Another news article about storm "tourists"

[Bill Tabor]

Originally posted by mrobinson

I really think there needs to be some sort of media campaign to set the record straight about the differences between local and chaser.

IMO we are the media campaign. There's lots of us. The guy left his name, email address, and phone number at the bottom of the article. If we disagree with it we should complain, or email him with our opinion of why we think he did a poor job and a disservice to all of us. We should ask for a retraction, clarification, or another article that makes the distinction between chasers and the rest of the folk that may be near a storm particularly around larger cities.

We all post all the time. It's easy to shoot the guy an email message, or even email the paper or editor instead.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Surely there are emergency management, law enforcement and NWS personnel who know and have experienced firsthand the benefits chasers provide, who would be willing to vouch for our credibility and the many examples of positive contributions chasers have been responsible for.

These articles are always quoting officials who have a negative perception, which I'd go out on a limb to say are in the minority. From all of the positive encounters with police/EMS I've personally had in the field, it seems to me that there should be plenty of good PR from the same types of sources, that is, people in 'official' capacities - whos voices would probably carry more weight than our own.

 

[David Schuttler]

I don't think the person in the Harper EM vehicle that was behind me w of Anthony on 5-29 should have had a kid with them either but not my call.

I would like to see Kansas officials look into the tornado warning procedures followed at Belle Plaines rest stop on 5-29. I pulled in while a tornado warning had been issued for the area to relieve myself. I tried to enter into the store but the doors where locked with people walking around inside wanting to leave and people outside trying to get in and pay for their gas. Who are they protecting if people are in the open isles inside and people walking around outside unprotected in the open afraid to leave the area without paying for their gas. Not sure how long this went on that night, I left and went on towards Derby.

 

[Shane Adams]

Originally posted by David Schuttler
I would like to know if this Mr.Loreg has a personal problem with chaser's.I'm sure he has seen some frustrating things but 65mph thru Harper viewing a harmless cloud formation? I followed that storm starting in oklahoma ( I'll admit I look at harmless areas too, it's all interesting to me.Didn't know it was such a problem for so many people) but I never had to drive that fast and the storm sure wasn't moving fast enough for anyone to need to go that fast. Just maybe it wasn't a chaser maybe someone was trying to get home knowing something was up.

I also don't think the person in the EM vehicle that was behind me w of Anthony on 5-29 should have had a kid with them either but not my call.

I would like to see Kansas officials look into the tornado warning procedures followed at Belle Plaines rest stop on 5-29. I pulled in while a tornado warning had been issued for the area to relieve myself. I tried to enter into the store but the doors where locked with people walking around inside wanting to leave and people outside trying to get in and pay for their gas. Who are they protecting if people are in the open isles inside and people walking around outside unprotected in the open afraid to leave the area without paying for their gas. Not sure how long this went on that night, I left and went on towards Derby

This is a common story. I've heard several instances where stores/gas stations lock their doors during impending tornadic situations. This makes absolutely zero sense. If I'm ever in a situation where a tornado is bearing down on me and the store/gas station I'm at locks its doors, there's gonna be a brick flying through some glass.

Maybe they're trying to lock the tornado out?

 

[Susan Strom]

David wrote:

I would like to see Kansas officials look into the tornado warning procedures followed at Belle Plaines rest stop on 5-29. I pulled in while a tornado warning had been issued for the area to relieve myself. I tried to enter into the store but the doors where locked with people walking around inside wanting to leave and people outside trying to get in and pay for their gas. Who are they protecting if people are in the open isles inside and people walking around outside unprotected in the open afraid to leave the area without paying for their gas. Not sure how long this went on that night, I left and went on towards Derby

¿Qué?

Once when I was in the Belle Plaine Travel Plaza it was also during a tornado warning. People were hiding under counters, holding onto pipes and whatever they could in the hallway and restroom. A lady on the floor asked me if I wanted to “hide out” with them. Others were walking around in the open, like you said. I took one look at the place and said “no way”! (are you kidding?)

The entire west elevation is made of steel framing and huge panes of plate glass. I wouldn’t stand for it if someone locked me in there during a tornado warning. Twelve counties were warned on that night including BP and Wellington area, but the doors were not locked…are you sure this is procedure??

