Can be very devastating. Proceed with caution.

I have seen one funnel cloud on the ground hopping along and destroying buildings in a small city in the Midwest. I was on the road when another tornado came through and had to pull over. The wind driven hail knocked holes in our car's radiator!

We have very few tornadoes here in Tennessee but I do know how deadly they can be. They are so powerful that they can make straw go through telephone poles. I've seen pictures of this. I consider myself very lucky to never have seen a tornado.

Too familiar with these to be too Scared or too comfortable. They can do some Damage to be sure and you never know just which path they will take. So whether or not you and your property will remain intact is as Much a roll of the dice as quality of Property. I've lived in the Southeast all my Life and these are a threat Two Seasons a year, but luckily they give some Warning. Hail, followed by a Shift in Wind or a dead calm is usually indicative of a Tornado. Greenish tint to the Sky, Very fast moving clouds, debris Falling from the sky or whirling on the Ground under heavy cloud cover are all very Good signs that a Tornado is coming. Take them very Seriously and seek shelter immediately. Do NOT do what I do and look around to try to see it. I am an idiot, be smarter. There does not seem to be a lot of Rhyme or reason to when they touch down. This makes them easy to underestimate. Take all Warnings seriously.
Years ago, when I was Living in Tennessee, I had a friend who had His trailer destroyed by a Tornado. Two Garbage cans next to his trailer were untouched. They can skip one House and destroy another. Take these things seriously, but do not Panic unnecessarily. Use common sense and seek Solid shelter. If you are in a Car-get out. If you are outside-go in. Most deaths are caused by Debris. I have actually seen a couple of them and they are Powerful forces of nature happily Prepared to remind you how Impotent you really are.
Be safe out there.

Can do a lot of damage, but for me, they are very scary. When they had all the tornadoes in Memphis in Feburary 2008, one actually hit about 5 miles behind my house, and we watched it go by for a few minutes. Hopefully that's the closest one will ever get to me.