Interesting. A lot of American climbers wear helmets to guard against spontaneous rock falls/debris/falls onto their belays.

The flow of the water and the trapped debris seem to indicate that the road is still there. Perhaps "clearly" was too strong a word...

You like Saturns?

My dad blew one up. And a Titan.

He was a Range Safety officer with the Air Force in the late 1950's, early 60's. Would blow up missiles that were going off course, so the debris would fall in safe areas. Blew up LOTS of missiles.

I have a really cool image of his going away present when he left Cape Canaveral -- a cartoon with him astride a rocket, in space, over Cape Canaveral. There are silhouettes of all the missiles he blew up over his time there on the side of the rocket he is riding -- with hashmarks for HOW MANY he blew up.

It's really cool.

He BLEW UP A SATURN. Which isn't as powerful as the Titan he blew up!

Your video, Girl Narrowly Avoids Debris Falling from Soccer Stadium, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Airboats (used in swamps) also have Hugh Jass fans in close proximity to the human driver - that problem has already been solved.

And because they are lighter, these would need less downward thrust than a helicopter, but I agree that debris propelled by downwash could be a hazard. (but even the entire fleet of huge Chinook helicopters' downwash only caused a few minor injuries over past several decades in service.)

Amazing Flash Flood / Debris Flow Southern Utah has been added as a related post - related requested by kulpims on that post.

Dutch journalist Jeroen Akkermans keeps uploading scores of pictures taken at the MH17 crash site to his Flickr account. No corpses, just debris -- no warning neccessary.

A few interesting pictures, if you don't mind amateur forensics:
- left wing, top side: damaged by debris coming from the fuselage at an outward trajectory
- window panel, aft-most cockpit window, port side: shredded by shrapnel, downward trajectory?
- second door from the front, port side: no damage from shrapnel or debris
- port-side hatch of the forward landing gear: no damage

So, explosion in the foward-left quadrant, above the cockpit?

I know, I know -- wild speculation, utterly without a point. But it's infinitly less depressing than looking at the latest pictures from Gaza. Bad days to be a news junkie...

Edit: rear door, starboard side -- no damage

The editor took a huge and inexplicable shit on her explanation, but the steps according to this document are:

Step 1 - Oral Swabs and Smear;
Step 2 – Buccal Specimen;
Step 3 – Trace Evidence;
Step 4 – Clothing;
Step 5 – Underwear;
Step 6 – Debris Collection;
Step 7 – Dried Secretions and/or Bite Marks;
Step 8 – Fingernail Scrapings;
Step 9 – Pulled Head Hairs;
Step 10 – Pubic Hair Combings;
Step 11 – Pulled Pubic Hair;
Step 12 – Perianal and Anal Swabs and Smear;
Step 13 – Vulvar or Penile Swabs and Smear;
Step 14 - Vaginal Swabs and Smear;
Step 15 – Cervical Swabs and Smear

It's really cool that we're seeing a Light Echo, and not an actual expanding debris field from the explosion.

Thanks Dolbs, that's good to know even if I will almost certainly never encounter a tornado. So, windows rolled up then. After further thought, I think the truck probably is the best idea in this scenario. Belted in and covered with a heavy blanket to protect you from flying glass should the windows break (and it's safety glass anyways) or other small debris, would be the way to go, or just curled up in a ball against the firewall if that's the only option. In the truck, you're insulated from lighting strikes or downed high tension lines, and it would provide reasonable protection from small whirling debris. You also have the mobility option should that need arise.

Granted, the truck could get hit by large missiles such as tree trunks, other cars, fat old ladies, cranes or other heavy machinery, or indeed itself be lofted hundreds of feet into the air. If any of that sort of thing happens, though, you were screwed anyways.

So, when it comes to this, I'm not really sure this is EIA in the truest sense. Given the (apparently) 30 seconds they had to plan, I think they made a reasonable choice among the options available to them. After all, it's definitely a situation where an okay plan now is better than a brilliant plan in five minutes. And yes, they probably should have come up with a plan as soon as they realized they were moving to a trailer park in ND, so a bit of EIA there. At least they kept on top of their priorities and realized the very first item of business was to film it happening, and I commend their presence of mind to hold the phone properly even in such a life-and-death situation.

