Chasers Stuck in the mud in SD

[David Schuttler]

Forgive me is this already posted in this thread somewhere but I don't see it.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3zTG-KnTM8

I see Adam posted right before, I believe this is his video anyway.....I posted it basically backing up what I was saying earlier about backtracking not being an option.

Many might take this to look like you're joy riding through a field.

 

[Danny Neal]

Many might take this to look like you're joy riding through a field.

Many would be wrong then hmmmm......?

 

[weskranz]

First, thank goodness noboby was injured. With the OK convergence issues still fresh in the media & law enforcement, this would have undoubtedly triggered a massive wave of negative publicity had it gone really bad. It still may trigger some media, but nothing in the ballpark of what it could have been.

Honest mistakes happen, but the stakes were very high in this case and will remain high due to the nature of chasing.

I'm glad to hear that the farmer has worked out an agreement and am sure everyone will do the right thing and help him for the unfortunate situation on his property. I'm also glad to hear about the generosity within this community.

Stay safe and enjoy.

 

[Jim Stovall]

I think the farmer had every right to be mad. I understand from the chaser's point of view that the map info was bad and the situation called for drastic measures, but by the same token they violated one of the unwritten rules of chaser ethics by driving into someone's property. Luckily no one was injured, THIS TIME.

I am really ashamed of the bad publicity that chasers are getting these days. It seems that instead of throwing caution into the wind, it is being tossed out the window at 90 mph. It is unfortunate that the hand full of questionables such as the guy who passed the cop is what the public is basing their opinions on.

They need to remember that without us spotters out in the field, the warning system would be filled with false warnings being based on radar data. Those of us who actually report our observations are critical to the weather service and the broadcast media.

I wasn't there Elaine, but I'll bet the reason that the farmer was angered wasn't for the fact that they were chasers. Most likely, it was about the number of people that were on his property and were stuck.

You can look at it this way... Would you be upset if you walked out of your house and found 20 strange cars parked on your back yard?

I know I would, at least, question where the party was at!

 

[rdale]

They need to remember that without us spotters out in the field, the warning system would be filled with false warnings being based on radar data.

Then don't pass a cop at 90mph, and don't congregate in groups of 20, and nobody will bat an eye at you.

Those of us who actually report our observations are critical to the weather service and the broadcast media.

I think if you look at the ratio of "spotters" to "chasers" in the SN logs, the chasers far and away win. Most spotters still are stuck with 80's technology (i.e. their ham radio) and haven't used all available resources.

 

[Mike Kovalchick]

I guess one question remains- how? did he arrive at $400 each which seems a lot.
$50 each is a closer amount IMO.

Still I was not there and I fully accept that it is not really my place to comment. Overall I am glad that no REAL harm was done to any person or property.

When we arrived today at 3PM local time..the farmer told us he had brought in an agronomist earlier in the day who estimated the damages to his crops at around $5000.

My wallet is a lot lighter today but so glad for the ordeal to be over. The ordeal didn't end when we got unstuck. We had to spend hours cleaning. Our group had to remove hundreds of pounds of mud at the car wash-caked undernealth and in the wheels of my Subaru making the drive back to Aberdeen difficult.

Somebody mentioned a request for pictures..I took some today but I forgot my camera cable for uploads. (will post later.) I have to admit..when I first glimpsed our cars today out in the clear/blue skies...I had to laugh..it almost looked comical with all these cars scattered around in the field for no apparant reason.

The farmer was in a much better mood today and I thought everyone was very cordial and respectful to him.

Oh...and thanks again Bart for the lift out there. Hopefully, we will meet up during tomorrow's chase.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

but by the same token they violated one of the unwritten rules of chaser ethics by driving into someone's property. Luckily no one was injured, THIS TIME.

Do you really want to go there? Do you know how many times over the years I've seen storm spotters who backed up and parked on someone's private property? Not in a driveway, but into a field. The number of storm spotters I've seen sitting on private property is HIGHER than the number of chasers I've seen doing that. Fact is, storm chasers tend to stick to the main roads in order to keep up with the storm, so most of the time storm chasers will park well off the road onto the shoulder for their observation. But the fact is, all of us at some point in time have driven our vehicles on someone else's property. I once saw a storm spotter, and yes I know for a fact it was a storm spotter, who had backed up into a corn field so far that he had crushed some of the planted corn.

