Recently there have been a number of deadly tornadoes that have popped up suddenly throughout the Midwest. There have been a number of fatalities and many survivors are forced to deal with insurance companies when they try to put their lives and broken homes back together. Our hearts go out to all the victims of severe weather events, hopefully by reading this post and following some of the linked websites, more people can take steps to protect themselves and their families from tornadoes.

If you live in an area where tornadoes are a danger, then you may wish to find some resources on how you can take some steps to weatherize your home. These tips might be able to give your home a better chance of surviving a tornado.

- Check out My Great Home [www.mygreathome.com].

- Also visit Institute for Business and Home Safety [www.ibhs.org].

- For more general information about tornadoes such as, what causes them? And how to stay informed on the possibility of a tornado occuring in your area, check National Severe Storms Laboratory [www.nssl.noaa.gov].

Dear GREEN Blog readers and those who enjoy the Greenzine, there is an official correction we need to make regarding the feature story in the April 24th Greenzine. Greensburg, Kansas was described incorrectly as being “hurricane-ravaged” when in fact it was “tornado-ravaged.” We made a mistake and for this we profusely apologize. We can console ourselves somewhat because the two weather events are relatively similar to each other, at least in that they produce comparable damage.

So, what is the difference between hurricanes and tornadoes?

A hurricane originates on water, and is fueled by disparities between pressure and heat as water and atmosphere intersect on the surface of the ocean. Hurricanes tend to damage coastal areas the most because they lose all their strength as soon as they move inland. A hurricane is an enormous atmospheric formation that can be seen from space.

Tornadoes are much smaller and sporadic phenomena that can crop up around the periphery of hurricanes but can also pop up as the result of a storm system. They are very dangerous because they can strike suddenly and will produce tremendous pressure and wind velocity that can tear roofs off and completely level everything around them.

In honor of the upcoming original series, THE GOOD FIGHT, Simran Sethi will be moderating a fundraising event dedicated to the restoration and improvement of a small town that was nearly obliterated by dangerous weather events.

Simran Sethi, host of the Sundance Channel, THE GREEN will moderate a panel on the green redesign of tornado devastated Greensburg, Kansas. The discussion will feature BNIM Architects’ planner Stephen Hardy and Greentown director Daniel Wallach sharing how design can positively affect a whole city. The Sundance Channel will also screen segments from their THE GOOD FIGHT Series.

For more details check out AIGA [kansascity.aiga.org]