Tornado and guns.

[Walkalong]

So very glad to hear you and your family are safe, as well as the pup. The rest is just stuff.

Good points on the safe and ammo can. We do what we can, and hope it never happens to us.

Good luck on getting things back together soon.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

I'm glad to hear that everyone in your family, including your pup is ok. Your family is in our thoughts as you guys get back on your feet.

 

[Eaglestroker]

Life can't be replaced, your family and your pup were both blessed with no harm. The rest will just take time and money to replace - stay safe and thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[Willie Sutton]

Sorry for your loss. I have also lost a house and almost everything I owned after decades of hard work: I had 8 feet of water go thru my single floor house in Hurricaine Sandy. My guns did survive because I had a half hour to get them into the attic. They are all that I was able to save from all that was at the house. It's something that you will recover from, but something that will haunt you for life. Loss of a house like this is like being in battle: People have either gone thru it, or they don't really understand it at all. Salvage what you can and be grateful to be alive. Life will go on. I'm so glad for your pup... I just scratched my spaniel on the head and realized how lucky you are to have him as a survivor. Give him a scratch for me.

Willie

.

 

[gfpd707]

Just thought I would give an update on how things are going. My insurance adjuster so far is treating us very well. I was unsure about my policy covering ammo and accesories but he told me it would be covered under my normal contents. I believe we have found a house to purchase and one of the first things I will move in will be a large proper safe that will be bolted to the garage floor. I will also purchase some sort of sturdy steel cabinet to store my ammo in. Trying to list everything that you owned that is now gone is quite a dawnting and emotional task.

 

[Mike1234567]

RE listing our belongings: Yes, we should all do that before any type of disaster strikes and we should keep the list updated... but most of us don't.

Glad to hear your insurance company is treating you fairly.

 

[gym]

Sorry for your pain. Your alive and so is your family and doggy. The rest will be replaced and in time it will just be a bad memory that gradually will fade away. We are made to forget and move on, it's just the way we are wired.
The question is do you rebuild or move? My little safe is bolted to the slab. But you never know with these things, between floods and fires that break out, it's just luck. I see you were insured, all will work out.

 

[BSA1]

Tornado Classificiations

F0 – Wind 40–72 mph Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged.

F1 - Wind 73–112 mph Moderate damage. The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed; peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off the roads; attached garages may be destroyed.

F2 - Wind 113–157 mph Significant damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars overturned; large trees snapped or uprooted; highrise windows broken and blown in; light-object missiles generated.

F3 - Wind 158–206 mph Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown.

F4 - Wind 207–260 mph Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated.

F5 - Wind 261–318 mph Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 m (110 yd); trees debarked; steel reinforced concrete structures badly damaged.

Anything above ground level with F-3 and stronger is gone including bolted down safes. Another thing to consider is what condition the safe will be in when it is found. While it may be intact getting the door open may be a challenge depending on much it is twisted, dented, tossed around to say nothing of the condition of the contents.

The good news is tornados is the damage is limited when compared to a hurricane but tornados can occur not only in the Midwest and along coastal areas with hurricanes. It areas with high water tables concrete safe rooms may provide adequate protection although going below ground level is the best choice.

 

[Grassman]

I have always worried about this, and I live in the heart of tornado alley in north Texas. After reading your account, I am not prepared.

 

[gym]

So going below ground has to be the only thing one can do? Perhaps a concrete lined bunker with steel door flat to the earth? To a layman it sounds like the only semi safe way to survive one of those disasters. We get Hurricanes here in FL, I have been through 2 of the big ones, many small ones, but nothing like that. Roofs were the worse things we lost, and peripheral damage to trees and sprinkler systems pulled out, pools destroyed, but that's nothing compared to blowing your entire home away.
I have seen a home built like a dome here in FL, "out of concrete" supposedly able to withstand a Cat 4 Hurricane, but it has not been tested yet, and hopefully won't ever be, as it will be the only thing left.

 

[BSA1]

gym,

Going underground greatly improves your odds of survival but what part of the basement you take shelter in is very important to avoid injury/death from debris falling into the basement. For example I know of a child that was killed when the chimney collapsed into the basement.

The best protection is a underground vault with flat door. A angle door is more convenient and easier to climb in and out off. Opinions vary whether to use one made of fiberglass, steel or concrete. I would avoid fiberglass as they have problems with staying stable in wet ground. As you are in Florida I would be concerned about the water table.

Take a look at the link in Post 18. A common reason I have seen why people do not use underground shelters is they don't want to get wet from the rain preceding a tornado getting into the shelter. That is why I like the one that is installed in a garage.

And to keep this gun related with a little preplanning it can make a great fire and theft proof vault.

 

[gfpd707]

123

 

[gfpd707]

This is what left of my house. It is on top of and in the neighbors. My guns and ammo went over this pile another 50 yards. My dog was found unharmed at about the level of my waist.

 

[floorit76]

You're darn lucky to be alive, and so is your dog. We drive through there every year or so headed to Penfield. I can't imagine what it will look like next time we come through.

 

[gahunter12]

WOW! May God Bless you and your family! I'm glad everyone is ok! I haven two majors fears in life. Tornados, and fires. I have been through 2 Torandos while hunting, 2 while on the lake fishing a bass tournament, and one hit my home town when I was in te 5th grade. Tornados render you helpless when trying to protect your family. I hope your family has a Merry Christmas!

 

[Havok7416]

Anything above ground level with F-3 and stronger is gone including bolted down safes. Another thing to consider is what condition the safe will be in when it is found. While it may be intact getting the door open may be a challenge depending on much it is twisted, dented, tossed around to say nothing of the condition of the contents.

Not to say this is always the case, but there is a safe that survived the May 20, Moore, OK tornado that is in the local gun shop. That tornado was an F5 and flattened the house the safe was in. There is a picture next to the safe of the owner standing with just his bolted-down safe in the wreckage of his home. The safe appears to be in decent condition, with no warping or anything wrong besides some missing paint.

 

[Mike1234567]

This is what left of my house. It is on top of and in the neighbors. My guns and ammo went over this pile another 50 yards. My dog was found unharmed at about the level of my waist.

CRIPES!! Yeah, that's what happens in t-alley. I moved to Floresville, TX "partly" because tornadoes almost always develop and move NE of here.

 

[Pizzapinochle]

I lived in tornado alley (ok/ark border) and what I learned about tornadoes is that they can do WHATEVER they want. They could hit one house and rip a heavy safe bolted to reinforced concrete clean out of the floor and smash it to pieces and leave the next house completely untouched. Definitely taking steps to protect is prudent, but nothing you do will not rely on at least a bit of luck when it comes to twisters.

Glad to hear that the OP and family are ok. Despite my former residence, I was fortunate to only see material destruction from twisters and never had to deal with lost friends or family.