F2 Tornado Rips Through Trimble MO and Smithville MO Near Us – Severe Damage Part 1…)

Last night a confirmed F2 Tornado Rips through Trimble MO and Smithville MO near us.

This violent storm has been confirmed as an F2 category storm. In the video and pictures below you will see just how violent this storm really was.

See how this F2 tornado ripped apart this huge Morton barn and spread it out for over 1/4 mile.

In this Morton barn was a pontoon on a trailer, large utility trailer and much more…

As you can see in the pictures above this F2 tornado done some real damage and spread this Morton barn out well over 1/4 mile.

Notice the large trees and how this F2 tornado tore these large trees apart like they was nothing.

This F2 tornado rips through Trimble MO and Smithville MO which is near us. As a matter of fact, this Morton Barn of our friends is 3 miles from us at Pin Oaks Farm. Rhonda and me was hunkered down underneath strong shelving that I built inside our all metal shop waiting on the storm to pass. This shelving is anchored to the cement floor and metal side walls. The metal sidewalls are anchored deep into the concrete footings. Even though this is not a adequate storm shelter, it’s all we have at this time.

Part 2 and Part 3 videos are below, so make sure you watch them. These videos was difficult to take with all of the wind today, but I am sure you will get a better idea of the storm path.

Video Part 2 and 3 Below:

Inside our metal building it was so loud from the hail that lasted close to 5 minutes that we couldn’t even hear our phone warnings and alerts going off right next to our ears. We had lots of high winds and serious hail, but no apparent damage other than tree limbs laying around.

The video above here is Part 2 of 3. This video you will get a better understanding of the original barn location and how debris scattered over 1/4 mile away.

The video above here is Part 3 of 3 and shows the power of the storm. In this video you can see how much they can take away from you in the blink of an eye. This F2 Tornado Rips through Trimble MO and everything that was in it’s path last-night. Looking back on this storm and how close we was to it, things could have been much different for us if this storm would have been another mile or two north of where it went through.

F2 Tornado Rips through Trimble MO and Smithville MO Near Us

Even though our shop is “suppose to be” built to withstand hurricane winds, I am not trusting that “suppose to be” any longer. We are still in the planning stages of our new home, so without a adequate storm shelter/basement, I have been left with no other choice but to start on an above ground shelter right away. I am talking about an ALL CONCRETE storm shelter that will basically be bomb proof.

After seeing the power of this F2 Tornado up close today, I fully understand and respect their power. Unless you are inside a completely concrete enclosure, you are not completely safe from something of this magnitude. Living inside our shop in our fifth wheel does offer us a great deal of protection from all of the hail and wind we received last-night, but I am sure it wouldn’t have been the same had we have been just a few miles closer to this storm.

Some of our friends in Smithville MO where we use to live had some damage. And others (their neighbors) close to them had a great deal of damage. Some of the homes in the Diamond Crest sub-division had the most damage in the Smithville MO area. As I drove near these affected areas today, I could see homes completely destroyed and some gone. Prefab homes being built nowadays are just not built to withstand these high winds, especially the multiple story homes. Brick homes are no doubt the strongest and almost always stand up to these types of storms.

What Type Of Home Are We Building?

Our motivation is extremely high now after what we just went through last-night. Our plans as of right now are more along the lines of an earth contact ranch style home. By having the majority of the home in the earth, or underground, they stand up to storms much better. The current design would have a special area that is totally underground and completely concrete, walls and ceiling that is designated for storms and food storage.

An all concrete shelter that is 100% beneath the earth and totally concrete will basically protect you from anything. This room will have a vault type steel door and of course ventilation. The earth style home we are planning to build would also have some sidewalls exposed as well as the front. The rear would be short sidewalls with some windows for good lighting. By keeping everything in the ground and close to the ground helps protect it better in high wind and storm situations.

Another thing to consider is all brick for the exposed areas, or concrete and have very little wood. By using brick, or mostly brick increases the strength of the home dramatically. It also increases the life of the home as well. Less maintenance with brick or concrete than wood is just one more thing to consider when building a home. The cost of an earth contact home is also about 1/3 of the cost of a multiple story home, which is another bonus.

The Best Above Ground Storm Shelters

If you have pictures or plans to all concrete above ground storm shelters that we could possibly use here on our off grid farm, then let me know below in the comment section. If you have good storm shelters of your own, I would love to see them.

What type of storm shelter do you have? F2 Tornado’s and straight line storms are violent and can do damage quickly. Being in a basement is much better than being above ground for sure. However, you are still not totally safe from these types of storms. Having a full concrete enclosure keeps you protected from being sucked out, from being hit by flying debris, or having your home above you fall in on top of you.

Always do your best,

-Mike Pilcher

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