It doesn't matter whether you're in a field, a drive way, an inlet to a field.. you're on someone's private property. So by that token, you're just as guilty as anyone else by driving onto someone's property.

 

[Mike Heitz]

I know alot of people took the county road north we passed that up and watched you guys head north, we'd been around the area a bit before the storm and saw the "road" network one of the roads on gps was actually a grass wheel rut, so it goes to show what the road network was like, but we had a good view from 12 and the highway north of ipswitch wasn't to far away i just wonder if the competitive nature of the game got you guys to head north there, it was rain wrapped and a dangerous situation to head up that way but w/e i also thought some of you guys were nuts for how far north you went north on the road near bowdle but to each his own, just alot of people were pretty risky out there this was my first chase and i'm a degreed met getting his masters just suprised at how everything played out. Just happy V2 wasn't out i can guarantee you we would had HUGE problems if vortex2 was on that storm 2.

 

[Bob Hartig]

As I believe the second car down that road, yesterday, I can tell you that most of us were mobile well ahead of the storm at what would be considered a pretty safe distance. Most of us where taking that road to try and be cautious and keep well ahead of the storm. I was driving east whilst a photogenic tornado was in the background. I preferred to get to the next N-S road before shooting for safety reasons and we had no reason to believe the road was a dead end. No markings, no signs, and our GPS said go, so we went.

The meso producing the tornado at the time was north of us, though the storm was reconsolidating quickly to the south. I made it 2 miles down the road, before the chaser ahead of me came back the other way saying the road was out. At this point I turned around to drive back, but with other chasers heading this way, it resulted in a huge jam. Our route back was blocked by another tornado coming towards that location. We moved to the end of the road by the field, and the tornado crossed close to where we had been. More tornadoes formed heading our way. With a traffic jam of about 12 cars, I took to the field. I stayed to very close to the edge as did most chasers both for the higher ground and to minimise crop damage, however further tornadoes were developing south and when we reached a pool of water, we had to head inland into the heart of the field where we were forced to wait it out. Nobody not there can appreciate how many and how fast this thing was spinning up tornadoes left, right, north, south. From different areas of the meso also, so not strictly multiple vortex. As it happened, the area in the field we ended up in was skirted by all the tornadoes and vortices. Nobody took significant damage except the crop, and I imagine the flooding did more damage than we did. Everyone has chipped in to reimburse him for our damage and we have been pulled out and are ready to chase tomorrow in most cases!


It was a bad situation. I doubt any of us blame the farmer for wanting some sort of recompense although I personally have my issues with how the police officer handle the whole situation. In the end of the day, we've all come off a bit wiser, a bit poorer, either through insurance excesses or straight payment to the farmer but we've escaped with our lives. Really, we should have taken much more damage to our cars in that situation also. How we weren't hailed to oblivion I don't know. The thing is, nobody intended or did anything wrong to get into this situation. It was just a bad set of circumstances on the craziest storm in a long time.


Not all of this incident should be looked at in bad light. Bart Comstock and Mike Umscheid were transporting people, luggage and gas back and forth between Aberdeen and Ipswich through the night and Bart didn't get to sleep till 5:30 or later, then carted us all back out again today. I wish some people in here would focus on the good that comes out of these sort of events rather than the negatives!

Well said, Nathan. I was in the vehicle that first discovered the road dead-ended, and which turned around and gave the warning. You were the guy who led the charge into the field, and given the circumstances, it was the right thing to do. We weren't convening for a beer party; it was a last-ditch evasive effort to avoid getting munched, which we did narrowly.

