LAND AS THE RESULT OF COLLISIONS OF COLD AND WARM AIR MASSES

  19. TORNADOES: OCCUR MAINLY IN THE UNITED STATES

  20. TORNADOE SEASON • The peak tornado season is late winter through midsummer,…. • But tornadoes can happen any time of the year when the atmospheric conditions are right.

  21. TORNADO ALLEY • ALTHOUGH TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED IN EVERY STATE, THEY OCCUR MOST FREQUENTLY IN “TORNADO ALLEY,” WHICH INCLUDES PARTS OF: TEXAS, OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS, TENNESSEE, NEBRASKA, KANSAS, MISSOURI, ILLINOIS, AND IOWA.

  22. MAP OF TORNADO ALLEY

  23. THE PHYSICS OF TORNADOES • TORNADOES ARE CAUSED BY THE COLLISION OF DESCENDING COLD AIR MASSESS COMING FROM THE NORTH AND ASCENDING WARM AIR MASSES COMING FROM THE SOUTH.

  24. THE PHYSICS OF TORNADOES • THE COLLISION CREATES A FUNNEL OF HIGH-VELOCITY WIND THAT IS VERY DESTRUCTIVE AS IT “TOUCHES DOWN” ONE OR MORE TIMES ALONG A LONG, NARROW (TYPICALLY 10-100 M) PATH.

  25. PHYSICS OF A TORNADO

  26. HAZARDS OF A TORNADO (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS) • WIND: SPEEDS CAN REACH 500 KM/HR (300 MI/HR) • THUNDER, LIGHTNING, AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION E EXTREME • HAIL CAN BE VERY DAMAGING

  27. HISTORIC OCCURRENCES

  28. THIRTY TO FORTY TORNADOES STRIKE FIVE SOUTHERN STATES Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee impacted 54 dead FEBRUARY 5, 2008

  29. LOCATION MAP

  30. TORNADOE SEASON AFFECTED BY LA NINA • This tornado outbreak could be a consequence of La Nina, the cooling of the Pacific Ocean, which can cause changes in weather patterns around they world.

  31. WARNING • The people had ample warning to get out of harm’s way and take cover, … • In spite of the fact that some of the warning sirens did not work.

  32. A TORNADO TOUCHES DOWN NEAR ATKINS, ARKANSAS

  33. DEVASTATION NEAR ATKINS, ARKANSAS

  34. DEVASTATION NEAR ATKINS, ARKANSAS

  35. DEVASTATION NEAR ATKINS, ARKANSAS

  36. COLLAPSE OF WAREHOUSE IN SOUTH HAVEN, MS

  37. COLLAPSE OF WALL IN SHOPPING MALL: MEMPHIS, TN

  38. A FIRE BROKE OUT IN A NATURAL GAS PUMPING STATION: HARTSVILLE, TN

  39. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SYSTEM SPAWNS TORNADOES IN TEXAS:APRIL 24, 2008

  40. A SUPERCELL

  41. THE FUNNEL

  42. WORST DAMAGE NEAR FT WORTH, TX WITH LOSSES ESTIMATED AT $35 MILLION WIND SPEED REACHED 116 KM/HR (70 MI HR) IMPACTS IN WEST AND NORTH TEXAS

  43. HEAVY RAIN FALL CAUSED POWER OUTAGES AND MINOR FLOODING BASEBALL-SIZED HAIL IMPACTS IN WEST AND NORTH TEXAS

  44. WIND DAMAGE

  45. TORNADOES STRIKE IOWA AND MINNESOTA Continuation of deadliest tornado season in a decade Accompanied by large hail May 25, 2008

  46. HUGO, MINNESOTA: DEBRIS MARKS STORM'S PATH

  47. PARKERSBURG, IOWA: DAMAGE

  48. PARKERSBURG, IOWA: LOOKING FOR SURVIVORS

  49. LESSONS LEARNED FROM TORNADOES • RECOVERY USUALLY TAKES LONGER ANDCOSTS MORETHAN EXPECTED.

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