On April 11, 1965, an EF- 4 tornado roared through Monroe County causing two deaths in the Lost Peninsula in Erie Township and dozens of others in southeastern Michigan and northwestern Ohio in one of the worst natural disasters in the region’s history. Penny Iott was with her family inside their house in Detroit Beach that Palm Sunday. She was a little girl at the time and remembers peeking out the window to get a glimpse of the twisters.
“I saw them through the window,” she recalled. “ The damage was quite devastating.”
Then, as a precaution, the family gathered in the southwest corner of the house because they didn’t have a basement. Although they escaped injury, they weren’t any safer in that particular corner. It is simply not true that tornadoes move to the northeast and the debris would be directed away from people if they huddled in the southwest part of a house.
On Wednesday Ms. Iott, 56, learned that is a myth.
“I thought it was true,” she said.
To help the community better prepare for tornado season, the Monroe County Health Department sponsored a brief program to help identify warning signs, what to look for in the sky and how to best prepare for the worst.
“It’s about knowing your disaster,” said Maura Barrett, emergency preparedness and health educator. “ There are a lot of myths out there.”
Called Ameri c a’s PrepareAthon!, the health department participated in the nationwide discussion about planning for catastrophes. Since Michigan is prone to tornadoes, Ms. Barrett focused on twisters and how to be ready if they strike and what to do afterward.
She said her discussion was timely especially since the southern part of the country has been devastated with a series of storms and tornadoes.
“This threat still exists,” she told a group composed mostly of Medical Reserve Corps members who volunteer to assist during disasters. “ We’re not out of the woods.”
Ms. Barrett discussed preparing disaster kits and securing vital records, including those associated with pets, in safes or other fireproof containers.
She also stressed the importance of having a tornado drill at home and practicing them.
Also it’s best to tie down outdoor furniture and other items so they don’t become projectiles in high winds.
Ms. Barrett said there are several myths about tornadoes. Some include:
■ Tornadoes never strike twice. Cordell, Kan., was struck by a tornado May 20, three years in a row between 1916 and 1918. Also three tornadoes hit the same church the same day in Guy, Ark.
■ If driving, seek shelter under an overpass. Deadly flying debris still can fly under an overpass. The suggestion is to park and duck low beneath the vehicle’s windows or lie in a ditch.
■ Open windows prior to a tornado to equalize pressure. Opening the windows is useless and can be dangerous. If a tornado strikes, it will blast open the windows anyway.
■ Large lakes, such as Lake Erie, protects nearby areas from tornadoes. It’s a myth. Just like seeking shelter in the southwest corner of a house.