Humans suck at preparing for disasters. Society barely made it through the scourge of Twitter changing stars to hearts. When the sky darkens, thunder rumbles, or snow starts falling, many people simply fall to pieces. These five tips will help you get through the next big storm that’s bad enough to earn its own scary name.
When it became clear last week that the looming weather catastrophe wouldn’t be remembered for Hurricane Joaquin, but rather the historic flooding in the Carolinas, I knew that the internet would be plastered with videos of idiots driving through floods come Monday. Idiots came through. Don’t drive through a flood, you idiots.
The ugly heat and humidity of summer is starting to ramp up, and with it comes some silent risks. It’s a habit for many people to leave their children or pets in the car for just a minute so they can run errands. Do not leave your children or pets in a hot vehicle for any length of time, because they will die.
Many millions of us will experience severe thunderstorms over the coming weeks and months. When one of these intense storms crops up, a number of you will find yourselves driving into a major hailstorm, during which you may feel the urge to park under an overpass to protect your car. Don’t.
The droning wail of a tornado siren is ubiquitous in the southern and central parts of the United States. These loud sirens are meant to warn people who are outdoors that a tornado is on its way. Now that we're indoors or in a car for most of our lives, tornado sirens are all but useless, yet we keep wasting money on them.
Beaches are a relaxing place to spend a family trip or just enjoy a raging, booze-fueled spring break. While a trip to the ocean can be packed with fun, it can also be dangerous. Aside from sunburns and jellyfish, one of the most dangerous things you have to look out for is a silent, sloshing killer: rip currents.
Almost everyone killed by lightning in the United States is a man. Since 2006, 80% of lightning victims were men. All seven people killed by lightning so far this year were men. This brings us to the only possible conclusion: men are stupid.
The second episode in a days-long tornado outbreak will unfold today across parts of the Deep South known as "Dixie Alley," an area of the U.S. highly susceptible to intense tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center is calling this a "particularly dangerous situation" due to the high likelihood of seeing intense, long-lived tornadoes like we saw in Arkansas yesterday.
Whether your tornado safe spot is a basement, a bunker, or a bathroom, this is a list of stuff you absolutely must have in your shelter in case the unthinkable happens and a tornado hits. The list is by no means exhaustive, but it's a good starting point to help you prepare for the worst.
