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by Jeff Csatari, AARP, February 9, 2022
We used to know what to expect when it came to the weather: It was warm in the South, colder in the North, and there were dry seasons and rainy seasons. We knew what weather emergencies to plan for.
But things have changed. No one in Texas was expecting the cold snap that knocked out power and killed more than 200 people in February 2021, most of them from hypothermia. Nor were Tennessee residents ready for the flash floods that tore through Nashville last March, killing six and wiping out dozens of homes. And the tornadoes that struck Kentucky and elsewhere last December were part of an alarming trend: Although an average of 145 tornadoes sweep through the U.S. each year between January and March, five of the past six seasons have been above average, with 218 twisters hitting in those three months last year.
As our climate changes, more of us are seeing extreme weather that we’ve never encountered before. Read on for some dangers that can arise when the weather gets weird and how you can protect yourself.
Not all tornadoes look like the one in The Wizard of Oz. Many aren’t even visible; they can be wrapped in rain, cloud cover or darkness. The following are telltale signs of hidden funnel activity: whirling dust or debris under thick clouds; rain and hail, followed by a fast, strong wind shift; a loud roar that doesn’t fade like thunder does. At night you may see blue, green or white flashes near ground level. That’s not lightning, though — it means wind is knocking around power lines. Heed all warnings on your phone, TV or radio.
The biggest tornado threat is debris (especially glass) riding 100-plus mph winds. At home, avoid windows and use small, centrally located rooms for shelter.
Cellular service can be overloaded or disabled in a storm. Keep a battery-powered radio at home so you don’t miss tornado warnings, suggests Roger Edwards, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
A blackout caused by an ice storm or blizzard can quickly turn deadly, due to hypothermia or the dangerous mistakes people make while trying to stay warm.
“The cold can make people do things they should know better than to attempt,” says retired Deputy Assistant Chief John Norman, a firefighter for nearly 50 years, including 27 with the New York City Fire Department. “I’ve seen people start a large fire in a bathtub and in metal barrels on wooden floors, which promptly ignite.”
One of the most common hazards is carbon monoxide buildup in homes when people use electricity generators placed too close to the house, Norman notes. A high concentration of the colorless, odorless gas can kill within five minutes.
It can sound like a freight train roaring through your living room, or gunshots, popping or crackling. Or you may hear nothing at all, even though there’s a blaze halfway up the inside of your chimney. Walk outside and look up; you’ll likely see dense black smoke billowing unnaturally out of your house.
“Slow-burning, long-lasting chimney fires can generate more than 2,100 degrees of heat,” notes Russ Dimmitt, educational director of the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). Once a chimney fire has started, there’s little you can do besides hustle out of your house and call the fire department. But there are steps you can take to avoid this emergency.
If you see that someone has plunged into a frozen lake or river, don’t rush to the rescue. The last thing you need is to become victim number two, which is what will happen if you run onto the ice. Instead, call 911. Then:
Never venture onto ice unless you’re sure it’s 4 to 5 or more inches thick. Even when you think it’s thick enough to hold you, anticipate falling through, says Gordon Giesbrecht, and have a plan for how you’ll manage if you do.
The top causes of flood-related drownings are driving into floodwater and walking in or near floodwater. Here’s why: Six inches of running water can knock someone off their feet, 12 inches of running water can move a vehicle, and 2 feet of still water can float a vehicle. If your tailpipe gets submerged, your car will stall. If your battery gets submerged, it will fail in 10 to 15 minutes.
And it’s very difficult to estimate the depth of water, especially at night. “No matter the size and weight of the vehicle, when water gets more than halfway up the tires, you’ve overcommitted,” says Michael Berna, a Maryland-based swift-water trainer for Rescue 3 International. “I’ve seen fire engines float away.”
If the road ahead is submerged, don’t take the risk of trying to forge through. Instead:
Jeff Csatari is the author of Your Best Body at 40+ and many other books. He has also written for Men’s Health, Popular Mechanics and Men’s Journal.
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