On 1/7/2016 3:48 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 1/7/2016 2:23 PM, Eagle wrote:

Doesn't shake you up about a twister hitting your home? I think I'd
have a BIG
room in the house that is twister proof. I'd prolly spend most of our
time in
that room durring tornado season!
Earthquakes don't scare Me, but tornadoes do. :-? Maybe because we
live in a
earthquake prone area?

I think a lot of it has to do with *familiarity* with a risk.

Things with which you have no first-hand experience can conjure up
all sorts of nightmarish scenarios, in your imagination. OTOH,
practical exposure allows you to more accurately gauge those
risks in a REAL context.

Folks who've never encountered a cougar, rattlesnake, tarantula,
gila monster, poisonous spider, etc. might cringe at the thought.
In practice, you realize they aren't going to CHARGE you but,
rather, will shy away -- unless you provoke them! So, instead
of thinking that they are "lying in wait" for an unsuspecting "you"
to come along, you realize they're going to ignore you -- unless
you force them NOT to!

Coming to this realization WITHOUT direct experience is difficult.

Seeing the devastation of a "natural disaster" leaves your imagination
unconstrained to IMAGINE what it must have been like. In practice,
I suspect the appraisal is very different.

We've had about 6 close calls during tornado season. All we can do is
pay attention to where the storms are and what direction they're moving,
but when they're coming straight for us you decide just how much you
believe in prayer. The best hiding place in a house is a room with no
outside walls or windows. We have one tiny coat closet that fits that
description and the door doesn't latch tight on it. Probably one small
person could squat down in it. The other choice is the bedroom closet,
but it's on a west facing wall. The house is built in an L shape and
the closet would be located on the inside corner of the L. Me, the
hubby, and the dog would fit in that one, but if a strong F5 or F4
tornado hit our house we'd be lucky if there was anything left, but
strange things happen and sometimes a twister will take part of a house
and not touch something else.

--
Maggie