Hot Items 2004Brooks' research featured in story on CBS News
Dr. Harold Brooks, research meteorologist with the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., will be was featured in a story on CBS Evening News April 13 about his study of tornado deaths that showed increasing numbers of deaths in mobile homes.
During the past four years (2000 - 2003), 51 percent of the deaths from tornadoes in the United States have been in mobile homes (97 of 189 deaths). Fifteen years earlier(1985-1988), 40 percent of the total deaths were in mobile homes.
Brooks explained that the the fraction of mobile homes as housing units are increasing, especially in the southeastern U.S., according to U.S. Census data. The exception is Florida, where laws are stricter as a result of new building codes following Hurricane Andrew.
Tornado climatology in the southeastern U.S. may also be a contributing factor. Brooks studied the tornado record from 1950 to 1993 and found that tornadoes in the southeast tend to occur throughout the year, rather than during a definite season such as spring in tornado alley. Also, that area of the country experiences more nighttime tornadoes, which tend to be catch people unprepared and are more deadly as a result.
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/~brooks
4/13/2004