Oklahoma Tornado.

[mikey4444]

Yet again serious damage and loss of life in another American tornado. This will happen over and over for the rest of the tornado season this year, and for ever after. I have friends living in the Mid West. Few things frighten them more than tornadoes. Mad idiots with too many guns they can take in their stride but tornadoes terrify them.

But why are so many of these buildings constructed of such flimsy materials ?
Surely brick and concrete would be a more suitable method ?

[ummmm]

Clanad answered it here...

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1244564.html

[LazyGun]

Already been asked, mikey, including questions about the building materials etc.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1244564.html

[mikey4444]

Thanks you two....I must have missed this post.

I have ready Clanad and always interesting getting such an expert contribution. But I'm not sure if my original query was entirely answered. I have travelled a great deal across the States and the building methods are nearly always the same, flimsy being the operative word. Is it any wonder that such tragedy can occur ? Not all tornadoes are as powerful as this recent one. There are hundreds every year, and not just in "Tornado Alley" They always cause what would seem to be avoidable damage. Americans just never seem to learn.

[LazyGun]

I have travelled a fair bit in the US myself, mikey on business and for pleasure, and can honestly say I have never paid any particular attention to the flimsiness or otherwise of their buildings.

All I will say is that they presumably have State or Federal building codes that houses and public buildings must conform to, and given OKs location, I would have thought it a reasonable assumption that they would have given some thought to the possible effect of a Tornado.

That primary school for instance looked pretty robustly built to me, but ended up like so much matchwood - ditto for the hospital.

It is really difficult to get a true sense of the sheer power of a tornado unless you have experienced one directly. I was unfortunate enough to have caught the waning force of one in the Caribbean some years ago - and that was frightening and destructive enough...

[mikey4444]

Thanks lazy gun.