Comments by "wily wascal" (@wilywascal2024) on "Kentucky governor describes devastation: Towns are gone" video.
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A "tornado shelter" in the candle factory that didn't really offer much shelter, sadly resulting in many senseless deaths. No U.S. tornado is known to have killed more than 80 people outside the core tornado season from March to June. If more than 80 deaths recorded, this Mayfield, KY December tornado will become among the 25 most deadly in U.S. history, despite occurring outside the core tornado season in December. If more than 100, it will be among the 15 most deadly. At least two F5/EF5 tornadoes are on the record books for December: one in Vicksburg, Mississippi on Dec. 5, 1953, that killed 38 (the deadliest December tornado on record up to this year), and one on Dec. 18, 1957, that struck Sunfield, Illinois, as part of the state’s most severe outbreak on record so late in the year. Annually, the U.S.averages over 1,000 tornadoes a year, with only one per year rating as an EF5. However, the last EF5 was in Moore, OK in May of 2013, and before that in Joplin, MO in May of 2011. This Mayfield tornado is certain to be classified as at least an EF4, and may well have been an EF5, but it could take as long as a week before confirmed by the National Weather Service.
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@stephendavidbailey2743 ~ That's a memory that would stick with a person. Lived in Texas for a number of years, not too far from Waco in the Dallas area, but that was long after that tornado, and personally experienced no tornadoes while there, fortunately. Have a daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren who have lived near Waco for some time now, perhaps a little closer to Fort Worth than Waco.
However, have a vivid memory of my own as a young child, staring out our big picture window in the living room during a bad storm in Illinois, watching dust devils kicking up, then seeing the station wagon parked in our front drive completely lifted off the ground several inches. Looking back now, considering the suspension, it was probably lifted nearly a foot to get the tires off the ground that much. Of course, my mother immediately shouted for me and my siblings to get away from the window and go into the basement. Luckily, no tornado touched down that day, and we moved to another state a few years later, but about 20 years later, a tornado devastated much of that same town we used to live in.
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@stephendavidbailey2743 ~ Yeah, down south they don't have many basements, but some homes have what are also called 'storm cellars' separate from the house, often used for storing home canning----a practice that dates back to early times, before electricity and refrigeration. Some storm cellars were filled with ice harvested during the winter, to keep perishables from spoiling during the warmer months. Now, I see they've been building into or adding on to homes special reinforced shelters for tornadoes down south, which is great, and long overdue----especially in Tornado Alley states.
Never understood why they didn't build more basements down south, as they help keep the house cool during the hot summer months and can be remodeled into extra living space to escape the heat. It also creates more living space above ground, as furnaces, water heaters, water softeners, laundry appliances, plumbing, etc. can be placed there. I know it's a costly added expense, and not possible in all soils, but I missed not having them when down there.
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