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To the Southwest Corner: Tornado Myths and Socio TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER: TORNADO MYTHS AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC VULNERABILTY A thesis submitted to Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Rebecca Lynn Hoffman May, 2013 Thesis written by Rebecca Lynn Hoffman B.A., Kent State University, 2011 M.A., Kent State University, 2013 Thesis Approved: Thomas Schmidlin, Ph.D., Advisor Mandy Munro-Stasiuk, Ph.D., Department Chair Raymond A. Craig, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………….vi LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………..vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………viii I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………..1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………..4 The tornado as a hazard……………………………………………………………4 Current tornado safety recommendations………………………………………….6 Role of myths in tornado safety…………………………………………………...7 Types of myths…………………………………………………………………….9 Evolution of tornado myths………………………………………………………11 Former studies of belief in myths………………………………………………...14 General tornado myths…………………………………………………………...14 Regional myths…………………………………………………………………...15 Disaster myths……………………………………………………………………16 Socio-demographics and shelter-seeking behavior………………………………17 III. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………19 Research sites…………………………………………………………………….19 Cases……………………………………………………………………………..24 Data……………………………………………………………………………....24 iii Methods…………………………………………………………………………..25 IV. SAMPLE POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS………………………………29 Population as a whole…………………………………………………………….29 Birmingham, Alabama……………………………………………………………29 Wichita, Kansas…………………………………………………………………..31 Nashville, Tennessee……………………………………………………………...31 Jackson, Mississippi………………………………………………………………32 Other relevant characteristics……………………………………………………..34 V. RESULTS………………………………………………………………………...40 Tornadoes are less likely to occur in cities……………………………………….40 Tornadoes are less likely to occur near bodies of water………………………….42 Tornadoes are less likely to occur near mountainous areas………………………43 In the basement, the southwest corner is the safest shelter from a tornado……....44 Overpasses are safe shelter from a tornado………………………………………44 Windows should be opened prior to a tornado’s arrival………………………….45 Tornadoes only occur in certain geographic regions……………………………..45 VI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION…………………………………………...49 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………54 APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………….62 iv A: Tornado safety survey…………………………………………………………62 B: Chi-square test results for myths………………………………………………65 C: NOAA Tornado Safety ………………………………………………………..67 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Enhanced Fujita tornado intensity scale 2 Table 2 Selected sites and reasoning 22 Table 3 Sample population characteristics as a whole 30 Table 4 Population characteristics by metropolitan area 34 Table 5 Participant responses to tornado information sources 36 Table 6 Participant responses to tornado threat while at home 38 Table 7 Participant responses to tornado threat while in vehicle 39 Table 8 Chi-square contingency table for gender and belief that 41 tornadoes are less likely to occur in cities Table 9 Chi-square contingency table for belief that tornadoes are 43 less likely to occur near bodies of water Table 10 Chi-square contingency table for gender and regions 47 perceived to have more tornado activity Table 11 Chi-square contingency table for location and regions people 48 perceive to have more tornado activity Table 12 Summary of belief in myths: total sample population 51 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Intersection of standard deviational ellipses, 21 showing area containing possible study sites Figure 2 Selected research areas 23 Figure 3 Sample contingency table (generic) 27 Figure 4 Tornado regions 46 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, it is necessary to thank, a million times over, my patient and supportive family. Not one thread of my education thus far would be possible without the help and support of my parents. Higher education is difficult to begin with; higher education as a single mother is exponentially difficult. I am truly blessed to have had your help juggling the three-ring circus that is my life! I am also thankful for the values you have instilled in me, in that I have always strived for near-perfection and have never let my education slide off-track, even in my much younger years. It is amazing that I have come from a point in which I would drag my sleeping bag into your bedroom during a nighttime severe storm to a point in which I am no longer afraid and have strived to contribute to the knowledge of severe weather and tornadoes. My hope is that people will not be afraid in the future, but will learn respect for nature through knowledge. I have tried to instill this into my own child, Justin Michael. Although it has been a lifelong dream of mine to work in the area of natural hazards, I would not have