Every year in the United States, tornadoes do about 400 million dollars in damage and kill about 70 people on average.

Extremely high winds tear homes and businesses apart. Winds can also destroy bridges, flip trains, send cars and trucks flying, tear the bark off trees, and suck all the water from a riverbed.

High winds sometimes kill or injure people by rolling them along the ground or dropping them from dangerous heights. But most tornado victims are struck by flying debris—roofing shingles, broken glass, doors, metal rods.

The number of average deaths per year in the United States used to be higher before improved forecasting and warning systems were put into place.