Overpasses is tornado alley should have tornado shelters in them
Posted by docbob84@reddit | CrazyIdeas | View on Reddit | 49 comments
Just re-watched Twisters haha. Overpasses in a tornado can be a death trap but they could build a small shelter for a few people to stand in out of the wind in an emergency.
Too_MuchWhiskey@reddit
You would also need a parking area. otherwise, all the cars that do stop to seek shelter will block the road then no one is getting to any safety.
Worth-Money-4194@reddit
LOL! How about creating paved shoulders on side of the road so that cars won't block the road?
A parking area. WTH LOL!
MelodicMaybe9360@reddit
I know where I live there is plenty of space alone the side of highways. Just pull over and run. Car might not sit in the lot by the end anyways
bubblesdafirst@reddit
It's an overpass though
Renamis@reddit
So? It's an overpass not a tunnel, park on the side of the road and run into the shelter.
bubblesdafirst@reddit
Bruh how u gonna park on the side of the road. Your on a freaking overpass. Like what just drive off the side of a 40ft drop straight down
Renamis@reddit
Okay.
Most overpasses have a shoulder for car breakdowns. That is "the side of the road." And again, you drove onto the overpass, so if there really is none... you drive off and pull over.
We're talking about a shelter under an overpass. If you're on the overpass that ain't gonna help you because most of them don't have steps to climb down so I'm very confused why you think that applies to the conversation in the first place.
KingGorilla@reddit
I remember people stopped under overpasses when it hailed, effectively blocking traffic
BigDaddyReptar@reddit
Also dooming all but like 8 cars to sit in the hail longer. Really hope those people got charges because it was such a asshole behavior
Tobias_Snark@reddit
Meteorologist here. Yeah no, there’s good reason why this isn’t done and never should be attempted.
snooze_sensei@reddit
And?
Tobias_Snark@reddit
Overpasses are more dangerous, due to wind speed increasing and risk of collapse. Homeless people will move into the shelter, and morals aside, that’s a problem for the city. The cost is also preventative especially since to be worth anything it will have to be fitting for more than a couple people. Maintenance costs are preventative. Sending out crews to every single overpass shelter to check for people requires far too many resources, people, and money. Cars stopping in the road is a huge danger that plagues us even now. Tons of people getting out of their cars during a severe storm is not only dangerous but a liability. People will fight each other for space/entry. People will take shelter too early or demand to be let in too late, when it would be unsafe to open the doors.
It would be a nightmare. The intent behind the idea is humane but it would be a nightmare.
If you can’t tell I’m bored rn
snooze_sensei@reddit
I see. Thanks for the response.
I guess it's non intuitive. Haven't ever seen an overpass or a well built solid concrete structure destroyed by a tornado. Assuming that any shelter was also concrete it would seem to be quite secure. Of course, as you point out, no more than a lucky few could benefit but it, and would potentially cause more issues stopping their cars in traffic and looking around for shelter (which might already be full).
Tobias_Snark@reddit
Maybe “collapse” isn’t the right term, though a strong enough tornado could do it. I’m more concerned about debris causing damage to it, which in and of itself poses risks and liabilities. There’s also the issue of debris trapping people in the shelter. The shelter itself would be presumably safe once inside, but people being outside in that environment to get to it is especially dangerous
Projammer65@reddit
And in one week the 'shelters' would be full of homeless, vagrants, and druggies. Not dissing on the above, these are real problems. They're not stupid, just in a bad place. And locks can be picked.
snooze_sensei@reddit
Amazing how easily you could accidentally build homes for the homeless. Best not let that happen!
Zestyclose-You52@reddit
Or, just a thought, do not drive into tornadoes.
Odd-Guarantee-6152@reddit
Tornadoes last 2-3 minutes on average. Can you imagine how many of these shelters you’d need to construct in order to make it at all worthwhile?
Not_a_Dirty_Commie@reddit
This is called crazy ideas. There should be tornado shelters under every overpass and build for earthquakes on the east coast
tfs5454@reddit
It probably wouldn't be that expensive overall if they built future overpasses with a tornado shelter in mind
RainbowSalmon@reddit
what if we just build a tornado shelter over the entire country? and for earthquakes we can just run rebar all the way down through the planet to hold it still.
symmetrical_kettle@reddit
Yeah, ans we could call it "The Iron Shield"
PickleManAtl@reddit
In all honesty if they did that, most likely homeless people would take up residence inside of the shelters. They would have to spend a considerable amount of time keeping people out of them and keeping them clean on the inside. Plus as someone else said, you would have to build so many of them it would not be effective.
Theplaidiator@reddit
That was my immediate thought too. If they’re anything like the homeless in my area, they’ll invade any unused space and completely trash it with garbage and human waste, and harass any passerby’s for change.
stoneoftheicemen@reddit
This. Absolutely this.
