From March to May of every year, the southern states are occasionally plagued by disastrous weather phenomenon known as tornadoes. For northern states, the risk comes during spring to the onset of summer.
Tornadoes are considered as storms. And you know that no storm is not violent. The dangers caused by tornadoes are not due to the gustiness of the winds but by sudden and unanticipated occurrence.
Unlike hurricanes, which are comparatively more powerful, the onset of a tornado can not be easily tracked. Satellite weather systems can not easily spot them because of their sudden development and their relatively smaller scale.
Thus, people can only tell that there is a tornado when they actually see one. Tornadoes are massive and destructive mass of air accumulating rapidly is a circular manner. The wind is so strong that almost everything that comes to the way of the tornado is easily flown into it.
How to tell if a tornado is approaching
Before any safety measure, it is imperative that you be knowledgeable about the appearance and the indicators of the presence of the violent weather phenomenon.
Take note that before a tornado hits an area, the wind may not be destructive minutes before the tornado hits the place. Often, before a tornado is observed, the wind may be very still. There may or may not be presence of rain.
Usually, tornadoes occur at the trailing end of a thunderstorm. Thus, if there is strong thunderstorm, be prepared on the possibility that a tornado may come anytime during of before the thunderstorm ends.
Because tornadoes are made up basically of strong and whirling winds, one can not easily see them. Often, reported cases indicate that the tornado appears like a cloud-like structure.
Tornadoes can be seen due to the debris and dust they have accumulated while tracking their courses. You may see the debris rotating in the air in circular, whirling motion.
Before a tornado hits an area, you can also hear loud roaring sound that is almost similar to an approaching freight train. The wind will also become turbulent and destructive.
Safety measures before a tornado
One indicator that a tornado will possibly hit an area is dark and often violet to greenish sky, which is prevalent during destructive thunderstorms.
When you see and feel the indications of an approaching tornado, find a safe shelter right away. Remember, tornadoes are destructive and fatal not merely because of the strong winds but because of the debris they have accumulated.
These debris vary from roof, to large rocks, to large chunks of trees. When people are hit by such debris, that is the time the tornado becomes fatal. So make sure the shelter you find would protect you from any such debris.
Safety measures during a tornado
Homes located in areas that are often hit by tornadoes almost always have basements. Basements offer reliable protection to people during tornadoes, so find one during an attack of a tornado.
If you are in your car, just get out and find a safe shelter. Or simply lie down on sturdy structure. Lie flat and cover the head with hands. Be alert and look out for falling debris coming from the tornado.
After the tornado, make sure any structure in your home is not significantly damaged. Otherwise, seek professional help all at once to ensure your safety.
Tornadoes are phenomenal that one can not prevent it from occurring. However, if you know the how-to's of being safe during such weather disturbances, you would avoid being one of the many casualties arising from such a weather turbulence.
A war is possibly the last thing anybody would want to live to experience. The world has already been a witness to several wars. As students, we have studied different wars and how the people during those times have lived. War times are definitely not good times.
Recently, different parts in the world have gone to war. We see different war footages on television and notice how the number of casualties exponentially rises up. Although almost everybody realize that there are no victors in wars, we can’t seem to totally eliminate the prospect of having to go to war.
Somebody famous once said, if we want peace, we have to prepare for war. But as mere civilians, we don’t have that much power to largely make a difference during war times. The most we could probably do is to prepare ourselves, if in case war breaks out suddenly.
Just like in preparing for natural calamities, we need to stock as much food and water as possible. Equally important are pieces of cloth that we could use to cover our mouth and nose, and sunglasses for our eyes as protection against dust particles brought about by bombings and the like.
On a larger scale, the government planning to involve in a war should have prepared emergency underground facilities. These facilities would contain grain silos and medical stockpiles. Civilians and injured soldiers are usually housed in one of these underground facilities.
Large cities in the United States have several underground centers that they could use during war emergency situations. Examples of these are the underground facilities near major railroads.
Aside from gun and ammo, the government should also equip themselves with machineries such as truck transportable bridges, mobile refineries, mobile decontamination services, and water purification systems. Other amenities such as petroleum supply are especially reserved for times of war.
Of course, the government will have to organize effective cooperation between its different civil services. The police, healthcare service, fire service and other public utility providers are expected to work together to ensure that civilians get as much protection as possible. Sometimes, able bodies might be requested to undergo special training programs to help protect the rest of the civilians.
War is such a large scale event that as individuals and small communities, we could only do so much. Most of the preparations involved are left to the national government and international security institutions. As citizens, we will be left with no choice but to follow where the government leads us in times of war. Collective effort is very important for survival.
Probably the most effective way of preparing for war is to disseminate information effectively and rapidly. Information on self-protection should be disseminated to the public. Concerned international authorities will also be able to benefit from information sharing. A large pool of information resources will be helpful for both parties, and would allow them to hopefully come into an agreement even before war could eventually break out.
Because of high technology, which greatly affects how the world goes to war, preparing for war is getting more and more complicated. We already have nuclear, chemical and biological weapons which can wipe out a continent within a few minutes. High walled palaces made of stone which used to protect early civilizations from war are not enough anymore with the severity of the damage which these weapons can cause.
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