Mobile home residents urged to prep for Illinois tornado season
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — April through June is Illinois’ peak tornado period. Staying safe is crucial, and that means having a plan — especially if you live in a mobile home.
Tornadoes can be dangerous to anyone in their path, but mobile homes bear the brunt of their destruction. The National Weather Service (NWS) says on average, 72% of all tornado-related deaths are in homes. 54% of those are in mobile homes.
“We always recommend not staying inside of a mobile home in a tornadic situation because they just break apart,” said Warning Coordination Meteorologist Ed Shimon.
Shimon said getting out of a mobile home is better than staying inside.
“Actually, if there’s a nearby ditch, that might even be better than being inside of the mobile home.”
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He said it could help to have a shelter built onto your mobile home, or built on the property of your mobile home park.
More than 300 people live at Shadow Wood Mobile Home Park in Champaign. Some residents say they don’t have a safe place to take shelter in severe weather conditions.
“Nothing like that. These people don’t have nothing like that for us,” said Earner Chappel, who has lived at the park for more than 15 years.
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The NWS also says communicating about what to do during a tornado storm is important. Chappel said that doesn’t happen at Shadow Wood.
“I don’t even think, you know, that they hold meetings to even tell people where to go. I’ve never been to one.”
But he has a plan.
“If the weather is going to be real bad, I’ll get my wife and our dog, and we are going to stay mainly at her father’s house,” Chappel said.
The City of Urbana posted about mobile home safety during a tornado. Their recommendation is to talk to your park manager about where you should go if one is coming.
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