Monday s string of deadly tornadoes, the worst to hit Florida in 50 years, have killed 39 people and injured more than 250 others. Between 1200 and 1300 homes have been damaged or destroyed. The tornadoes occurred between midnight and two a.m., when most people were asleep and didn t hear or pay attention to the warnings issued twenty minutes prior to the storms arrival, Lopes says. The media has emphasized the surprise element of the tornadoes' nighttime arrival. Although just as much, if not more damage could have occurred during a daylight tornado, when people were at work, at school and shopping.
Manufactured homes tend to be more common in the southeast, in the midwest and in the northwest.
The federal government tightened standards for manufactured housing after Hurricane Andrew demolished 97 percent of the mobile homes in Dade County in 1992. If you re in a car, get out, Lopes advises. If you re in a mobile home, you need to go to a sturdy well-built building. If a safer building isn t close by, get out of your manufactured home and lie down on the ground, recommends Lopes. A number of residents in Florida and elsewhere have been helped by the NOAA weather radio which has a tone alert feature so if a warning is issued, the tone sounds and people know that it s time to act.