Click on the thumbnail below to see a map of tornado activity in the United States from 1950 to 1998.

Click here for a FEMA publication that deals with selecting refuge areas in buildings.  Here’s a description of the booklet pulled from the site:

This booklet presents case studies of three schools that were struck by tornadoes: Xenia Senior High School in Xenia, Ohio; St. Augustine Elementary School in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Kelly Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, which were struck on April 3, 1974; May 13, 1980; and May 3, 1999, respectively. The resulting damage to these schools was examined by teams of structural engineers, building scientists, engineering and architectural faculties, building administrators, and representatives of the architectural firms that designed the buildings.

From these and other examinations, guidance has been developed for selecting the safest areas in existing buildings - areas that may offer protection if a tornado strikes - referred to in this booklet as the best available refuge areas. The guidance presented in this booklet is intended primarily to help building administrators, architects, and engineers select the best available refuge areas in existing schools. Building administrators, architects, and engineers are encouraged to apply this guidance so that the number of injuries and deaths will be minimized if a tornado strikes an occupied school.

Governor Timothy Kaine has declared today Tornado Preparedness Day in Virginia.  Click here for a description of today’s state-wide drill.

Here’s the latest news from the Sumter Regional Hospital disaster response website.  Click here for additional news reports about the hospital.

Here’s a link to a NOAA page that summarizes the tornadic activity in the Southeast last week.  Note that the amount of time between the issuance of a tornado warning and the actual touchdown of a tornado ranged from 12 minutes to 55 minutes.

This is a picture taken of the library at Sumter Regional Hospital. You can find this photo and other photos of the Americus area at the following address:

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/2535085#133217368

Word from the librarian at the hospital is that the hospital’s leadership team and many employees are working around the clock…”they are tired but determined.”

As reported today in many news sources, Sumter Regional Hospital in Georgia was hit by a tornado yesterday. The Georgia representative on the NN/LM SE/A Disaster Planning Task Force has contacted the hospital librarian at her home, and will check to see if any assistance is needed.