My wife to be is terrified of tornado's and thinks any cloud build up will produce one. anything I can do?

Question

I want to help her I mean this problem is effecting everything she will or will not do.

Answer 1

That's a tough one.I was the same way,and then a little,unexpected one hit my house and trees,and tore the heck out of several houses all over town.There was no tornado warning,there was just some wind,then it hit.SO-you really never know.The only thing you can really do is just tell her that even though you can never be entirely sure when one will hit,there are usually signs that one is approaching and you have some time to get to safety.Was she ever in one?I was afraid before it hit,terrified afterwards,but am coming to terms with it and learning to adjust.Good luck.It's a tough one to get over,especially if one has nightmares about them.

Answer 2

Well being from oklahoma i can safely say that a tornado does not form out of just any ol cloud. It comes from what we call in oklahoma a wall cloud and a wall cloud is a very very very large very very dark very very very very VERY LOW lying cloud with a dbz above 58 at least i would say 60 and above would be the start to produce tornadoes. the higher the DBZ the stronger the storm. I live the may 3rd tornado that produced the strongest tornado in world history. it even made guiness. I watched that baby from my front porch until i had to go underground. Just let her know not every thunderstorm makes a tornado. Not even ones that knock the power out.Things happen and it can get scary at times but the best thing to do in those situations is you educate yourself before and use common sense during. watch the weather buy a radio weather station and keep it in an emergency pack. Also you can prepack a bag with a radio with the right batteries and plenty of em, a battery powered lantern flashlights are ok but not to light an area fully and some bottle water and long shelf life things like nuts dried fruit crackers you will be fine. if a tornado comes you got everything lifesaving in bag get the kids and a few toys and get underground or in the bathroom with a matress for some protection or a closet you will be fine. if you have a celler or basement make sure it is registerd with your local emergency first responders such as the fire department so when they drive around neighborhoods after the storm they will know that under a pile of rubble is a family underground and they can help get you out. a house and nice things can be replaced and insurance is amazing when dealing with tornado victims. It is scary at times, but its not worth worrying to death over.

Answer 3

Move to a part of the country/world where the weather is very fair and cool. Tell her exactly what conditions mu ct be present for a tornado to exist. If she experienced a tornado with major losses she might be suffering from a Post-Traumatic Syndrome. In that case, refer to a psychologist.

Answer 4

therapy or meds, im in therapy 4 the same exact thing lol. i cant even go shopping without checking the weather channel and i have 6 diff weather detectors 4 the area on my computer. its hard, she should talk 2 her doc about it and see if maybe meds would b ok 4 her, or what he suggests, i started with meds but they didnt always help so now im seeing a therapist and its helping a lot, i went 2 the store when it was lightning just today. and only been in therapy the past 3 weeks.
good luck, this is a tough one 2 work out.
congrats on the upcomming marriage.

Answer 5

I suffer from the same thing. Then I moved to Kansas. She may need some help, professionally. She needs to realize that she is letting this phobia run her life. When she realizes this she will be ready for treatment. I just finally bought a weather radio. If I worry, I listen to it. If it says that everything is ok, I don't worry. If there's a prob, I already have my disaster stuff ready to go and move the fam to the basement. Problem solved.

Answer 6

Sounds like she may have had a bad or scary experience with tornadoes before she met you. I would check into therapy with a professional that specializes in fears for her. You are a good man to be supporting your wife and trying to help her.

Answer 7

I love WEATHER. I think the question is how do you feel about storms? Try to encourage her to love weather. I know she's an adult, obviously, but my husband and I are getting our 3 & 8 yr. olds to love weather like we do. I'm crazy. I love taking pictures of lightening. And yes, I took a picture of a funnel cloud once. She needs to face her fears. I'm afraid of bats. So I don't like to go outside much when it's late. But I do now. It's the only way to see the stars. Get it. Anyway, she's missing out on cool cloud formations and the awe of nature. The good and the bad.

Answer 8

Did she move from a non tornado area into tornado alley? My ex was that way, but I reassured her all the time about how rare they really are, and after a time she wasn't bothered anymore.

Answer 9

Rent a book or movie about tornadoes and try to help her learn what actually creates tornadoes. If she educates herself on the topic it will be less scary.

Answer 10

Take a meteorology class with her at the local community college - or call your weather guy to find out if they are having any classes (some of them do community service classes for the public) or maybe he or she would talk with you both about it if you explain the situation. Buy a book on the subject or go to the library and see if you can check out a film on meteorology. Knowledge alleviates fear. Best wishes.