Natural disasters in West Texas?

[jtaustin]

Originally Posted by augiedogie

OP: As far as natural disasters, Lubbock is one of the LEAST likely places for those to happen. Floods, no. Hurricanes, No, Earthquakes, NO, Tornadoes, Maybe, but not many. Rock slides, Avalanches, NO. Why don't you just purchase one of those pre-made tornado shelters, and stay here since you like it here so much.

Yes, I know, and you're absolutely right. And I do love it here and I love the people here. It feels like home. The one and only problem is that I have MS, degenerative osteoarthritis and cancer, and am in so much pain, my primary goal in moving is to get cannabis oil, which as of the current Texas law, is not obtainable here. That's the reason.

[JG_Latakia]

I had wondered about tornados myself in the Lubbock area, having lived through one here in Ohio this summer. It was weak and thankfully it did little damage on my block, but it got my attention. That said, it was the first tornado to hit my town since in over 30 years, and this one wasn't as bad as the last one.

If I move to the high plains, I would think about getting one of those concrete dome homes built -- just in case.

I hope you feel better, JT.

[shoe01]

Originally Posted by JG_Latakia

I had wondered about tornados myself in the Lubbock area, having lived through one here in Ohio this summer. It was weak and thankfully it did little damage on my block, but it got my attention. That said, it was the first tornado to hit my town since in over 30 years, and this one wasn't as bad as the last one.

If I move to the high plains, I would think about getting one of those concrete dome homes built -- just in case.

I hope you feel better, JT.

Tornado shelters have improved greatly in the last decade, thanks in large part to Texas Tech's research. There are now safe rooms that can withstand EF-5 tornadoes. Don't know about entire houses, though.

[losttechnician]

Originally Posted by JG_Latakia

I had wondered about tornados myself in the Lubbock area, having lived through one here in Ohio this summer. It was weak and thankfully it did little damage on my block, but it got my attention. That said, it was the first tornado to hit my town since in over 30 years, and this one wasn't as bad as the last one.

If I move to the high plains, I would think about getting one of those concrete dome homes built -- just in case.

I hope you feel better, JT.

Lubbock got smacked in 1970 or so with a major tornado. There are tornadoes in the region every year, but in most cases there is only localized damage, and few (if any) injuries. That said, there is ALWAYS the possibility of a major one, but many folks have never even seen one. I have two 20-something daughters that live in Lubbock, and neither of them have seen a tornado anywhere but TV. They have never taken refuge to ride out a storm either.

I think there is more chance of being in a car wreck, victim of a property crime, or any number of "normal" problems than there is of getting wiped out from a tornado.

knock on wood

[JG_Latakia]

There is a company (based in Texas) which builds homes and other buildongs out of concrete and in the shape of domes. Monolithic Dome homes, schools, churches, storages, gyms and more | Monolithic The idea is to create buildings which are extremely resistant to damaging winds from tornados and hurricanes. I know that some of these buildings (as homes) have been built in hurricane-prone areas. Is anyone using them (as homes) on the High Plains to protect aginast tornados?

[High_Plains_Retired]

JG,

I forgot to mention in my other posts that our South Plains farm house does have an underground storm cellar about 30 feet from the house. The underground room is about an 8' x 10". The room walls and steps are constructed of cinder blocks with a concrete floor and concrete roof. The door and entrance, however, are made of heavy wood. The entrance was one of the things I had to rebuild when we first moved here. The previous owners had allowed the wood to become unpainted and the weather had gotten to the door. Since I rebuilt the doorway, I give my young granddaughter $20 each time she applies a coat of enamel paint each summer. My wife and I use the cellar for storing our lawn furniture during the winter.

My wife's old homeplace, which is in a small town some 70 miles northwest of Lubbock and that we recently sold, had a storm cellar as well. It was constructed of a buried water storage tank with heavy hardwood steps and a wooden floor. The heavy metal door is counter-weighted to make it easier to open.

Many of the older rural homes in this area seem to have storm cellars. When we were looking for this place, we saw some really nicely constructed cellars. One rural brick house I recall had an underground cellar outside the foundation footprint of the house but which you could enter from a finished tunnel within the house. That's as elaborate construction as I have ever seen for a storm cellar anywhere.

Being used to this area, my concern for large hailstorms are more of a concern than for tornadoes. These storms can cover a wide swath and in fact do sometimes. The one thing you definitely want out here is at least a carport for each vehicle you own. In years' past, a few of our hailstorms have been known to kill small livestock left out in it.

And while I'm on the subject of hail damage, you may much prefer a metal roof on any house you purchase. Our farm house has a metal roof, as do my barns, but I had an asphalt roof beat off the roof of our SW Lubbock home in the 1980s.