Background: Approximately twenty-five years ago, RIDOT stopped using granite curbing as a. standard, with the exception of bridge projects. The primary motivation was cost, as precast. concrete, the replacement, was cheaper to purchase and install.
Longest damage path and duration: The Tri-State Tornado. The longest recorded tornado journey in U.S. history was the Tri-State Tornado of 1925, which traveled almost 220 miles across southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southwestern Indiana during its 3.5-hour life. The average tornado travels about 5 miles.
Topeka-area historical tornado activity is near Illinois state average. It is 83% greater than the overall U.S. average. On 5/13/1995, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 11.7 miles away from the Topeka village center injured 45 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.