Tornadoes can wreck buildings, orchards, homes, and cause breakage of vital gas and electrical systems, causing possibility of fire. A tornado's presence is potentially ruinous. Survival in a tornado depends on seeking appropriate shelter before the tornado arrives, and time may not permit preparation for the agricultural operation itself. While community infrastructure and public areas are substantially damaged by tornadoes, damage to an agricultural operation can also be substantial.
Crops can suffer washout in the violent downpour and possible flash flood preceding a tornado.
In the short term, crops planted for the season may drown and die, causing loss of income for flooded fields, and the loss of seed for next year's crop, requiring an outlay next season. Buildings may have suffered irreparable damage through high, ripping winds. Livestock may be killed on the field by wind damage or lightning strike. After a tornado, water supplies may be fouled, and stored hay and grain may have become wet and therefore is unusable. Fences are uprooted and twisted in high winds and need repair or replacement.