Joontae Kim, Assignment No.2 Draft 1

Joontae Kim

Assignment No.2 - 6.30

 

          Deadly Wind that Whirls Around

 

   Death toll of 695, over 2000 injuries, and property damage of over 16.5

million dollars. It is the statistics that indicates the devasting aftermath of the deadliest

tornado that broke out in Mussouri, Illinois and Indiana called 'The Tri State Tornado'.

Although this kind of violent tornado only count for 2% of all tornadoes, we should

be aware of what effects can a tornado bring about and learn about a way to prepare

for it. A tornado, a funnel-shaped whirling wind accompanied by the thunderstorm

when hot and cold air are mixed, can bring about phsycial and psychological

damage on human being, and severe property damages.

 

   One of the major effects of the tornadoes is the physical effects on us, the

human beings. As I have mentioned above, the most violent tornadoes brings about

hundreds and thousands of deaths and injuries. Different from what people normally

would imagine, the flying debris is accountable for most deaths and injuries. The wind

force of a tornado is so powerful that it can tear apart the roofing materials, parts of

cars and other heavy objects. The deaths and severe injuries occur when people are hit

by these debris carried out by the tornadoes. For instance, an outbreak of tornado in

Minnesota, USA lifted up a railroad coach that weighs 88 ton and threw it away for

almost 30 meters. How would we be able to survive from debris that flys through a

wind force so strong as above incident?

 

   Also, there is a long-lasting psychological effect on people. Those who were

fortunate enough to survive from severe tornado still may suffer from what is called as

post traumatic stress disorder. It is a disorder that develops when we have experienced

very traumatic events such as war, plane crash, or natural calamities such as an

earthquake, a tornado, and a hurricane. Even with proper treatment, we may

frequently recollect the moment we barely survived the tornado, avoid the situation

such as going out on a very windy day that reminds us of the incident, and feel

extremely anxious for the rest of our lives.

 

   Last but not least, there is property damage. The strong wind force of tornado

completely destructs the whole area that is affected by it. Although weak tornadoes

may bring about minor damages such as broken window, partial destruction of house,

and others, the most violent tornades can even destruct the structure of buildings that

are over 100 meters tall. In case of the widest tornado that occured recently in Hallam,

Nebraska a record high 4 km wide tornado destructed 95% of all houses and buildings

that was located in the area. Even though it was in a rural area, it resulted in property

damage of 175 million dollars. Also, property damage includes the effort we must put

into restore the damages that has been done. It takes months and months to rebuild the

houses and buildings, restore the infrastructure such as water supply, electricity, and

traffic and others. Not only the contractors for the restoration work but also residents

of the area puts countless hours into the rebuilding of the area.

 

   A tornado is weather phenomenon that can bring about devasting results:

physical effect such as deaths and severe injuries, long-lasting psychological effect

such as post traumatic stress disorder, and enormous damage on personal property and

social infrastructure as well. Since it is a natural phenomenon, we are not able to

prevent it in the first place. I, however, believe that we can minimize the death tolls

and injuries by proceeding a campaign on tornades including information such as

what are the indicators of upcoming tornado, how to react to it, where is the nearest

emergency shelter, and others.