Jon Edlin, his wife, and two small children survived an EF-3 tornado that swept through their suburb of Nashville, Tennessee on a dark night in March 2020. Jon had grown up in Kansas, was used to hearing tornado reports, thought little of them, but quickly ushered his family into their "safe space" when meteorologists' alerts of a tornado on the ground in his neighborhood came through his cell line. All told, the tornado that night left a 63-mile swath of destruction... killing 25 people. His house was wiped out, his cars crushed. Windows popped out, there was smashed glass everywhere, ceilings ripped away... all in the matter of seconds. Huddled over his daughter, and hanging on for dear life, Jon thought is was all over. But as fast as it came, soon it was silent, eerie quiet. It took two hours for a nearby cousin to get there, picking his way through the destruction and rubble and downed power lines to rescue Jon and his family. But they were spared... and the event changed his life. Why had he been spared? What did others do wrong to be killed? And... what should others do to prepare for future tornadoes? This last question set Jon on a mission: To educate residents about how to prepare and to equip them with emergency kits. Within months of the tornado, Jon formed Edlin Tornado Solution. He wrote a guide that is available on Amazon, developed a backpack with essentials, and began to lecture on preparedness. He has become an important messenger of the realities of tornadic activity in Tornado Alley and in Dixie Alley where his home had been. Jon describes that horrific night, from early TV reports of tornadoes in the area, to taking heed and sheltering, to the actual tornado and how it sounded like five jet engines roaring directly over him, and its aftermath. Jon dispels myths... like "it could never happen to me." He makes clear that tornadoes are not predictable and now spread across a wide number of mid-western states... not just Kansas. Jon and Ted discuss that the United States is considered "the global epicenter of tornadoes," as dry air from the Southwest mixes with warm air east of the Rockies, loaded with Gulf moisture. Over 1,000 tornadoes are recorded each year, from EF-1 with 65 mph winds, to EF-5 with wind speeds over 200 mph. While the number may not be changing or increasing due to climate change, they are now occurring in more locations, further north earlier in the year, and in outbreaks of many tornadoes in the day-long or two-day periods. So what is in the kits? Forget food; forget shovels states Jon. His kits are sturdy backpacks that have lights, first aid, extra gauze, and whistles. They have dedicated pockets for car keys, cell phones, laptops, and other essentials critical to rebuilding after the storm. They come shipped with a hook to encourage their buyers to a) identify the safe spots in their homes, and b) to hang their kits so they are at the ready. While basements are best, and essential for EF-5 events, Jon and his family survived huddled in the central hallway of their home... away from windows and exterior doors through which they could be sucked out. A brick wall landed squarely on their bed... their kids' rooms' ceilings were completely gone, their cars crushed. But they were safe. The conversation ends with a discussion of emergency preparedness... from tornadic activity in the mid-west to wildfire and earthquakes to the west. While human nature reinforces myths and results in inaction, Jon is clear that we all need to be prepared... that we need to be smart to survive and to protect our families. He cautions listeners not to be become desensitized, to override that part of your brain, and instead to really think about it, to visualize it happening to you, to take preparedness seriously.
