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410 <br />A <br />Muck fires are not a frequent threat to Florida. <br />However, during a drought in the 1980's fires in the <br />Everglades consumed the rich, dried out muck that <br />had once been the bottom of the swamp. These <br />fires burned deep into the ground and required <br />alternative fire -fighting techniques to extinguish <br />them. <br />Tornado <br />A tornado is a violent windstorm characterized by a <br />twisting, funnel -shaped cloud extending to the ground. It <br />is generated by a thunderstorm or hurricane when cool air <br />overrides a layer of warm air, forcing the warm air to rise <br />rapidly. The most common type of tornado, the relatively <br />weak and short-lived type, occurs in the warm season with <br />June being the peak month. The strongest, most deadly <br />tornadoes occur in the cool season, from December through <br />April (Florida Department of Community Affairs, 1998). <br />Occasional wind storms accompanied by tornadoes, such <br />as the winter storm of 1993, are also widespread and <br />destructive. <br />The damage from a tornado is a result of the high wind <br />velocity and wind-blown debris. Florida's average i 54 <br />tornadoes annually since 1959, causing an average of two <br />fatalities and 69 injuries each year (Florida Department of <br />Community Affairs, 1998). Indian River County's <br />vulnerability to tornadoes is compounded by the high <br />concentration of mobile home residents in large mobile <br />home communities. <br />The National Weather Service issues two types of alerts: <br />A Tornado Watch means that conditions are <br />favorable for tornadoes to develop; and <br />A Tornado Warning means that a tornado has <br />actually been sighted. <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 14