Wilson NC Tornado Damages Middle School

An off-shooting tornado from Tropical Storm Debby damaged a Wilson, NC, middle school and ten homes Wednesday night. While authorities continue sifting through the storm’s damage, no serious injuries have been reported so far from the slowly dissipating storm. Wilson is located in eastern North Carolina, about an hour from Raleigh. Although only the outer fringes of the state must contend with Debby’s slowly departing remnants, the storm system has proven problematic as the stalled, receding eyewall continues to drench Carolina communities. Debby is a tropical anomaly. After making landfall near the Florida panhandle earlier this week, the hurricane veered back into the Atlantic, picking up momentum and moisture, before returning stateside to inundate at the Carolinas and Georgia. Debby’s last stand slowly withers into a final torrid lament as the storm unravels across the mid-Atlantic.

Wilson NC Tornado Catches Residents Off-Guard

While Carolinians were made well aware of the storm’s trajectory in the days preceding landfall, few residents undoubtedly anticipated a tornado. Hard-grained images of capsizing pleasure boats, bending palm trees, and torrential flooding are news crews’ most common stock fodder, eliciting broad audiences during hurricane season. Unfortunately, tornadoes are a common residual effect of hurricanes making landfall that don’t get a fraction of deserving airtime. A hurricane’s tightly woven outer bands pack a potent punch of high-charged atmospheric energy as the vanguard of the eyewall’s destructive prowess moves inland. Because hurricanes’ trajectory favors low-lying coastal areas, the combination of turbulent, super-charged air produces ripe conditions for tornadic activity. Debby’s “plus-one” tornado invite was RSVP’d well in advance, as a similar twister was reported in Monck’s Corner, SC, where the storm skipped the drive-thru and crashed an Arby’s dining room – at least they have a legit excuse for a broken ice cream machine.

Why Are Tornadoes So Dangerous During Hurricanes?

Although no one takes news of an incoming hurricane lightly, most are woefully inept to withstand the multitude of effects. As they settle in for the next two days, residents within a hurricane’s path can easily overlook the battery of threats heading their away, including tornadoes. Hunkered within their homes while riding out the storm’s worse, residents unable to safely evacuate have likely become lost in the tedium of persistent gale-force winds, lulling them into a false sense of complacency as a tornado barrels down on their home. It’s true. Hurricanes are more known for producing historic flooding and high-velocity sustained winds that can topple sturdy foundations. The deafening tell-tale freight train tornado-shrill can be easily confused as another whiplashing rain band moving overhead before becoming enveloped in the eerily quiet eye-wall. It’s within this momentary lapse of judgment that a tornado can strike, inflicting damage far greater than a well-advertised, low-caliber storm.

Tornadoes come like a thief in the night in the south. Even during a week-long hurricane foray, tornadoes prefer to strike during the depths of a darkened starless night with impeccable timing as emergency crews are busy, relieving the countless medical emergencies that befall every coastal community. With heavily dotted tree lines and gentle rolling piedmont hills obfuscating the horizon, diligent storm spotters cannot sound the alarm of the incoming funnel cloud. Those residents who have chosen to ride out the storm are relegated to dense populations at community centers for improvised hurricane shelters. Although ad hoc shelters are better than nothing, they do little to deter a tornado’s deadly effects.

Community Shelters Save Lives During Hurricanes, Tornadoes

Fortunately, the damaged middle school was unoccupied during last night’s tornado in Wilson, NC. Schools, churches, and community centers are common and practical makeshift hurricane shelters. They are sturdy, spacious, and easily accessible, making them a logical choice for large populations unable to evacuate. While larger structures can withstand a hurricane’s unrelenting winds and heavy rainfall, they offer only light resistance to incoming tornadoes.

Community storm shelters offer superior life-saving protection for large populations during hurricanes and tornadoes. Our community shelters are comprised of solid steel paneling and superior welds, allowing these emboldened fortified structures to protect dozens of residents. They can be easily located adjacent to schools, churches, and civic centers. Shelter evacuees can quickly relocate to our community shelter during tornadoes before returning to their more accommodating bunks, such as a school, within the hurricane shelter. While many townships hesitate to invest in community storm shelters due to perceived cost inhibitions, many FEMA and federal grants can offset costs, making community shelters an affordable and logical steel solution to persistent threats. (It’s about time our taxes funded a worthy cause instead of another pointless war!) Take advantage of these life-saving features and give your residents some much-needed peace of mind during chaotic times. Contact us today for a free quote and consultation!