Though only about 7 percent of homes in the United States are mobile homes, more than 40 percent of all tornado deaths in the U.S. involve mobile home residents. In fact, studies show that people are almost 10 times more likely to die in a tornado if they are in a mobile home rather than a permanent home.
More facts about mobile homes and tornadoes:
- The state with the highest percentage of housing units that are mobiles homes is South Carolina, where almost one-fifth of all homes are mobile homes.
- Even mobile homes with tornado "tie downs" are not safe during a tornado — winds from even a F0 tornado, the lowest classification, can do serious damage.
- Mobile home parks are particularly dangerous during tornadoes because of the way the homes are often placed close together, making more debris to fly around in a smaller area when the houses get hit.