|
|
|
|
TORNADOES
Researched by Sujin Lee
Writing checked by Mohammed M. Al-Ameri and Mohamed A. Al-Ameri
Hatchet
Student Survival Guide/ ISALC:
ESL 382: Computer Applications - Fall 2000
Hatchet: Student Survival Guide
|
|
|
|
TORNADOES
Researched by Sujin Lee
Writing checked by Mohammed M. Al-Ameri and Mohamed A. Al-Ameri
This is what I knew about tornadoes before reading Hatchet:
I knew just a tornado was a strong wind. Also, tornadoes can cause much disaster such as killing animals or humans and much destruction of nature. I thought there are many names for tornadoes depending on their power. When people get warning of a tornado, they should be prepared to prevent injuries and damage.
This is why the tornado was important in Hatchet:
After much hard work, Brian had produced sparks, built his shelter and tools, and even hunted and caught a foolbird. However, after the tornado came, they were gone. He lost many things he had had, but on the other hand, he found the most important thing. When the tornado blew hard, the tail of the plane, which had been in the lake, floated to the surface. Then Brian swam and went to the plane to find a survival pack. Like this, the tornado was a very important event in Hatchet.
After reading Hatchet and completing my Internet research, this is what I have learned about tornadoes:
According to the Glossary of Meteorology, a tornado is "a violently rotating column of air." Tornadoes occur anywhere in the world, but especially often in America. Tornadoes form 500-600 times a year in America. Also I learned that tornadoes occur most often in the Midwest in the U.S.A., and in states such as Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. This is called Tornado Alley.
How are tornadoes created? When two kinds of air masses, which are different from each other, mix together or collide, a tornado is formed. According to this theory, if cold and dry air pushes under humid and tropical air, terrible instability occurs. Suddenly warm air starts to go up and then other air, which goes to the side, starts to swirl.
When tornadoes form over water, they usually make a waterspout. A tornado over the ocean is a waterspout. Waterspouts occur near the coast in summer or mid-spring, or mid-autumn. The mother-body of waterspout is a huge cumulonimbus cloud. It's breadth is several tens of kilometers and height is 16 Km. The powerful rising air current, which occurs in the cumulonimbus, as latent heat, warms the air in the cloud. The air in a huge cumulonimbus revolves and the air is sucked into the cumulonimbus. This situation is called contraction. Thus the rotation becomes fast rapidly by the contraction of air. Waterspouts are smaller and weaker than most Great Plains tornadoes, but they still can be dangerous. Waterspouts can overturn small boats, damage ships and kill people. They have awful power.
There are many unbelievable stories about tornadoes. For example, people were pulled into the sky by a tornado in Texas. Also in 1925, lots of boards were inserted into healthy trees. Damages like this remain on the spot over which the tornado has passed.
Tornadoes usually don't last for a long time. Tornadoes sometimes last for only several seconds, but can last more than an hour. Most tornadoes last for less than 10 minutes. However, in this short time very terrible damages can occur. Therefore, you must be prepared for possible tornadoes. If strange clouds start to move and the weather begins to looks stormy, turn on the local radio or television. You should get a weather forecast. This situation was described by people who had experienced tornadoes.
* Clouds of greenish black color is the sky.
* After the thunderstorm comes, a strange silence occurs briefly.
* Clouds move very fast.
* Hail drops from the sky.
If you see this situation, first you should go to a basement and hide under a table or desk. If there is no basement, go to first floor. Then you should stay away from windows, walls and glass, because you could be hurt, if they break. We can't prevent the power of nature. Thus we have to be careful and defend as much as we can when tornadoes come.
I learned lots of things about tornadoes, while I studied. I didn't know how tornadoes are formed. After I studied, I could learn a lot. I think most useful thing is tornado safety. Everyone should know about this. Then we would be killed and injured less often. In Hatchet, Brian almost lost everything in a tornado, but fortunately he got the most important thing. When the tornado came, he couldn't do anything because he was sleeping. Thus he lost his things. I think if he had stayed in his shelter, he might have been hurt, because the shelter was surrounded with rocks and that would have been dangerous. Brian needed to know about tornadoes.
Return to top.
Return
to Welcome Page.
Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 10/20/00
