Trauma severity increases if the victim is thrown rather than struck by flying debris. Although the sun may affect a day at the beach, or rain may spoil a picnic, weather phenomena can also plague public health and safety. Tornadoes are consistently among the most devastating of these events. Despite diligent public awareness campaigns, improved meteorological surveillance, and extensive warning systems, tornadoes cause an average of 51 deaths and approximately 1000 injuries each year, as well as extensive loss of property. 1 Address correspondence and reprint requests to M. Millie, M.D., Department of Surgical Education, Memorial Medical Center, PO Box 22084, Savannah, GA 31403-2084.
Tornadoes result from updrafts created by solar warming of the earth's surface.
A tornado's destructive force is conventionally categorized into Fujita, or F, stages based on wind speed, range, and destructive effects. Tornadoes are essentially a vortex resulting in destructive rotary winds. Evidence of these rotary forces is often present in the tornado's aftermath debris, such as circular shearing of tree trunks from their base, as is seen here. A review of the literature on tornado-related injuries and fatalities reveals consistent behavior and injury patterns associated with severely affected tornado victims. For example, occupancy of a mobile home is an important factor in predicting tornado-related injury and death.