I am not one who likes getting very close to tornadoes. In my opinion, we waited too long to vacate our position. But had we left earlier, we'd still have taken the same road east that we did. There was no reason not to--it was a decent-looking dirt road, not a cow path, and according to the map, it was a valid east-west escape route. But what seemed like a reasonable strategic choice ended in a horrifying discovery. Folks, you can lecture and talk about how you'd have done it differently all you want, but you really don't know, and I hope you never find yourself in a position to find out otherwise.

It takes time to process an event like this--time for everyone: me, the other chasers involved, the farmer whose field was affected, and other locals including the police. I can understand why that farmer felt upset. It hasn't been an easy spring for these folks out here in South Dakota. One of the locals, who graciously gave Ben, Adam, Danny, and me a ride in his pickup, talked about how this spring has been abnormally wet, delaying planting and even scuttling it in some areas for the farmers. For a farmer to then see part of his crop damaged by a group of chasers driving over his property--well, I can see why he'd feel disturbed. I can understand how a tightly knit community, including the police, would want to make sure that their own got cared for. So while, believe me, I will feel the financial pinch, I think it's right to recompense the farmer for reasonable damages. Not any more, but certainly not any less. Punishment in this situation is pointless, but fair recompense is only right.

I want to second what Nate has said about Bart Comstock and Mike Umscheid. It was my first time meeting both of these guys. I only chatted with Mike for a few seconds, but I know that he extended himself considerably. As for Bart--pal, again, major league thanks! You really gave of yourself. Without your help, a fair number of us would have been hugely screwed. Thanks for jumping in and staying in until the job got done. You're golden.

As for lessons learned: Don't trust Street Atlas and don't trust dirt roads. I'm not being flippant. Speaking for the guys in our vehicle, I think we've gotten the scary and costly point that when a tornado-breeding storm is bearing down on you, you'd better be very sure that your escape route is exactly that and not a death trap.

 

[Mike Heitz]

Well said, Nathan. I was in the vehicle that first discovered the road dead-ended, and which turned around and gave the warning. You were the guy who led the charge into the field, and given the circumstances, it was the right thing to do. We weren't convening for a beer party; it was a last-ditch evasive effort to avoid getting munched, which we did narrowly.

I am not one who likes getting very close to tornadoes. In my opinion, we waited too long to vacate our position. But had we left earlier, we'd still have taken the same road east that we did. There was no reason not to--it was a decent-looking dirt road, not a cow path, and according to the map, it was a valid east-west escape route. But what seemed like a reasonable strategic choice ended in a horrifying discovery. You can lecture and talk about how you'd have done it differently all you want, but you really don't know, and I hope you never find yourself in a position to find out otherwise.

It takes time to process an event like this--time for everyone: me, the other chasers involved, the farmer whose field was affected, and other locals including the police. I can understand why that farmer felt upset. Snap judgments tend to be more about emotions than evenhandedness. It hasn't been an easy spring for these folks out here in South Dakota. One of the locals, who graciously gave Ben, Adam, Danny, and me a ride in his pickup, talked about how this spring has been abnormally wet, delaying planting and even scuttling it in some areas for the farmers. For a farmer to then see part of his crop damaged by a group of chasers driving over his property--well, I can see why he'd feel disturbed. I can understand how a tightly knit community, including the police, would want to make sure that their own got cared for. So while, believe me, I will feel the financial pinch, I think it's right to recompense the farmer for reasonable damages. Not any more, but certainly not any less. Punishment in this situation is pointless, but fair recompense is only right.

I want to second what Nate has said about Bart Comstock and Mike Umscheid. It was my first time meeting both of these guys. I only chatted with Mike for a few seconds, but I know that he extended himself considerably. As for Bart--pal, again, major league thanks! You really gave of yourself. Without your help, a fair number of us would have been hugely screwed. Thanks for jumping in and staying in until the job got done. You're golden.

somewhat unrelated but from jamestown south all the way to aberdeen then west to bowdle we saw huge amounts of overland flooiding the mcs that passed the other day and recent rains haven't let soils absorb the moisture from the spring melts in general i don't think most chasers realized what the network was like. Regardless if it was flooding or not the roads were garbage anywhere north of 12 and to go on roads that weren't paved was pretty crazy.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

As for lessons learned: Don't trust Street Atlas and don't trust dirt roads.

