COMMENTARY | Late Tuesday afternoon, storms producing tornadoes, high flat lying winds, ping pong-ball sized hail, and downpours swept across the middle of the U.S. Towns have been destroyed in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
More than a dozen people have been killed across the three states. While Harrisburg, Ill., turned back volunteers, Haryville, Kansas, wasn’t letting volunteers in to help with searches and town cleanup in Wabaunsee County south of Topeka, Kansas. Other storms in southern Kansas produced tornadoes and straight lying winds that snapped powerline poles and trees that caused power outages and a state highway closing east of Winfield, Kansas.
As the storms flew through Kansas at 65 miles an hour, they made their way into Missouri wreaking havoc on and near Silver Dollar City. The part of the system that hit Haryville, swept into Nebraska and into Harrisburg, Ill.
While parts of the U.S. were experience tornadic storms in February, the upper part of the nation was preparing for blizzard-like conditions. With weather disturbances plaguing parts of the U.S into Leap Day, spring seems to have collided with winter.
These weren’t the first storms in February 2012 that produced tornadoes. Tornado producing storms swept across Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida hardly a week before these deadly tornadic storms in Kansas, Illinois, and Missouri. Four days after those storms, Feb. 22, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, and Kentucky saw their share of damaging storms.
Even with destructive spring weather starting weeks earlier than usual, everyone should find methods to use to keep up with the latest weather forecasts. There are windup and battery powered radios, weather alert radios, weather apps most news stations have to download to a cell phone, TV stations, and internet weather alert systems including local news and radio stations on Facebook and Twitter, you can tune into for updates. I have bought weather radios and a windup and battery powered radios to have on hand due to power outages that happen during storms such as these.
Also having a safe place for your family to gather if there is a tornado is another measure you should have in place. I would also suggest having flashlights both battery and windup and battery powered lanterns on hand in case of a power outage. Having a way to see around your darkened home can prevent unnecessary injuries.
Just be prepared and alert when storm warnings start coming in near your area.