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5 Fun Nebraska Tornado Facts - Tornado Season Approaches

5 Fun Nebraska Tornado Facts – Tornado Season Approaches

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With Nebraska Tornado Awareness week taking place at the end of March and the beginning of tornado season at hand (in 2014 the first tornado spotted was on April 27th), it seemed timely to share some Nebraska Tornado Facts.

 

1) The most deadly tornado to occur in Nebraska happened on Easter Sunday in 1913:

1913_Omaha_Tornado
1913 Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado

On Easter Sunday 1913 a series of tornadoes followed by flooding struck the midwest US. The most notable tornado of the series is an F4 (possibly F5) tornado that crossed Omaha, skirting the downtown area. The tornado caused 103 deaths and 305 injuries.

62 years later (in 1975) another F4 tornado would strike Omaha, causing only 3 deaths (but is estimated as the 3rd most costly tornado in American history).

 

2) 2004 was the year with most identified tornadoes in Nebraska:
In 2004 there were 111 tornadoes identified in Nebraska, 66 of them in May. Among them is the F4 tornado that destroyed 95% of Hallam, Nebraska, which was the largest tornado on record until 2013.

DCF 1.0
Hallam, NE – 2004
DCF 1.0
Hallam, NE – 2004

 

3) The Nebraska county experiencing the most tornadoes per sq.mi. is Hall, County:

It’s well known that Grand Island sees a large number of tornadoes. Grand Island is the county seat of Hall county, the Nebraska county to have had the highest tornado density since 1950. Hall county has experienced more than 5 times more tornadoes than either Douglas or Sarpy counties in the last 65 years.

Gidamage
Grand Island Tornado Damage

 

4) Over 50% of Nebraska tornadoes happen between 4PM and 8PM:
Most tornadoes happen between 4 and 8 in the afternoon/evening in Nebraska. About 1 in 6 tornadoes happen in the 5 o’clock hour, during one of the heaviest traffic times of the day.

GID_Landspout
Tornado Near North Platte, NE

 

5) Nebraska is 5th Nationwide in tornado occurrence:
Nebraska ranks 5th in number of tornadoes but only ranks 23rd in fatalities and 24th in injuries when looking at data from 1950-1994. The low injury rate is certainly influenced by Nebraska’s low population density, but can also be owed to improved severe weather preparedness, such as building construction and early warning systems.

RuskinNE_landspout
Tornado Near Ruskin, NE

 

I hope you enjoyed the quick tornado facts, and have a safe and fun tornado season.

Snow Shoveling Heart Safety

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Heart Safety in Snow Season
Winter can be a great time of year, but it has it’s own special dangers. If you live in a region that receives snow during the winter season, you are probably familiar with the task of snow shoveling.  However, you may not know that snow shoveling can increase your risk of heart attack.  The American Heart Association warns that snow shoveling may increase the risk of heart attack for some people [1].  Why is that, and what simple things can you do to decrease that risk?
 
Snow shoveling, physical exertion, and stress on the heart have been correlated with heart attacks experienced after snow storms [2].  Dr. Eric Van De Graaff (an Alegent Creighton Physician who specializes in cardiology) notes 5 triggers for heart attacks: “a lot of exertion”,”morningtime”,”intense emotions”,”big meals”, “dirty air and traffic snarls” [3].
 
Fortunately The American Heart Association provides some simple tips that can help you reduce your risk while shoveling snow [1]:
– Give yourself a break.
– Don’t eat a heavy meal prior or soon after shoveling.
– Use a small shovel or consider a snow thrower.
– Learn the heart attack warning signs and listen to your body
– Don’t drink alcoholic beverages before or immediately after shoveling.
– Consult a doctor. If you have a medical condition
– Be aware of the dangers of hypothermia.
 
The Health and Safety Institute (a major provider of emergency response education) recommends to keep an eye out for the signs of a heart attack: lightheadedness, dizziness, being short of breath or if you have tightness or burning in chest, neck, arms or back [4].  And most importantly, if you think you are having a heart attack call 911; quick access to advanced medical care is critical for someone suffering a heart attack.
 
Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year!
 

What is the minimum class size?

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Training classes must have at least 4 students. If you work across multiple organizations, students from both organizations can participate in the training to meet the 4 student requirement. Since class involves not only teacher-student interaction, but student-student learning as well, having student diversity improves the training experience. If training is required for groups of less than 4 or fewer than 4 students attend a scheduled training, a premium training rate will apply.

Where will training be held?

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We come to YOU!  All you need to do is provide adequate space and we will take care of the rest.  For locations outside the Omaha Metro Area a fuel and travel surcharge will be applied to the training rate, which will be explained before training is scheduled.