2007-05-04 Greensburg, KS

[Darren Addy]

Randy,
I'd like to echo Bob and thank you for your first person account, and also for your selfless service to the people of Greenburg that terrible night. I'm glad that the number of fatalities, though significant, was only a small fraction of your initial estimate.

This is probably not the forum for it, but since you brought it up, I'd like to address the issue of photojournalism and ethics in this matter. While stormchasers are not, for the most part, professional photojournalists - when there are no "proper" photojournalists present, anyone who gets the photo or video (particularly in a remote location) can be, in effect, pressed into such service. "Pictures" are what often move people to action and/or to care about a specific issue (in this case, for example, one might be making a case for proper funding for the NWS and the warning service they provide, for local EMTs and Fire Departments, etc.).

One famous example, discussed in photojournalism ethics classes is this one: http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/mother-daughter-falling-fire-escape-1975/ . You may note to what that shocking "picture" (and the news coverage that it drew public attention to) eventually led:

"The picture also prompted officials in Boston to rewrite its laws regarding fire escape safety. Fire safety groups around the country used the photo to promote similar efforts in other cities."
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Another article examines this issue: Are photojournalists obligated to help in rescues?

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Photojournalism also provides something that society needs, it just isn't always as universally recognized. That being said, there isn't any reason that a person might not be able to do both, if circumstances allow (document AND assist rescuers). Also not to be ignored is that photojournalists can also suffer from PTSD after an incident.

I can certainly understand how one might be irked to see someone with a camera while they were struggling to carry out search & rescue procedures, particularly when they needed more help. But, IMHO, we should be careful not to condemn an entire field, or encourage scorn to be thrown at people who happen to be documenting evidence in the aftermath of a disaster.

 

[Bob Schafer]

This is kind of tangential to what Darren said.

I had been chasing for 12 years before I witnessed my first killer tornado. I had a few good vids posted on YouTube that had been there for years that never attracted any media attention, but when I posted the video of the killer tornado within hours I received an email from a network which wanted to show my video on their morning show. I was the only chaser to have posted a video of that tornado on the internet.

Well, that immediately angered me. No interest in my other vids, but someone dies and then they're suddenly all over it. I told them no.

A few months went by and I was still thinking about it. I finally realized that tornadoes that kill are news. (Most) others just aren't. That's just the way it is, and that's not going to change anytime soon.

 

[William Monfredo]

I notice some interest still exists in images of tornado damage through EF-5. Chasing this event and surveying the damage fell within the purview of my work at that time. I took these shots in Greensburg, KS approximately 36 hours after the storm struck, which is considered early enough. People start to clean up quickly, so a researcher has to get in there ASAP. Many houses collapsed into their basements, and it smelled like a lot of fresh, cut wood. Residents appeared to be holding it together, but I think a lot of them were in shock. I tried to lend a shoulder and an ear when I could. In the third photo, the son of the motel owners appeared pleased to stand in next to the upended automobile to show scale.

 

[William Monfredo]

These pics I shot in black & white bring home some important points. Many Greensburg residents did the right things in terms of their own personal safety. But what more could a person do sitting on their sofa in the basement during a tornado warning when a truck blows around & lands in the cellar on top of them? That person didn't make it out alive, and it causes one to think about fate, probability, or perhaps religion.
Big & heavy oil drums blow away in a top-ranked storm; see last photo. But sometimes, other debris from upwind affects people, their houses & autos downwind. Wind-driven structural debris become battering rams & flying missiles, tearing vehicles & houses apart as shown. Dirt, stones, & various air-borne particles act as a "sand-blaster," and nobody would want to be outside & exposed to the elements during significant storms.



BTW, it always troubled me seeing Bill and Jo in the movie "Twister" running around outside with all the EF-5 debris flying around...not too likely!

 

[William Monfredo]

There were three chase days, Friday-Sunday, May 4-6; the last day had veered 850 mb winds that kept tornadoes at bay. My slides below...
I liked the results of Gibson Ridge software for radar that some people were involved with at the time, although the 3-D smoothing looked kind of rough. What great visualization. Kansas...I think of high-instability environments after dark and some of the big tornadoes they've experienced.
That's also a concern for older folks who go to bed early (not me!) And those were some big tires to pull out of the living room in the last photo!