Tornados

[Jtacke14]

My family may be moving to Omaha. I may have watched twister too many times as a kid, but do residents worry about them? I feel like I would be in edge the whole time i dont mind the cold, snow or rain but if someone could give me some onsite on what the tornados are like that would he great! Also, my husband and i both work for tmobile. He would be transfering as a territory manager and i would be leaving the company to be with the kids more at home. I would like a part time job while the kids are in school, however. I would love to open my own in home daycare or have my own cleaning business. Wondering what people charge for those services and if i could make some decent side money. Thanks for your help!

[nebugeater]

Pay attention to the warnings. Most do not worry about them at all. Overall IMO they are devastating when they hit but also they are a lot less widespread than a hurricane or even some earthquakes.

[Jtacke14]

Neighborhood
Tornados
Post Fri Sep 20, 2019 7:43 am

My family may be moving to Omaha. I may have watched twister too many times as a kid, but do residents worry about them? I feel like I would be in edge the whole time i dont mind the cold, snow or rain but if someone could give me some onsite on what the tornados are like that would he great! Also, my husband and i both work for tmobile. He would be transfering as a territory manager and i would be leaving the company to be with the kids more at home. I would like a part time job while the kids are in school, however. I would love to open my own in home daycare or have my own cleaning business. Wondering what people charge for those services and if i could make some decent side money. Thanks for your help! Also wondering what things are cheaper...we currently live in northern california. Pge, housing, car registration, pretty much everything is expensive.

[Jtacke14]

Thank you for the response!

[Brad]

Good or Bad, when there is a tornado warning, most people run outside and look at the sky. We have only had a few minor tornadoes in the Omaha metro in the past few decades, so most of the residents are really complacent and don't seek shelter like the experts/authorities tell us to do. Eventually we will have a bad tornado and people will start to listen and take proper action again, but until then, most people will complain to the local tv stations that the bachelor was interrupted by weather programming...

[Jtacke14]

Omg! Haha

[BRoss]

We don't really get hit with them that often. In fact I don't think we even had a tornado warning last year and haven't this year so far.

But they can and have hit: 1975 Omaha tornado outbreak

But as Brad said, most people aren't really that concerned and don't take them too seriously.

[Jtacke14]

Thanks!

[Cermak]

Just keep an eye on the weather, especially in May and June. The chances of actually being hit by a Tornado is very low, but you need to pay attention to the warnings.

[stormchaser]

Like others have said, pay attention to the warnings and actually seek shelter when necessary and you'll be fine (or you should be). Many people ignore the warnings and have a mindset that "it will never happen to them" though. Unfortunately I've seen this first hand several times when chasing storms with people who are standing outside and oblivious about the grave danger they are in as I'm driving into a small town that is directly in the path of a nearby tornado. I've yelled at these people to take cover - but most just look at me like I'm crazy but aside from that obviously not much can be done to help those people. Realistically though tornadoes can happen almost anywhere - they are obviously more frequent in this part of the country than others...but really it only takes "one"

[Omahacritic]

Funny ... it’s the Stormchaser videos that have led to people being complacent. It’s like the wildfires in California. Everyone thinks they have time to get to safety.

Jacke... don’t fret. When you choose a house you will find a novelty not too common in California, a basement. That is your storm shelter. Also, modern weather forecasting gives pretty good warnings ... and we have something else unheard of in California ... a warning siren. Trust me, you will hear them if they go off. Native Omahans take them for granted because they have been around over 50 years.

What you can expect ... property prices similar to Redding. Way cheaper than Bay or Delta areas. Property taxes are the same. Vehicle taxes nearly the same. Income taxes are nearly the same.
But ... gasoline is around $1 per gallon cheaper.

[Jtacke14]

Thanks! Lots of great info!

[stormchaser]

Funny ... it’s the Stormchaser videos that have led to people being complacent. It’s like the wildfires in California. Everyone thinks they have time to get to safety.

COMPLETELY untrue. The reason people ignore most tornado warnings is because each time one is issued and a person's area isn't directly impacted by a tornado (which is 99.9% of the time) they view it as a "failed warning" and start assuming "it will never happen to them" or that the warnings are never accurate. Honestly that's like suggesting people drive through flooded roads because they've seen videos of others doing it when in reality it's just the stupidity of some people. Viewing videos of tornadoes has NOTHING to do with it, plain and simple. In fact on the contrary, storm chasers HELP with making reports to the NWS so they can issue accurate/timely warnings and are often first on scene to help with search and rescue when a tornado does occur and in doing so putting our own lives at risk by climbing in and around partially collapsed structures trying to find/help people (something I've done several times, have you?).

