# Should mobile homes no longer be allowed in Tornado Alley? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 20, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883 "2013-05-20T23:30:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/21 "2013-05-21T18:00:08Z")
You realize that many regular homes were completely wiped out by that tornado. do you want to ban those as well? What percentage of total Mobil Homes built have been destroyed by tornadoes? ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/22 "2013-05-21T19:15:48Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > It’s tough to engineer a 300+ mph room in a regular above ground house. It’s not just the wind force that has to be dealt with but the objects caught up in that wind like a telephone pole or 2x4 from another house. The rooms I’m talking about have been engineered to withstand such forces; they’re either made of thick, rebar-reinforced concrete (both walls and ceiling) or 1/4" hardened steel which is bolted to the foundation. Nothing (not even an underground shelter) totally guarantees survival in an EF5 tornado, but these safe rooms (which meet FEMA standards and have been impact tested by Texas Tech) give the occupants a reasonably good chance. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/23 "2013-05-21T19:35:01Z")
I lived in Moore many yrs. Two of my daughters live pretty much exactly 2 miles north of the school that was wiped out. I know that area. I was there in April. There aren’t/weren’t any mobile homes there. The soil and weather conditions prohibit homes w/ basements. And. That school was considered to be the safest building in the city. We can not build a building that God cannot un-build as he sees fit. The 5-19 tornado leveled serveral trailer homes south of Moore. That’s such small potatoes after yesterday (5-20). So I don’t know what you’re talking about. So I can’t answer you. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/24 "2013-05-21T20:32:54Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Well, you could tell people in Malibu to stop planting vegetation near their homes so their house will not be burned when fires move through. . . . Much of California already does this: there are laws mandating clear areas around houses. If you don’t mow the brush around your house, the County will do it for you – and bill you for it. Also, insurance companies will use a non-mown area as an excuse to drop coverage or deny benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/25 "2013-05-21T20:53:11Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Seeing the wreckage from the recent tornados got me thinking. Is it wise for people to plop mobile homes in tornado-prone areas? > > I know tornados can destroy the most solidly built brick homes too. > > But tornados aren’t going away anytime soon, and they seem to be cropping up at all times of the year now. > > Should local governments do something? Like promote the development of low-cost, tornado-safe construction? > > Or is the only answer just to let people accept the risks and deal with the consequences? So no mobile homes east of the Rockies, except maybe West Virginia and New England? [Tornado Tracks 1950-2011](http://www.spc.noaa.gov/gis/svrgis/images/tornado_tracks.png) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/26 "2013-05-21T21:08:08Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > I lived in a trailer in tornado ally (Oklahoma) for almost 5 years. We spent a bit extra for superb tie-downs and although my neighbors lost theirs on both sides of mine, we were fine. A direct hit of course could take out anything. I think existing trailers could be made safer with tie downs, solid knee walls. New ones could be required to be stronger. There’s no reason trailers can’t be made as sturdy as conventional housing. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/27 "2013-05-21T21:42:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think existing trailers could be made safer with tie downs, solid knee walls. New ones could be required to be stronger. There’s no reason trailers can’t be made as sturdy as conventional housing. That’s probably true. But even conventional housing’s no match for a violent tornado. So trailer parks will still need below-ground tornado shelters as well. We could make some code improvements for framed housing as well: mandate hurricane clips on roofs, and a below-ground shelter or reinforced steel room bolted to the foundation. But whether we’re talking about mobile homes or stick-built ones, it’s easier to incorporate such changes to new units than to retrofit older ones, and that means a lot of housing stock will continue to remain vulnerable. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/28 "2013-05-21T22:16:19Z")
You know, I misread the title as mobile\*\* p **ho** n\*\*es. Yes, let’s take away all the poor buggers ‘cell phones’, to stop them calling for help. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/29 "2013-05-21T23:51:52Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > and have been impact tested by Texas Tech Not exactly a ringing endorsement there… That map makes it look like the place you least want to be is somewhere just east of Jackson, MS. Is that really true? I thought Oklahoma, N. Texas, Kansas and Missouri were the main places routinely savaged by tornadoes, but the map doesn’t look like that’s the case. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/30 "2013-05-22T00:07:20Z")
> [@bump](#): > > That map makes it look like the place you least want to be is somewhere just east of Jackson, MS.. Goodbye, that’s all she wrote. I don’t think the government should have to mandate such things, but apparently they do. If I lived in tornado alley, I’d have a tornado shelter. If the Gales could afford it, then so could I. ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/31 "2013-05-22T00:26:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think existing trailers could be made safer with tie downs, solid knee walls. New ones could be required to be stronger. There’s no reason trailers can’t be made as sturdy as conventional housing. Agreed. Mobile homes are vital affordable housing for lots of people. I have friends and relatives that live in them in tornado alley. They can be made safe. