When we think of tornadoes, we picture the plains of “Tornado Alley” in the spring. But a dangerous “second season” for tornadoes often occurs in the late fall, particularly in the Southeast. November outbreaks can be especially dangerous as they move quickly, are often wrapped in rain, and can strike at night.
Unlike a hurricane, which gives days of warning, a tornado’s threat is sudden and violent. The damage mechanism is also different. A tornado attacks your home with two primary forces:
- Extreme Uplift: Powerful winds moving over the roof create a massive low-pressure vacuum, trying to suck the roof off.
- Internal Pressurization: If a window or garage door fails, 150+ mph winds rush into the house, creating an explosive positive pressure that pushes the roof up from below.
Protecting your home from a tornado isn’t about water; it’s about
openings and edges.
Threat #1: Openings (Windows, Doors, Garage Doors)
The single biggest point of failure in a tornado is the garage door. It’s wide, flexible, and not braced for extreme wind. Once it buckles, your home pressurizes, and the roof is often the next thing to go. Windows and sliding glass doors are the next-weakest link.
- Your Action Plan:
- Garage Door: If you live in a tornado-prone area, investing in a wind-rated/braced garage door is the best upgrade you can make.
- Emergency Enclosures: In the aftermath of a storm, you must seal these openings immediately. Boarding up is slow and can be dislodged. Professional emergency shrink wrap enclosures are a much faster and more secure solution. We can create a drum-tight, waterproof seal over a blown-out window, door, or even an entire garage opening, securing the building envelope in minutes.
Threat #2: Roof Edges (Eaves and Rakes)
A tornado doesn’t need to “hit” your house to destroy it. The winds on the edge of the vortex (known as inflow jets) are powerful enough. The wind attacks the edges of your roof first—the eaves (horizontal edges) and rakes (angled edges).
- How it Happens: The wind gets under the small overhang, creating uplift. It peels the fascia and soffit back, exposing the roof trusses. Once the wind gets purchase on the underside of the roof deck, it can peel the roof back like the lid of a can.
- Your Action Plan:
- Maintenance: Regularly inspect your roof edges. Ensure fascia is securely attached and that your “drip edge” (the metal flashing on the very edge) is properly installed and not rusted.
- Post-Storm Response: If your roof is damaged, a blue tarp is useless. The wind will destroy it. You need a solution that re-secures the roof deck and seals the edges. A professional shrink wrap installation is the only temporary solution that anchors to the structure and wraps over the damaged edges, preventing the wind from getting purchase again.
A late-season tornado is a sudden, violent event. Your preparation should focus on strengthening openings. And if the worst happens, your response must be to immediately and securely seal those openings to prevent catastrophic water damage after the fact.
[From blown-out windows to peeled-back roofs, StormWrappers provides high-speed emergency enclosures. Contact us 24/7.]
