A new study shows people who commonly witness tornado warnings are slower to protect themselves.
“When your local station broadcasts a warning, you need to take it seriously,” researchers said. Photo: Paz Leonel (Flickr)
Because the number of televised tornado warnings doesn’t always result in an actual tornado, people usually ask a friend, check the sky or find another news source before reacting to the warning, according to the study. By then, it could be too late.
Bob Drost, a research assistant at the Geocognition Research Laboratory at Michigan State University, studies how personal experiences and outside influences affect how people react to tornado warnings.
Instead of wasting time to call a friend or watch another news station, Drost said people should first find a safe place in case the tornado were to actually happen in their area.
“That time delay can usually get them in trouble because while they’re out there looking for some secondary reinforcement of what’s already happening, by the time they find it, it could already be too late,” he said.
The National Weather Service issues tornado watches if weather conditions are right for tornadoes to form. A warning is given once a tornado has formed and is threatening the local area.
Many people don’t know the difference between the two and are too quick to dismiss them, Drost said.
“When your local station broadcasts a warning, you need to take it seriously,” Drost said. “They’re serious about their job, they’re serious about protecting lives and property.”
Almost half the people in the study didn’t know a warning is the greatest sign of weather danger, Drost said.
Other tornado misconceptions include the belief that people should open windows to “equalize the pressure” and allow wind to blow through, Drost said. Parking a car under a bridge is another misunderstanding. In fact, the bridge can cause the tornado to focus into a smaller area and create more impact.
The study had 50 people look at pictures depicting a public warning, the tornado happening, and when it was over. They were asked about their reactions to the different situations.
Around 40 percent had experienced a tornado before. Most of them were from Michigan.
An important factor as to how fast people react to tornado warnings is how recent the last tornado struck nearby, Drost said.
“For example, if two weeks ago I had a tornado come by and it wiped out the blocks across from me and then there was another tornado, I’d probably take that warning a little more seriously because it was very recent and very close,” Drost said.
If a tornado warning came through 12 years ago and nothing happened, he said, people might be less likely to react.
Todd Kasdan, a psychiatrist who studies the psychological effects of tornadoes on children, calls this hesitation alarm fatigue.
”You hear about these warnings so often, Internet, TV, radio and nothing bad happens,” Kasdan said. “It gets to the point where a lot of folks just don’t heed to what is recommended.”
Kasdan said he has seen hundreds of patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from experiencing tornadoes.
But the number of post-traumatic stress disorder cases are low compared to the total number of people affected by the tornado, he said.
The best thing people can do is have a plan, he said.
“Most kids have seen the warning signals,” Kasdan said. “Unfortunately most of the ones that I see are the people that haven’t prepared themselves or their kids. That’s why I think there is good value in being proactive before tornado season. A high percentage of those who have weather related post-traumatic stress disorder are those that were unprepared.”