I thinks this needs to be repeated. There's plenty of times I see dirt roads end despite being on a map. If you're not planning for this problem, you're gonna have problems. Not to mention dirt road maintenance, I've seen 'senic byways' suggested for tourists in NM drop by 3 feet, because they had been washed out the night before, and you're not gonna drive most cars over that.

 

[Adam Lucio]

See the thing was...that route was our planned route well ahead of getting there. Yea it was a little riskier to be in the direct path like Snyder had mentioned but by that point the storm had become so wrapped up you had to be almost directly northeast to see anything.

Our strategy would have paid off big time if the roads were there. While most peoples reports have been of the wedge, we continued to see, document and report at least 4 additional tornadoes after that. The route was planned out well ahead of time. I was driving and Ben and Danny were keeping an eye on the roads, we were working as a team to be most efficient in planning a route to keep us safe.

Theres not much more I can say...it was never our intention to go driving through a field and none of us really enjoyed it. We did what we had to do. Upon returning there in daylight to have my truck pulled out the farmer pointed out to us that the tornadoe/s had leveled barns about 1/2 mile northeast of the field we were stranded in. He agreed what we did was justified and we worked with him to come to a peacefull resolution...he and I actually talked for about 20 minutes about fishing.

Everyone was in mutual agreement and understanding, we know it was a mistake albeit a necissary one...and he understands the reasoning behind it. We dont blame him for seeking damages and I personally have no problem giving him back what we ruined...I appreciate hard working Americans and I would never want to ruin his livelyhood.

 

[Paul Hadfield]

See the thing was...that route was our planned route well ahead of getting there. Yea it was a little riskier to be in the direct path like Snyder had mentioned but by that point the storm had become so wrapped up you had to be almost directly northeast to see anything.

Our strategy would have paid off big time if the roads were there. While most peoples reports have been of the wedge, we continued to see, document and report at least 4 additional tornadoes after that. The route was planned out well ahead of time. I was driving and Ben and Danny were keeping an eye on the roads, we were working as a team to be most efficient in planning a route to keep us safe.

Theres not much more I can say...it was never our intention to go driving through a field and none of us really enjoyed it. We did what we had to do. Upon returning there in daylight to have my truck pulled out the farmer pointed out to us that the tornadoe/s had leveled barns about 1/2 mile northeast of the field we were stranded in. He agreed what we did was justified and we worked with him to come to a peacefull resolution...he and I actually talked for about 20 minutes about fishing.

Everyone was in mutual agreement and understanding, we know it was a mistake albeit a necissary one...and he understands the reasoning behind it. We dont blame him for seeking damages and I personally have no problem giving him back what we ruined...I appreciate hard working Americans and I would never want to ruin his livelyhood.

This whole escapade would make for great reality TV. Hope you kept some of that expensive dirt, probably get some gnarly tomatoes to grow out of it

 

[Matthew K. Hartman]

I love that last part, Bob... "you'd better be very sure that your escape route is exactly that and not a death trap." I've been trying to preach that for years here on ST and I get the run-around with upset/defensive chasers. Hopefully, folks will listen to you better than they have me.

As for lessons learned: Don't trust Street Atlas and don't trust dirt roads. I'm not being flippant. Speaking for the guys in our vehicle, I think we've gotten the scary and costly point that when a tornado-breeding storm is bearing down on you, you'd better be very sure that your escape route is exactly that and not a death trap.

 

[Matthew K. Hartman]

I hate to keep beating a dead-horse here, Adam, but it sure didn't seem you were too concerned about driving through the field in your video. In fact, I heard laughing when you told your camera-man/chase partner that you were driving through a field, rather than a road. You didn't seem all that concerned for your safety (at that time), either, for that matter. Unless, you decided to remove that portion in your editing.

Speaking of which, why is the video no longer on YouTube? If anything, it could be used as an educational piece for what not to do. New chasers may benefit from that...

Theres not much more I can say...it was never our intention to go driving through a field and none of us really enjoyed it. We did what we had to do.