Community Chat

[JustJules]

I've heard some bizarre ideas before, but now I think I've heard it all. There is a scientist that is proposing the United States build "tornado walls", yes walls, in various parts of the country to supposedly protect us. I live in tornado alley and it has become quite the topic, mostly of jokes. They refer to it as the Great Wall of Kansas. This scientist suggests 3 separate walls; one built in North Dakota, one built along the state line between Kansas and Oklahoma, and another in southern Texas and Louisiana. Each of the walls would be 1,000 feet tall (keep in mind, the Chrysler Building in NY is 1,046' and the Eiffel Tower in Paris is 1,063') and would need to be 150 feet wide.

Aside from the ridiculous cost to build ($60 billion per 100 miles of wall), meteorologists and climatologists have serious concerns about what these walls would do to normal weather patterns in the country. They fear that the main central wall would cast shade over much of southern Kansas, causing a change in crop growing, and perhaps causing undo amounts of rain. While on the other hand, causing the southern states to have higher than normal temperatures.

So, would you want your tax money going towards building these walls?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/02/25/giant-walls-tornado-alley/5808887/

http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/tornado-wall-break-storms-zany-proposals-20140226

"One scientist thinks we can protect parts of the central USA from ferocious tornadoes by building several gigantic walls across Tornado Alley:

"If we build three east-west great walls in the American Midwest .... one in North Dakota, one along the border between Kansas and Oklahoma to the east, and the third one in south Texas and Louisiana, we will diminish the tornado threats in the Tornado Alley forever," according to physicist Rongjia Tao of Temple University.

The walls would need to be about 1,000 feet high and 150 feet wide, he said. Tao is presenting his research next week at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society in Denver."

[Elstongunn]

This is really dumb, for all the reasons stated in the article above.

Best thing to do is to prepare for them the best you can by watching and adhering to watches and warnings and getting to a safe area. The destruction of property cannot be helped, so make sure you have adequate insurance.

Besides, with all the climate changes, it could be that in a few years Tornado Alley will have shifted off to some other area, then all you'll have are big ugly expensive walls.

[straykatz]

No I don't think this will work because tornadoes touch down all over the place...it's not like they start in the same place everytime.

[DoneTryin]

Whoever the ""scientist"" is who came up with this idea has more time on his/her hands than sense in his/her head.

[LilacTree]

I'd be happy right now if our bridges don't fall down, our roads don't open into cavernous holes, and gas leaks don't blow up buildings and houses.

Let's get to the infrastructure, then maybe we can worry about tornado walls.

[straykatz]

$60 billion per 100 miles of wall

IMO....It would make better sense to spend all this money to put a storm shelters in everyone back yard who does not have a basement and lives in tornado alley.

[Elstongunn]

On 2/26/2014 Ford1224 said:

I'd be happy right now if our bridges don't fall down, our roads don't open into cavernous holes, and gas leaks don't blow up buildings and houses.

Let's get to the infrastructure, then maybe we can worry about tornado walls.

I agree that our infrastructure is in shambles in roads, dams, bridges, aging pipes...you name it, it needs to be upgraded!

[croemer]

First tornadoes come from all directions.

Second lets say a tornado approaches a wall... hits that wall and bounces off... goes to another location and damages it?

Third lets say it scoops down missing the wall and then bounces around within the walls...that could be some real loss of life.

60 Billion dollars per 100 miles...not sure that would save a lot of money or lives.

This coming from a novice...not a scientist.

[JustJules]

All great thoughts!!! I think it's a ridiculous idea as well. Will be interesting to see how his proposal "officially" goes over after he presents it in Denver next week.

Personally I would prefer to see more money go into funding the Red Cross and other disaster relief programs. As others mentioned, tornadoes occur all over the country, and while "tornado alley" may be more prone to them, it certainly doesn't have exclusive rights. Look at the tornadoes in Illinois this past week. They are part of mother nature, and I don't think she is going to be deterred by any big, expensive walls. JMO

[JustJules]

On 2/26/2014 croemer said:

First tornadoes come from all directions.

Second lets say a tornado approaches a wall... hits that wall and bounces off... goes to another location and damages it?

Third lets say it scoops down missing the wall and then bounces around within the walls...that could be some real loss of life.

60 Billion dollars per 100 miles...not sure that would save a lot of money or lives.

This coming from a novice...not a scientist.

Totally agree with you Croemer. Just out of curiosity I looked it up. Kansas is 400 miles long, Oklahoma is 478 miles. So going with just the Kansas portion alone, that wall would cost $240Billion. Plus he wants to build two other walls.