Death and destruction from the worst tornado in Joplin’s history should have taught residents of other small cities, like Muskogee, a lesson.

And the news did knock the complacency out of many Muskogee residents, as evidenced when  tornadoes threatened Muskogee about a week later.

Emergency tornado shelters were opened, people remembered the horrible death toll in Joplin, and most took taking shelter seriously — for that storm.

Now that the television and newspapers aren’t flooded with stories and photos of Joplin, will the lesson stick with anyone?

Will we go back to turning on the television to check the news when we hear sirens? Will we stand on the porch looking for a funnel cloud instead of hurrying to climb inside a closet or basement?

Local emergency officials hope not.

Area emergency officials don’t want Muskogee residents to be too apathetic when they hear tornado sirens.

“That’s going to punch us in the nose one of these days,” said Jimmy Moore, Muskogee Emergency Management director. “Everybody thinks they just split and go around us. Well, we sure have been lucky but our luck’s going to run out one of those days.”

They want everyone to be prepared for the next big tornado season — and be prepared right now since tornadoes are actually a possibility year-round for Muskogee.

The National Weather Service doesn’t show any fatalities from tornadoes in the city of Muskogee over the last 50 years — but 72 tornadoes have hit somewhere in Muskogee County since 1950.

One in Keefeton in 1973 killed five people and injured 25.

Muskogee’s tornado history isn’t much different from Joplin’s.

Joplin only saw three very small tornadoes hit inside its city limits for 50 years prior to the May 22 tornado that killed 156 people.

The Joplin tornado is the deadliest single tornado since modern record-keeping began in 1950 and is ranked as the 7th deadliest in U.S. history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

And people there had ample warning, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS Springfield forecast office issued a tornado warning with a lead time of 24 minutes.

“The good thing about the Joplin tornado, if there was  good thing, is it happened during the day,” Moore said. “But I can’t guarantee people 20 minutes notice. Most of our tornadoes happen after dark, when they can’t be seen that well. One can be upon you in a moment, and then your scrambling.”



Is it too late to get to shelter outside of your home once a siren goes off?



Who decides when to set off the tornado warning sirens?

In the city of Muskogee, that falls to Moore, he said.

“I’m the one that pushes button. There’s nothing automatic — there’s no such thing,” Moore said.

Deciding when to set off sirens falls to each community, not the National Weather Service.

“We don’t dictate when the sirens go off, so it’s hard to say when you should seek shelter,” said Amy Jankowski, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tulsa office.

Some communities don’t sound the alarms until a tornado has already been spotted, some sound at different wind speeds, some sound when there’s a warning, Jankowski said.

Tornado warnings are based on radar and velocity data, the meteorologist said.

The NWS issues a warning when they see rotation in a storm or line of storms, or get a phone call from a storm spotter or get information that a tornado is on the ground.

So a tornado warning could mean residents have half an hour and it could mean they only have seconds to take shelter.

“Sometimes they spin up very quickly and we don’t have time to give people 20 or 30 minutes warning,” Jankowski said. “And so many people don’t even know where the closest shelter is, where or how long it takes to get there.”

Both Moore and Smith said people should never wait until they hear sirens to take shelter —  because you may not even hear the sirens.

Community storm sirens are meant to warn people that are outdoors — not people sleeping in their homes or watching television in the living room, Moore said.

Smith suggests signing up for e-mail or text message notifications from local news stations or The Weather Channel.

Signing up is free, and chances are, a cell phone going off next to someone’s pillow will wake them up far more efficiently than storm sirens outdoors.



Is your home ready to withstand a tornado?



Many people in Muskogee put their children in the bathtub, pull a blanket over their heads and then go into the living room to watch the news.

But are they sure their homes will withstand the fierce winds a large tornado creates? Are some afraid to go under homes, into crawl spaces for fear of their house falling on top of them?

Research has been done to determine why so many died in the Joplin tornado. Findings indicate the sheer intensity of an F-5 tornado with more than 200 mph winds almost makes the question moot.

But the Joplin Globe reviewed 106 of the tornado deaths and determined more than half of those were of people who took shelter in the places they lived.

Another 32 percent died in commercial buildings/areas and the rest were in vehicles or outdoors, the Globe determined.

Additionally, according to the Globe, a disaster research team from Iowa State University determined many of the homes in Joplin were not built to handle even a low-velocity tornado.

What if a house falls on your shelter, will you be trapped and never found?

The Muskogee City Fire Department and Muskogee County Emergency Management can put some of those fears to rest, Smith said.

For several years, the fire department has been keeping a list of shelters that are located in the area both outside and inside of city limits.

Residents can call (918) 687-5483 and give the department the information, a fire department spokesman said.

Smith said his office will go to residential shelters and get GPS coordinates to keep on file.

“That way, no matter what has been leveled, we can find your shelter, even without landmarks, mailboxes, house addresses,” Smith said.



What about mobile home parks and rural mobile home owners?



Death rates for residents of mobile homes in tornadoes are about 20 times higher than those that take shelter in traditional housing, according to a report from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

Mobile homes make up less than 20 percent of housing options across the country.

Since February 2011, not including the Joplin tornado, 104 deaths of people taking shelter in mobile homes have been confirmed.

In Muskogee County, hundreds, if not thousands, live in mobile homes in both rural communities and mobile home parks inside city limits.

Katy Bubroc, manager of a mobile home park on Cherokee Street in Muskogee said there is not a tornado shelter there.

The park houses about 100 residents, she said, and most go to other places when severe weather hits. But many times, she sees people standing outside watching the sky under a tornado watch.

“Don’t wait until the sirens go off, absolutely not, because you never know,” Bubroc said. “You need to get out of the park. Lock your door and go — there is nothing in your home that is worth losing your life over.”

Bubroc has children and they go to shelter at her parent’s home or at the mall if it is open.

They go as soon as a tornado watch is issued, she said.

Riverside Mobile Home Park, just off the Muskogee Turnpike, is the only Muskogee mobile home community with a tornado shelter available.

“They can come right here to my house. It’s in the center near the playground and it’s brick,” said Manager Lizz Blount. “We had over 50 in the basement during the last round of storms we had.”

But what about people who live in the country and have mobile homes? What can they do?

Get out. Even if the mobile home is tied down, residents are probably safer outside, according to the NOAA.

If a resident’s community has a tornado shelter, they should go there fast.

If there is a sturdy building within easy running distance, they should seek shelter there.

Otherwise, the NOAA says it’s far better to go outside and lay flat on the ground than stay indoors.

However, the director of Muskogee County Emergency Management, Smith, said the best preparation is to leave well before there is any real danger.

“I would say for certain to see how meteorologists are predicting the storm on the day before,” Smith said. “Get your mind set into what you have planned for tomorrow and what time the storms supposed to occur in your area.”

On the day of the storms, as they start developing, keep a close eye on the television, Smith said.

Go ahead and go to a shelter as soon as it’s obvious there is an impending storm that can cause a tornado.

Reach Wendy Burton at (918) 684-2926 or wburton@muskogeephoenix.com.