If they locked me in that place during a tornado, the door opens one way or another.

 

[David Schuttler]

""Twelve counties were warned on that night including BP and Wellington area, but the doors were not locked…are you sure this is procedure?? """



It was around 9:15 pm or about that time from what I remember.

There was also another time on 4-22-04 in Checota, OK I wanted to get a big mac at the walmart drive thru but they where all locked up and keeping people locked inside ( at least better structure somewhat). The storm had about died but they only knew the warning had not been officially canceled yet. The manager was standing outside and I pointed her to the storm and that it was basically dead. Ended up across the hwy. and got a cupcake instead.

 

[Sheila_Ward]

Originally posted by Susan Strom
If they locked me in that place during a tornado, the door opens one way or another.

LOL, my thoughts exactly!

 

[Greg Stumpf]

Here is a letter to the editor of the Wichita Eagle, reposted with the kind permission of veteran chaser Sam Barricklow.


greg

Originally posted by Sam Barricklow

Good morning Stan,

I'm writing to you in response to your recent article on storm chasing.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/9076360.htm

I am a storm chaser (since 1976) and a SKYWARN spotter (since 1974) who resides in Garland, TX, a suburb of Dallas. And, I chased and reported the Mulvane, Rock, Atlanta storm.

The primary reason for the traffic problem after the tornado in Mulvane was a police road block located just south of Mulvane, where the tornado had passed over highway 15 and had blown down a power line. The power line was laying flat across the highway. It was obviously not electrified (no sparks on a wet highway), it was flat on the road and not a danger to motorists. Instead of slowing and controlling traffic, the police blocked the road in both directions and required all traffic to make a u-turn. The resulting traffic jam blocked fire trucks and ambulances that were responding to the tornado.

I arrived at the downed power line a minute or two after the tornado crossed the highway and before the local fire and rescue teams arrived. Out of the 25 or so vehicles at the road block, I saw less than five other storm chasers. The other 20 plus vehicles had Kansas plates and were either local residents trying to check on relatives or people who were passing through town on the way to a destination unrelated to the tornado. Several of the people who were turned back had pleaded with the police to pass through and were visibly upset when they were turned away. Most simply bypassed the road block on a side road and proceeded on, clogging the side roads in the process.

I made the u-turn, consulted my Kansas road atlas, and chose a gravel road based on the most direct path to follow the storm. A few miles east of Mulvane, I stopped to watch the storm evolve. Shortly after stopping, we were passed by 30 to 40 vehicles, most of which had Kansas license plates and were occupied by teenagers or young adults. We (my wife Patti was with me) did see other storm chasers, but the bulk of those following the storm were actually local residents (per their license plates).

Since your article focused on traffic issues, perhaps you would consider writing about the service that storm chasers provide and how they benefit local communities.

As I said, I am also a SKYWARN spotter and a member of RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service). See:

http://www.k5kj.net/skywarn.htm#RACES

Many other storm chasers have studied, taken the tests and received amateur (ham) radio licenses so they can check into local SKYWARN nets to report what they see. Since most storm chasers have a passion for weather and they observe much more severe weather each year than local storm spotters, most have considerably more experience and knowledge of storm structure and storm evolution than local spotters. Reports from storm chasers can be valuable. Some local nets welcome out of area spotters/chasers (to their benefit), and others don't (to their detriment), but that's another story.

Many chasers voluntarily provide free video and photographs to the National Weather Service for use during annual SKYWARN training sessions. And, some chasers stop to help people in the wake of a tornado. I know that storm chasers stopped to help pull residents out of their collapsed homes in Mulvane on June 12th and southwest of Jamestown (west of Concordia) on May 29th. Immediate help by chasers can be of critical importance, especially in remote rural areas where rescue teams and emergency responders, often who are volunteers, can't respond as quickly as in cities or larger towns. The chasers who stop to help and those who make reports to the local nets, directly to the NWS or via the local 911 dispatcher are not publicity seekers, resulting in the general public being unaware of their activities and service.

Another benefit that might go unnoticed, storm chasing has attracted the attention of young people. Forecasting where to go to possibly intercept a tornado is no trivial task. Forecasting requires knowledge of science, meteorology, storm structure and evolution, and the ability to read maps and effectively navigate around storms. In the age of video games and other trivial pursuits, the existence of a group of young people who are immersed in science should be commended.

