Odds of a Mobile Home Being hit by Tornado is 350% Greater in Alabama than Kansas

No one will disagree that there are few deadlier places to be in a tornado than in a mobile home.  However, as a recent Wall Street Journal article (reposted on Realtor.com) pointed out, “The potential for a mobile home to be hit by a tornado is 350% greater in Alabama than in tornado-prone Kansas” mostly because they are spread out and not located in parks or communities.   But there is also another danger, apparently Alabama didn’t routinely enforce installation codes for new mobile homes until 15 years ago, meaning that it is unclear how many mobile homes are securely anchored to the ground.  The disaster that happened in Alabama in early March took the lives of 23 people – half of whom were in mobile homes that were ripped from the ground by winds in excess of 170 mph.

“Initiatives to strengthen safety of the state’s 300,000 mobile homes—including recommendations from a panel convened after about 250 people died when tornadoes struck central Alabama in 2011—fell short for lack of money and political squabbles.”

Click here to read the full story at Realtor.com.