Of course, since we're betting on the tornado not scoring a direct hit anyways. It could be that under a bed or in a closet in the trailer might have been just as well (losing the mobility, of course). Maybe having a trailer collapse on you is bad.

I dont' know why I find this scenario so fascintating to dissect.

I'd be more worried about the vehicle flipping, or being picked up and thrown. They weren't wearing seat belts so both scenarios would be pretty serious, if not fatal. Additionally, debris falling on the truck or more aptly, how some debris can be picked up and turned into a projectile that can penetrate the metal and/or windows causing great harm.

I would wager that in most cased to break tempered glass, the outside pressure would already be high enough to roll/flip the car. But to be safe, you're better off cracking the windows anyway.

Well, the truck is a truly terrible idea (*under* the truck might be the best of bad alternatives). Perhaps we need to go down the "there ought to be a law" route and mandate that the owners of trailer communities provide a tornado shelters. They can't be that expensive to build.... a hole in the ground, some cinderblocks, some steel I-beams.

Here's a question for the experts. If, for some reason, you're stuck in your truck. Are you better off with the windows rolled down, partially down? Fully up?

My very superficial understanding leads me to suspect that if the windows are closed, you're risking the pressure differential exploding them. On the other hand, they will protect you from a lot of flying debris (to an extent) if they are closed. Maybe partially closed?

I guess when it's all said and done, it's EIA. If you live in a tornado prone part of the world, and you live in a trailer park, you should probably have some sort of plan worked out in advance regarding the best course of action.

Actually, to practice road ride, you MUST ride in a group. There is a huge group etiquette and not to mention learning to pass, take over, draft, follow etc can only be learned by actually doing it.

Most road groups like that ride on long stretches away from town. It's not like it's the end of the world to pass them, safely mind you, by waiting a good 30 seconds.

But you're right, roadies are lame. Fat Tire for life!

BTW, should be noted that most cycling experts will attest that most cycle lanes are more dangerous than not having them. Between all the road debris and poor maintenance, it's sometimes the worst place for us to be.

Which means I should also point out, that cycle lanes does not mean we're required by ANY law to use them. They are basically a courtesy for slower solo riders. In Florida they tried passing a requirement law, and it hit a lot of walls due to liability issues. If a cyclist is in the bike lane and there's an obstacle, and they hit it and get hurt, the city/state is completely 100% liable for any injuries or deaths.

"Roommates cousin has a Hayabusa"

Holy smokes. That's sort of like saying, Roommate's cousin had a death wish LOL
How do you NOT become a smoking spot in a wall/cloud of flying debris with that much power at your disposal?

MONEY!

Seriously though, a cement or brick house isn't going to make any difference if it takes a direct hit from a tornado. It will handle the debris flying around at 200+ mph much better, but cannot sustain a direct hit. There are a few structures (like steel frame houses) which might fare a little better, but the cost is prohibitive.

I think it is also important to consider the size of the region we are talking about here. According to Wikipedia, "Tornado Alley can also be defined as an area reaching from central Texas to the Canadian prairies and from eastern Colorado to western Pennsylvania." That's an area of approximately 1.5 million square miles. Where exactly do you draw the line on enforcing extremely expensive building codes? How do you justify the increased building costs in one town but not the town 2 miles down the road?

The building codes in the core of Tornado Alley (north Texas to Nebraska) are more restrictive than you imagine. They focus on strengthened roofs and secure foundations that can take a fair amount of straightline wind. But really, the odds of any given house in Tornado Alley sustaining a direct hit are extremely low (about 1 in 10 million in any given year) so it is much more cost effective and reasonable to require storm cellars which protect life instead of worrying about property. Notice how not a single person was injured in this house despite the destruction.

This is a video of a WIN not a FAIL.