If the driving habits of a few chasers leave something to be desired, then think of your average teenager or young adult in their early 20s and consider their age, or go to a large city anywhere in the U.S. and drive on their freeways. And, think of the ridiculous laws that have been passed. In Texas, a person can bypass the state administered driving test by having a parent or guardian sign a paper saying that the parent trained the applicant to drive (i.e., home schooling). With all of the illegal and quasi-legal aliens who drive on our roads and appear to have little or no previous driving experience, having potentially untrained drivers on our streets and highways should be a huge concern for everyone!

As you are likely aware, many towns across the Great Plains of the U.S. are declining. While the numbers of storm chasers has grown in recent years, it is still limited to only a few hundred serious chasers. These storm chasers spend money in small towns. They purchase food, fuel, supplies and they stay at motels.

Most chasers have developed a serious love for the Great Plains of the United States and have a strong feeling of affection and admiration for the people who live and work there.

Some chasers are meteorology students, others are photographers and videographers, a few are serious scientific researchers, a minority are thrill seekers and a growing number work as stringers for the news media, such as CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, The Weather Channel and local TV stations. Weather events and disasters in small town America that in the past might have only been covered in the local media, now frequently receive immediate national coverage and attention.

As I said before, many chasers report what they see, either to the NWS or to local authorities. While the added traffic may briefly clog local roads, local communities receive direct benefits from the presence of storm chasers. And, any chaser who breaks the traffic laws is subject to the same penalties as anyone else.

Please consider a follow-up article that covers some of the points that I have made.

All the best,

Sam Barricklow

Go here for more information:
http://www.k5kj.net/news.htm

 

[Gayla Drummond]

That's telling them, Sam!

:lol:

Seriously, that was a very well written response.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Excellent example of a great response.

 

[Scott Roberts]

I thought Scott Roberts was supposed to do a positive story about keeping locals off the roads and putting chasers in a positive light.

Actually, Kim Wilhelm did the story for our station. (I'm not a reporter, but an assignment editor, and was aware she was doing the story.)

She did make a distinction between locals and the people who do this as a living/hobby, and the story was directed at getting people who aren't trained off the roads. I think she did a fairly good job with it, but then I viewed Stan's article as pretty balanced and meant to get untrained locals off the road, so a lot of people here would probably disagree with me about Kim's treatment of it ;-)

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Yes, that was very well written and covers all the areas of concern. It shows that we aren't just "joyriding YAHOO'S" out causing havoc for the small towns but providing a free and profitable service to their community.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Yep, dittos - very well written rebuttal Sam - I commend!

 

[Brian Brubaker]

The article makes only a marginal attempt at subtle distinction.

... people who had come out to see the tornado.

Tornado warnings in the Wichita area seem to send more and more people to their vehicles with a video camera instead of to their basement for shelter.

Or they blunder into a tornado's path because they don't know what to watch for or what to do in a crisis.

Chasers can read these quotes and know who the author is talking about. But when the target audience is the general public, you have to assume they are completely ignorant and provide some basic information early in the artcile. I'm not a journalist, but I can't imagine that that concept isn't taught at journalism school.

 

[Jon Davies]

I'm not intending to step on people's feelings and reactions to the recent Eagle article, and don't want this to be taken that way. I just wanted to say that people I know locally who read the article seemed to have no problem interpreting that the focus was on local "gawkers". Mentioned separately were "storm spotters", "severe weather photographers", "researchers" as having a job to do, not as the problem part of the crowd issues.

From knowing the author, I know that the Eagle's point was to make Wichita area people aware of the problems with local people jamming the roads (impeding emergency response, etc.) during a highly visible severe event like May 29 and June 12 in s-c KS. As such, the article seemed appropriate to me and was not aimed at bashing storm chasers such as those on this forum.

I think instead of being overly sensitive to perceived criticism, as a group we need to focus on conducting ourselves well out there, trying to be helpful when we can, and driving carefully as well as defensively. When opportunities present themselves, we can calmly point out the difference between 'us' and 'those other guys'.

Jon Davies, Wichita KS