returned to academia if not for him. In fact, all of the hours, days, weeks and months I have had to sacrifice away from him, I was doing for him, so that he and I can have the much brighter future that we both deserve. I have also been extremely blessed to belong to an absolutely wonderful Geography department, and am proud to call Dr. Tom Schmidlin my graduate thesis advisor. We share many of the same passions in our research. I have always looked up to Tom, not only in the academic world, but in his personal life as well. I hope to one day be viii able to be half the kind of parent you and Jeannie are! Your family has been inspirational to me in these past couple years much more than you know! As for my thesis committee, Dr. Scott Sheridan and Dr. Emariana Taylor, you have both greatly influenced me and have been two of the best mentors a gal could have! I absolutely love the fact that my entire committee does not, in any way, shape or form, make me feel the least bit uncomfortable. This is a great quality to a gal who is terrified of public speaking! Tony Carlucci, whom I have had the pleasure of working side-by-side with this past year, has given me the gift of being able to calm myself down once in a while; through the appreciation of wine he has bestowed upon me! And I certainly cannot forget Mary Lou Church…..big thanks to my life saver! She has helped me through this entire process, which I know has been insane, but she handled it with a smile and a laugh! This woman is a gem!!!! Although I have technically grown up as an only child, there are two amazing ladies that I consider sisters: my baby cousin, Laura and my best friend, Cindy. It would take up way too much space to mention even a quarter of the history we have had together. Your support, especially through these graduate years when I haven’t been as available to you both, means absolutely everything to me. These ladies have been my cheerleaders the whole way through, and whether I am right or wrong they have always stood by my side. We will end up being the old ladies in the nursing homes causing trouble!! Throughout my life I have been extremely blessed to have some of the best aunts and uncles that no amount of money could ever possibly buy! Aunt Debbie and Uncle Joe ix have been extremely supportive and helpful through the years, and especially when I have needed help with Justin. I firmly believe that Aunt Deb was Justin’s rock throughout his early school years! Aunt Jan and Uncle Ron, my Godparents, have been the best cheerleaders I have ever known, and even when they are dealing with their own problems they still remember every holiday, birthday or important event! Last, but certainly not least, I need to acknowledge my little Bella Marie. No matter what mood I am in, seeing that little face and that little walk melts my heart and makes me smile! I would be lost without you, my little punkin’! I would like to dedicate this thesis in memory of William “Billy” Lenox, whom lost his battle to leukemia way too early in his life. I know you remember the night of the tornado warnings, and my mad dash to Twinsburg. I am sorry that you cannot physically see your son grow up, as he is exactly like you in every mannerism. I hope that you are proud of what I have done with the opportunities I have been given because of you. x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The tornado has been an object of fascination for many years, and remains still to this day. The unpredictable nature of the exact time and location a tornado will occur makes it one of the most dangerous forces on the planet. An average of over one thousand tornadoes occurs in the United States each year (NCDC 2012). Seventy percent of all tornado deaths are associated with violent EF4 and EF5 tornadoes; however, EF2 and EF3 tornadoes contribute to twenty-five percent of the death tolls (Table 1) (NWS 2012). The chance of surviving one of these storms has been significantly improved with time through better warning lead times, communication, building codes and knowledge of safety precautions (Schultz, et al. 2010). The existence of myths could hinder the effectiveness of modern tornado safety mitigation efforts. In mitigation, actions are taken to prevent or lessen loss of property or life that natural disasters may bring about. In mitigating for tornadoes, correct knowledge of safety measures is imperative. Seeking shelter incorrectly, or failure to seek shelter, increases the chances that one may be hurt or killed in a tornado. Some myths create vulnerability by initiating a false sense of security. For example, those who reside in mountainous areas, large cities, areas near water or areas outside of what is deemed 1 2 “Tornado Alley” may believe the myth that these areas are somehow protected from tornadoes. Therefore, they may not seek shelter quickly enough or they may even fail to seek shelter completely. Other myths give misinformation for shelter-seeking behaviors. The misconception that windows should be opened prior to a tornado’s arrival was once thought to keep building walls from exploding outward due to pressure differences (Yeager 2010).
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