Understanding The Fujita Scale Of Tornadoes

By Maryl Joop


Tornados vary in intensity and peril. Depending upon their strength, they can wreak havoc to just your hair-do or the entire neighborhood. In 1971, T. Theodore Fujita developed a scale to begin classifying tornadoes and predicting damage. We call it the Fujita scale and it gives us a general idea of what to expect from each twister we encounter. Like a hurricane, the strength of the twister is measured mainly by the speed of the winds it creates, but overall damage is assessed as well.

An F0 is equivalent to 40 to 72 mile an hour winds. Tornado damage from an F0 is expected to be light.

First, you should be sure that you are working with an insurance agency that you know you are going to be able to trust. Find an insurance broker that has positive reviews and that you feel comfortable talking with about what you need and what you want from your insurance.

Make sure that you schedule a meeting about once a year to go over your insurance policy and make sure it is still sufficient and is not providing excess coverage. Finding this balance can be difficult, but it will be well worth the time that you spend doing your research.

There are a lot of people that are overpaying for their insurance because they have not taken time to make the proper adjustments. You may even find that there are discounts that you are missing out on, just because you haven't taken the time to look for them.

Second, you should be sure that you understand how you are going to be wise about the way that you assess your home. You want to be sure that you know what your home is worth and what the belongings in your home are worth when you are shopping for insurance for your home. There are a lot of people that are ignorant about what they can get insurance for in their home. Be sure that you do your research well ahead of time to ensure you are as informed as possible when you are going into a meeting about your insurance.

Finally, the worst are the F5's. These tornadoes range between 260 and 318 miles per hour. Experts consider their effect to be "incredible." Anything left still standing after one of these should be hailed as an incredible engineering feat.

Normally, twisters stick around the F0 to F1 range. About 74% of all tornadoes fit in this range. Less than half of all tornado related deaths fall in this range. The Fujita level of a twister isn't determined until after the storm has taken its toll. It is determined after measuring the strength of the winds and assessing the full extent of its damage. Consequently, the best judge of the strength of twister as it touches down will be your own senses and the speed of the wind whipping your face. The greatest tornado ever recorded was likely an F5. Fifty years before the creation of the Fujita scale, it wreaked havoc on 219 miles over 3.5 hours travelling at speeds of 73 miles an hour. Although the wind speeds were not recorded, the tornado damage was so extensive that experts suppose it worthy of an F5 status.

As you are looking into your insurance policy it is also important that you start shopping around with other insurance companies. Don't be afraid to compare your policy with other companies and get to know your policy in relation to those that are offered elsewhere.

Your insurance is something that you will count on during the hardest times. Make sure that you put enough time and effort into finding the insurance policy that is the best fit for you.




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