SherbetSwimming137@reddit
They didn’t put shelters in elementary schools after a bunch of kids died in Moore Oklahoma, they’re definitely not doing this.
Penis-Dance@reddit
It would be full of homeless people. Some already are.
x_mas_ape@reddit
Exactly what i said, but I used the gov word and got it blocked.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
AutoModerator@reddit
Your post was automatically removed because it contains political content, which is off-topic for /r/CrazyIdeas. Please review the subreddit rules and guidelines.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
CaptainHunt@reddit
If I recall correctly, that scene was explicitly written in response to a scene in the original movie.
dondegroovily@reddit
You can be safe from a tornado by being a short distance below ground level. Simply getting in a ditch will do it
And highways have ditches everywhere
FlakyLandscape230@reddit
This depends on the force of the tornado
Zolty@reddit
Having grown up in tornado alley, they already are. What I was told is, if you can't avoid the tornado then stop in an overpass.
Not sure what level of structure you'd want to build though.
If you're in a car on a freeway, you can generally outrun a tornado, they don't move much faster than 30-40mph.
Drunk_Lemon@reddit
I wish someone would blow me instead of a tornado.
stellaandme@reddit
It's actually a myth that it's safe to stop under an overpass.
PretzelsThirst@reddit
Yeah it is much more dangerous to shelter under an overpass.
https://www.weather.gov/media/ict/handouts/WeatherSafety.pdf
Autodidact420@reddit
I’ve heard that it’s unsafe to shelter under an overpass, in fact I’ve heard that
Many people mistakenly think that a highway overpass provides safety from a tornado. In reality, an overpass may be one of the worst places to seek shelter from a tornado. Seeking shelter under an overpass puts you at greater risk of being killed or seriously injured by flying debris from the powerful tornadic winds. Tornadic winds can make the most benign item a dangerous missile. In addition to the debris that can injure you, the winds under an overpass are channeled and could easily blow you or carry you out from under the overpass and throw you 100s of yards. As a last resort, lie flat in a ditch, ravine or below grade culvert to protect yourself from flying debris. If no ditch is available, you may remain in your vehicle, put on your seatbelt, lower yourself below window level, and cover your head with your hands or a blanket.
If you’re in a car on a freeway, you can generally outrun a tornado, they don’t move much faster than 30-40mph.
Miserable_Smoke@reddit
The first time I saw that myth, I thought, wouldn't the tornado just suck or blow stuff through the overpass? Wind tunnels with debris don't strike me as safer than a windy parking lot.
liberal_texan@reddit
5 years ago or so, my coworkers and I were watching a tornado touch ground about 15 miles away from our office. Some of them panicked and ran to the stairwell. I didn't understand, like you could literally see the tornado.
MelodicMaybe9360@reddit
Reminds me of when I was in my early 20s. Sitting at a grocery store lot and someone points out a tornado that just touched. We watched until it passed, theni went to see if I still had a house.....fucker dropped right on us. Luckily it was just a little one, ruffles some feathers but even the chickens were ok.
IaniteThePirate@reddit
Are you not supposed to go to the stairwell? It’s a sturdier part of the building if the tornado does end up on top of you
liberal_texan@reddit
Yes, it was the correct place to go in case of a tornado. The thing was 15 miles away though, and would have taken around half an hour to reach us, if it suddenly took a sharp right turn. That is longer than the average lifespan of a tornado, and this wasn't a very big one. From our vantage point, we would have been able to see it change course and have time for a bathroom break while we watched it approach.
IaniteThePirate@reddit
Maybe it’s just the area I’ve lived but usually if there’s a tornado nearby it’s from a storm that spawns multiple tornados. If I’ve got the alert I’m finding shelter ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
MirandaR524@reddit
If a storm has produced one tornado, it could easily produce another. Taking cover was the absolute right choice when there’s a tornadic storm nearby.
PretzelsThirst@reddit
That’s horrible advice, do not spread that suggestion.
https://www.weather.gov/media/ict/handouts/WeatherSafety.pdf
starion832000@reddit
It would be a liability nightmare for the state.
HotWoodpecker9054@reddit
In a pinch, overpasses are definitely better than in your car but I feel it may be a bad idea to put in small shelters. More folks might start driving around on bad weather with the comfort of small emergency shelters to hop into if they can’t avoid a tornado. That in turn might lead to overcrowded overpass shelters and possibly even folks getting turned away. A better solution may be to just have more established rest stops along highways with ground shelters. Throw in a landline, ventilation, vending machines, bathrooms, tables, chairs, first aid kits, potable water lines and you got a decent set up to get you through a few minutes of the storm.
TootsNYC@reddit
get in the ditch.