What makes tornadoes especially dangerous is that they are often difficult to see because the wind itself is invisible.
First hand accounts from survivors tornadoes they revealed the painful reality about the what it’s like to be a victim of one of these natural disasters.
A tornado, as defined by NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratoryis “a narrow, violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm toward the ground». What makes tornadoes especially dangerous is that they are often difficult to see because the wind itself is invisible. They become visible only when a condensation funnel is formed, which consists of water droplets, dust and debris. By the time a tornado becomes visible, it may already be too late to react.
The strength of a tornado is measured by the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which ranges from EF0 to EF5. An EF5 tornado has wind speeds of up to 512 kilometers per hour – powerful enough to drag houses and carry them considerable distances before disintegrating. Despite their terrifying power, some people caught in tornadoes have lived to tell their tales. Their stories, recorded by the National Weather Service, provide a chilling picture of the reality of surviving one of the most violent weather phenomena.
One such survivor, Eric Simmons, recounted his terrifying encounter with a tornado in May 2019. He had taken cover in his truck when the storm hit. “I looked out my right windshield and noticed that the vines growing along the fence had begun to shake somewhat strangely.“, he recalled. Moments later, everything around him went dark as the wind picked up in a way he had never seen before.
“I could feel the back of the truck lift. I could still see out the front windshield and I could see power lines exploding in front of me,” Simmons recounted. Visibility was poor, but he could see flashes as power lines sparked. The tornado’s fury lasted about 45 seconds, but to Simmons it seemed like an eternity.
Survivor stories like Simmons’ highlight the terrifying reality of being in the path of a tornado. Unlike the fictional portrayal in movies, where danger is met with calmness or even humor, real-life tornado encounters are characterized by a mixture of sheer terror, helplessness, and nature’s unpredictability.
