SENECA, Mo. (AP) -- The latest wave of tornadoes to rip through
parts of the nation's midsection has rekindled a warning first
issued a quarter century ago: stay out of your car in a twister.
Eight of the 23 victims in Missouri and Oklahoma died in cars,
troubling experts who say the inside of a vehicle is one of the
worst places to be when a tornado hits.
Among those killed were three people rushing to reach a
relative's house and four family members who were in a van on the
way to a friend's wedding.
Cars have the same problem as mobile homes in a storm: they
aren't anchored to the ground, so winds can get underneath them. A
meterologist says winds of less than 100 miles per hour can flip a
car.
Weekend storms killed 26 people in Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia
and Alabama.