As the remnants of Hurricane Ida barreled north in September 2021, Chris Erdner heard a startling warning on TV: Residents in her area needed to seek shelter immediately. Erdner\u2019s quiet suburban neighborhood in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was directly in the path of a tornado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erdner and her husband rushed to the basement. \u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve ever heard it,\u201d she said, of the \u201cincredible noise\u201d generated when a tornado passes overhead. \u201cIt sounds like a freight train.\u201d Although the tornado only lasted a short time, it felt much longer. Listening to the storm raging outside, Erdner wondered if the heavy steel doors leading from the yard to the basement would be ripped off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt shocked us,\u201d said Erdner, who grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and has lived in the same house in Upper Dublin Township for more than 30 years. \u201cOne of the things we always liked about living in this area of Pennsylvania is that we didn\u2019t usually have to worry about things like tornadoes and hurricanes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since that frightening day in 2021, Erdner has noticed more tornado watches and warnings issued for her area, and she worries what this might mean for the future. \u201cBecause if this is some sort of effect from climate change,\u201d she said, \u201cthis is not going to get better, this is going to get worse, right?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n