For a decade, Kelsey Ellis has been studying tornadoes – what she tells her college students are “violently rotating columns of air.”
One of her goals is to help East Tennesseans stay safe when tornadoes and strong thunderstorms are headed their way – especially after sunset.
The early steps to safety are to be aware of tornado warnings and to move to a safe interior room before the worst of the winds have arrived. That’s not easy to do when a tornado touches down at night. Some people sleep through the tornado sirens or warnings. Families waking up in their mobile homes to a loud rush of air are too far away from a secure storm shelter…