VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As we all know living in Hampton Roads, spring storms can turn serious quickly, so it's important to be prepared.
"We have a tornado warning now and within 30 seconds we got it verified that there is one on the ground, so it can happen that quickly," Andy Booden, with the Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Management, said.
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VB EF-3 tornado spans over 4.5 miles in 5 minutes, damaging about 115 homes
Booden said storms can change quickly and can cause heavy damage no matter what the size.
"We have huge wind events that can pop up at a moment's notice," Booden said. " Twenty, 30, 40 mile per hour winds is easy enough to topple over a tree."
Many residents are still rebuilding almost a year after an EF-3 tornado ripped through neighborhoods near Cox High School damaging hundreds of homes.
"It sounded like a freight train hit our house basically and then we realized that this is for real," Lizzy Goldstein, who lives in one of the neighborhoods impacted, said.
Goldstein said she remembers at the time not taking the warning for a tornado too seriously, but the destruction that storm left behind has changed her viewpoint.
"No one thought a tornado would come our way, they are so unpredictable," Goldstein said. "So I would say just err on the side of caution and take it seriously."
Booden said that's where the awareness part comes in.
He said to be aware of weather alerts, areas known for flooding, where a safe space is in your home with no windows, and where items for an emergency kit can easily be accessed.
"Make a list like put it on the side of your refrigerator with magnets so you know where these things are because things get out of date, things expire, things change," Booden said.
Another good idea is to go over your emergency plan with your family and loved ones for when an emergency happens so everyone stays in the loop.
