Although there has not been a tornado in Lincoln, Neb. since the 1950s, it is not impossible for the disaster to occur, according to Ken Dewey, a professor of climatology in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
People have misconceptions about tornadoes, he said. “People believe Lincoln is protected from a tornado, but it’s not.”
Lincoln is located within a “bowl,” which means it’s in a low elevation area so people tend to think a tornado will not touch down. However, in the 1950s a tornado made its way through 27thand Superior streets.
A low elevation is not the only target of the myth. People also believe that urban areas will deflect a tornado because the large buildings will guard the city, but according to Dewey, that’s far from true.
“No place is really protected,” said Dewey. “All 50 states have had tornadoes, even Alaska.” The risk is smaller when you get out of tornado valley, but every place in the U.S. is a risk.”
Jeremy Bower, a graduate student in the School of Natural Resources at UNL, has studied the Hallam, Neb. tornado. The disaster struck in May 2004 destroying almost everything. The tornado was marked as an F4.
He has since studied a theory of what could have happened if the Hallam tornado would have hit Lincoln. Putting the same path the tornado took onto a Lincoln map, he noticed seven hospitals and 20 schools would have been destroyed.
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If a tornado were to hit Lincoln, the city would not be prepared, he said.
According to his studies, more homes and living areas are being built with no basement or any form of shelter. New developments are on a slab of cement so there is no protection for people in case of a disaster, he said.
“Underneath a stairwell is the best possible place to be,” said Bower. “It’s the most solid part of the place.”
Bower said a full basement costs between $10-12,000 so people who build homes don’t want the extra cost; however, people are now getting half basements that are on average costing $6,000.
“The mentality of realtors and builders [of homes, apartments and duplexes] is to get to know your neighbor. That way, if a tornado were to hit, you could have a safe place to go,” Bower said. “What they don’t tell you is that your neighbors don’t have a basement or shelter either.”
Although Bower said Lincoln is not ready for this kind of disaster, the best thing people can do is have a plan and know how to put it into action if the time ever came.
People are not always at home when a tornado comes through, he said. They need to know what to do at school, work and home.
The Lincoln Public School District practices what to do in case of a disaster. If there was a tornado, students would be filed into a safe place at the school.
According to the LPS Severe Weather Policy, parents should not try to get to the school during a tornado warning, school officials may not release students from the building, and efforts will be made to get information to media outlets with updates.
“There have been a lot of close calls. One of these days we’re going to run out of the ‘we dodged a bullet,’” Bower said. “It’s cliché but true. The tornado doesn’t have to be an F4 or F5; it just has to touch down in the right place to destroy everything.”
