HOUSTON — Residents of Southeast Texas are no strangers to storms, including tornadoes.
Although tornadoes in Texas are normally on the weaker side, many Texans are preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Stephen Cox owns Texas Storm Shelter. It's a business that includes installing above-ground shelters for Texans. The shelters are anchored to a home’s foundation.
“They are able to withstand 250+ mile per hour winds,” Cox explained.
The shelters cost between $7,000 to $14,000, and over the past two years, Cox says demand has gone up. Customers said weather uncertainty is to blame.
“Unpredictable weather patterns that we’ve been seeing as of late,” said Cox, "Having tornadoes in December and October or November. That type of thing. A lot more people have become a lot more aware and are looking for some additional safety.”
KHOU11 meteorologist Pat Cavlin says Southeast Texas is not seeing more large tornadoes, although other parts of the country have been in recent years. There are studies to see whether tornados are shifting outside Tornado and Dixie Alley, the two known hotspots.
“These studies are basically trying to figure out, is it going to be the new normal,” Cavlin explained, “Or is this an anomaly that’s happening over a span of several years?”
No matter a tornado’s strength, emergency plans should be the same.
For the majority of Texans who don’t have a storm shelter, the safest place is an interior room on the lowest floor and away from windows. If possible, a mattress can be secured overhead.
Cavlin suggests wearing a bike helmet and hard-soled shoes as well to protect yourself.
Tornado Safety
KHOU 11 Chief Meteorologist David Paul said tornadoes are one of nature’s most dangerous and scary phenomena.
The intensity of tornadoes is measured using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale.
In Houston and southeast Texas, when we get tornadoes, most often they are the weak tornadoes, EF 0, that come and go quickly, sometimes with little to no warning.
Stronger tornados, like the most intense EF 5, are most often seen in areas like Kansas.
According to the NWS, you need to be aware of three different tornado alerts:
- Tornado Watch: Weather conditions could lead to the formation of severe storms and tornadoes
- Tornado Warning: A tornado has been spotted or indicated by weather radar, meaning a tornado is occurring or expected soon
- Tornado Emergency: An exceedingly rare situation with a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage due to a confirmed violent tornado
If you're in your home or business and a tornado is headed to your area, stay inside and head to the first floor. Find an interior closet away from the exterior walls of the home or building.
You want to stay away from walls that have windows or glass doors because broken glass could be the most dangerous part of a tornado.