America's Disasters

[Haggis@wk]

Islands in the stream: The extraordinary homemade dams holding back the Mississippi as desperate residents try to save their homes

More power to them.

As an aside, why do I have to go to a British newspaper to find, what I believe, a fascinating story of American ingenuity and sheers guts? Even if they fail they can take some solace in the fact that they did, literally, everything they could do to save their homes.

Shapley commented, correctly on reflection, that these people have to live near locations that are eventually going to be hazardous and some take that threat seriously.

Good on them.

[Schmeelkie]

The Weather Channel, at least, did cover some of those folks making their own protections for their property... Amazing how much news I get from there these days.... I might be tempted to watch the 6 o'clock news, but seems that 75% of the content is not appropriate for kids... Now that Pumpkin can read, and watches my husband and I go through the newspaper everyday (though for me, it's about 3-4 days behind...), he'll look at the headlines and ask questions.

On a random, slightly related note - watching some footage of a tornado this am and Pumpkin asked if they were going to drive into the tornado. I told him that wasn't possible - if they came too close they'd be picked up and thrown. He said he wants to invent a vehicle that can drive into a tornado. So a kid interested in both science and destruction (he is 7 after all), wants to come up with a way to really be able to observe... who knows, he just might do it! The best thing about watching him lately is the boundless curiousity, inventiveness and sense of possibility...

[dai bread]

Hmmmmm..... Something like an army tank with a vertical screw at each end to screw into the earth and (hopefully) hold it down. Does anyone know if a tornado will pick up a big tank?

[Giant Communist Robot]

The M1 Abrams is >76 tons. I hope the winds couldn't pick it up.

[BigJon]

Google the Storm Chasers TV show. They have two vehicles that will anchor to the ground in the face of a tornado.

[Shapley]

It's primarily a matter of weight vs. cross-sectional area. A van is easier to tip than a car, even if they weigh the same. I would think the low profile and lack of a broad unbroken surface area would make a tank a pretty safe bet. A bulldozer would be the same, except that the cab is usually exposed. It makes little difference if the vehicle survives, if the driver doesn't.

I've seen tractors blown over, but they are usually more top-heavy than tanks and bulldozers. They also have a narrower wheelbase, which makes them more likely to overturn.