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/32 "2013-05-22T00:28:30Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > And mobile homes aren’t the only problem. A lot of our public building (especially shopping malls and big-box stores) are built out of cinder block with large, free spanning roofs. Those buildings fall to pieces in a tornado every bit as much as mobile homes do - and most of them don’t have basements or reinforced rooms for shelter. Yes, in fact big box stores DO have storm shelters - at least in my area they do. The rest rooms double as storm shelters. Check 'em again next time you’re in one, all of them around here have signs stating the toilet areas are storm shelters and all of those areas are built like little bunkers for that reason. As for the mobile home parks/trailers - I don’t think banning them is the solution, mostly because of the other problems doing so would spawn. Make storm shelters mandatory in mobile home parks, with such shelters (probably multiple ones for large parks) no further than X distance from any trailer. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/33 "2013-05-22T00:31:51Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > There’s also the option of incorporating an above-ground tornado shelter in the middle of the house (which can be designed to serve as a storage or laundry area). Those aren’t too expensive if they’re added at the time of home construction. (And steel models can be retrofitted into garage space as well.) > > There are options. The trouble is convincing people to pay the money to install them. Those shelters are $6-10k each. The people living in mobile homes for economic reasons are likely not able to afford that sum. No, they’re not “expensive” in one sense, but they’re enough to be cost-prohibitive to many. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/34 "2013-05-22T00:49:04Z")
> [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](#): > > They can be made safe. They can be made safer, but nothing is really safe in the sights of a storm like that. ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/35 "2013-05-22T01:32:21Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > They can be made safer, but nothing is really safe in the sights of a storm like that. Yes. Notice where I live? ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/36 "2013-05-22T02:46:13Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Seeing the wreckage from the recent tornados got me thinking. Is it wise for people to plop mobile homes in tornado-prone areas? > > I know tornados can destroy the most solidly built brick homes too. > > **But tornados aren’t going away anytime soon, and they seem to be cropping up at all times of the year now.** > > Should local governments do something? Like promote the development of low-cost, tornado-safe construction? > > Or is the only answer just to let people accept the risks and deal with the consequences? What is different is not that the number of tornados has significantly increased, but the number of suburban homes has increased, consuming former farmland. Before, the tornado would land in some god forsaken field in Kansas, and find only sweep up a single girl and her little dog too. Today, it could hit that exact same spot, but now level an entire neighborhood. So, it is not simply that trailer parks should be prohibited, but perhaps more farmland should be preserved too. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/37 "2013-05-22T02:51:51Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Not exactly a ringing endorsement there… Oh for fuck’s sake. It’s the recognized department for tornado shelter research and development in the country, but posters here can’t get past “Texas”. > [@](#): > > That map makes it look like the place you least want to be is somewhere just east of Jackson, MS. Is that really true? I thought Oklahoma, N. Texas, Kansas and Missouri were the main places routinely savaged by tornadoes, but the map doesn’t look like that’s the case. It’s called “Dixie Alley”, you can Google it while you search for the university that does storm shelter research. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/38 "2013-05-22T03:25:56Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yes, in fact big box stores DO have storm shelters - at least in my area they do. The rest rooms double as storm shelters. Check 'em again next time you’re in one, all of them around here have signs stating the toilet areas are storm shelters and all of those areas are built like little bunkers for that reason. I’ve seen the signs, but I’ve not seen evidence that those areas are actually reinforced to the level required for them to be true FEMA-compliant storm shelters. They lack a concrete or steel roof (as far as I can tell), the doors are flimsy, and they don’t appear to have concrete+rebar walls. They’re safer than the rest of the store, certainly, but a powerful tornado will still convert them to rubble. > [@](#): > > As for the mobile home parks/trailers - I don’t think banning them is the solution, mostly because of the other problems doing so would spawn. Make storm shelters mandatory in mobile home parks, with such shelters (probably multiple ones for large parks) no further than X distance from any trailer. That’s the best solution possible for mobile home parks, I think. Given the income level of the average mobile home dweller, individual shelters would probably be cost-prohibitive. But building multiple, strategically-placed units which families can share is much more affordable. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/39 "2013-05-22T03:36:31Z")
> [@runningdude](#): > > What is different is not that the number of tornados has significantly increased, but the number of suburban homes has increased, consuming former farmland. Before, the tornado would land in some god forsaken field in Kansas, and find only sweep up a single girl and her little dog too. Today, it could hit that exact same spot, but now level an entire neighborhood. The other ting that’s different is that we now have high-quality Doppler radar coverage of the entire continental US, so we see and can count basically every tornado that forms now. In the past (before Doppler radar came into widespread use), even a strong tornado might not be identified if it developed out over some hayfield and didn’t hit anything of significance before it dissipated. Lots of itty-bitty tornadoes went completely unnoticed. That fact skews our statistics. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883/40 "2013-05-22T15:21:02Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > Oh for fuck’s sake. It’s the recognized department for tornado shelter research and development in the country, but posters here can’t get past “Texas”. Nah, in my case it’s the “Tech” part. Maybe the tornado part has a good reputation, but the school as a whole is something like 5th fiddle as far as Texas’ public universities are concerned. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-mobile-homes-no-longer-be-allowed-in-tornado-alley/658883.md?page=3)