Anyhow, I'd suggest refraining from making such accusations when it's a topic you really know nothing about...

[bigredmed1]

The reason the unicameral entertained banning storm chasing is that the actual meteorologists were being filled with tornado pornstars that did stupid |expletive| to get on Discovery Channel and then by the tornado tourists that plugged up highways and prevented first responders from getting into the affected areas.

Discovery Channel quit doing Tornado porn and the need for the law went away.

[Omahacritic]

Funny ... it’s the Stormchaser videos that have led to people being complacent. It’s like the wildfires in California. Everyone thinks they have time to get to safety.

COMPLETELY untrue. The reason people ignore most tornado warnings is because each time one is issued and a person's area isn't directly impacted by a tornado (which is 99.9% of the time) they view it as a "failed warning" and start assuming "it will never happen them" or that the warnings are never accurate. Honestly that's like suggesting people drive through flooded roads because they've seen videos of others doing it when in reality it's just the stupidity of some people. Viewing videos of tornadoes has NOTHING to do with it, plain and simple. In fact on the contrary, storm chasers HELP with making reports to the NWS so they can issue accurate/timely warnings and are often first on scene to help with search and rescue when a tornado does occur and in doing so putting our own lives at risk by climbing in and around partially collapsed structures trying to find/help people (something I've done several times, have you?).

Anyhow, I'd suggest refraining from making such accusations when it's a topic you really know nothing about...

One thing I do know something about ... recognizing hypersensitive people when they post on the internet.

In the meantime we can ignore all the selfies, instagrams, you tube videos and virals posted about storms, fires, and dangerous animals. G’night.

[MadMartin8]

Don't worry about Tornadoes, worry more about the crappy drivers that have a lot more space for their stupidity.

[stormchaser]

Funny ... it’s the Stormchaser videos that have led to people being complacent. It’s like the wildfires in California. Everyone thinks they have time to get to safety.

COMPLETELY untrue. The reason people ignore most tornado warnings is because each time one is issued and a person's area isn't directly impacted by a tornado (which is 99.9% of the time) they view it as a "failed warning" and start assuming "it will never happen them" or that the warnings are never accurate. Honestly that's like suggesting people drive through flooded roads because they've seen videos of others doing it when in reality it's just the stupidity of some people. Viewing videos of tornadoes has NOTHING to do with it, plain and simple. In fact on the contrary, storm chasers HELP with making reports to the NWS so they can issue accurate/timely warnings and are often first on scene to help with search and rescue when a tornado does occur and in doing so putting our own lives at risk by climbing in and around partially collapsed structures trying to find/help people (something I've done several times, have you?).

Anyhow, I'd suggest refraining from making such accusations when it's a topic you really know nothing about...

One thing I do know something about ... recognizing hypersensitive people when they post on the internet.

In the meantime we can ignore all the selfies, instagrams, you tube videos and virals posted about storms, fires, and dangerous animals. G’night.

Lol yep, I'm "hypersensitive" because I disagreed with you and showed how ignorant/ridiculous your comment was.... And can't it just be a result of the dumbing down of our society??

[nebugeater]

Funny ... it’s the Stormchaser videos that have led to people being complacent. It’s like the wildfires in California. Everyone thinks they have time to get to safety.

Jacke... don’t fret. When you choose a house you will find a novelty not too common in California, a basement. That is your storm shelter. Also, modern weather forecasting gives pretty good warnings ... and we have something else unheard of in California ... a warning siren. Trust me, you will hear them if they go off. Native Omahans take them for granted because they have been around over 50 years.

What you can expect ... property prices similar to Redding. Way cheaper than Bay or Delta areas. Property taxes are the same. Vehicle taxes nearly the same. Income taxes are nearly the same.
But ... gasoline is around $1 per gallon cheaper.

People in the midwest have gone out to watch the storms long before the Stormchaser videos ever existed. THis is not the reason.

[stormchaser]

Funny ... it’s the Stormchaser videos that have led to people being complacent. It’s like the wildfires in California. Everyone thinks they have time to get to safety.

Jacke... don’t fret. When you choose a house you will find a novelty not too common in California, a basement. That is your storm shelter. Also, modern weather forecasting gives pretty good warnings ... and we have something else unheard of in California ... a warning siren. Trust me, you will hear them if they go off. Native Omahans take them for granted because they have been around over 50 years.

What you can expect ... property prices similar to Redding. Way cheaper than Bay or Delta areas. Property taxes are the same. Vehicle taxes nearly the same. Income taxes are nearly the same.
But ... gasoline is around $1 per gallon cheaper.

People in the midwest have gone out to watch the storms long before the Stormchaser videos ever existed. THis is not the reason.

Exactly, only now people document and share their stupidity...

[stormchaser]

The reason the unicameral entertained banning storm chasing is that the actual meteorologists were being filled with tornado pornstars that did stupid |expletive| to get on Discovery Channel and then by the tornado tourists that plugged up highways and prevented first responders from getting into the affected areas.

Discovery Channel quit doing Tornado porn and the need for the law went away.

While I understand what you are trying to say (I think), the people who act like idiots around the storms are few and far between (though obviously like everything else in this world there are always a few "bad apples"). As far as people who block roads - the storm chasing community honestly self regulates itself pretty harshly and if you are seen doing such things, you are often crucified by your peers within the community. In my experience, most people acting like complete idiots or blocking roads/first responders near a storm are typically "looky Lou's" from the local area but are often assumed to be chasers too because they happen to be near the storm...

[bigredmed1]

Sorry, but tornado tourists were a problem. LEOs and The NWS have photos and video of these people blocking roads. Because the fad ended, the unicameral dropped the investigation into the need for legal remedies.

BTW, I saw these videos and photos during the NWS annual spotter training back in the 2013-16 range.

[stormchaser]

Sorry, but tornado tourists were a problem. LEOs and The NWS have photos and video of these people blocking roads. Because the fad ended, the unicameral dropped the investigation into the need for legal remedies.

BTW, I saw these videos and photos during the NWS annual spotter training back in the 2013-16 range.

I didn't say it's never been a problem - it just isn't as common of an issue as some people may think (and really hasn't been). You can't take a handful of instances and say that represents a typical scenario. Again like I said before, it's more often locals causing the issues (in my experience) but assumed to be chasers simply because they're in the area of the storm. Also, the number of people out there actually continues to climb - I assure you it hasn't dropped off just because the show is no longer on the Discovery Channel. I've been chasing on a regular basis since 2006. I've seen over 60 tornadoes and often chase several thousand miles each year (obviously, who cares - I'm just saying I've been out there frequently so I know first hand)...

[nativeomahan]

I have lived in Omaha, Nebraska over 60 years, and have “survived” 2 or 3 earthquakes and a handful of tornadoes that have hit the Omaha area during that time. By a big margin, most tornados are rated EF0 or EF1, and remain on the ground mere seconds, or a few moments at most. You have a better chance finding a needle in a haystack than being injured or killed by those storms. Stronger tornadoes do occur, but EF4 and EF5 storms are exceedingly rare, not just in Nebraska but in the nation as a whole.
While Nebraska gets its share of tornadoes, it really isn’t one of the top states for destruction. Florida and other gulf coast states, plus The Mid South, have a much longer tornado season, with more storms, than does Nebraska or Iowa. Most Nebraska tornadoes seem to favor the areas along and south of I-80 and west of Lincoln, where, fortunately, almost no one lives.
Long answer to a short question. You have a much better chance of injuring yourself falling out of bed or down your basement steps than being hurt by a tornado.

[Louie]

I'll say this as well. I have lived here 30 years and never seen one. I have not been chasing them by any means, but they are not all over like a pestilence or something.

[damonhynes]

Sorry, but tornado tourists were a problem. LEOs and The NWS have photos and video of these people blocking roads. Because the fad ended, the unicameral dropped the investigation into the need for legal remedies.

BTW, I saw these videos and photos during the NWS annual spotter training back in the 2013-16 range.

Go to N TX, OK and KS next April. The fad hasn't worn off! I chase a lot less than I used to, and 'chaser convergence' is the main reason why.

[damonhynes]

Don't worry about Tornadoes, worry more about the crappy drivers that have a lot more space for their stupidity.

Not discounting stupid people corepunching when they shouldn't, but more chasers have been killed/injured by:

Bluehairs/drunks
Lightning
Hydroplaning
Wildlife

Than have been by tornadoes.

[Omahacritic]

If you are storm chasing, then lighting, hydroplaning, animals and panicking people are part of the storm. You just as dead whether the wind or the dangers produced by the wind.