History Channel; Andover Tornado Video

[Mike Smith]

Tomorrow (Friday, July 25) at 10pm Eastern, 9pm Central, The History Channel will present a "Shockwave" segment on how the "under the bridge" video of the tornado northeast of Andover came to be.

I have not yet seen the final program but am hoping they include my explanations to never take shelter from a tornado under a bridge.

 

[Eric Flescher]

Andover do's and don't

Thanks for the heads up about that. I will have to look for it .

On that day I was further West in Kansas and did not hear about any tornadoes even when driving back. Then I saw that account all over the TV.

This was one of the myths I stressed as I showed videos and more during the weather, tornado and storms days in later Spring last year with the science classes in junior high

I showed my class the video and stressed that this was something not to do (camping out over underpass). In Storm Stories a video several years ago several people did somewhat the same thing (as they had little choice) in Oklahoma during an F4-F5 (much bigger then the Andover) , a women was swept away and died while the others lived.

Also stressed that they should not stay in a car with a tornado approaching (while showing them the latest one this year in Alabama of the cars tipping over and flying into the air)

The other myth opening your house windows to decrease pressure was also stressed (shrapnel and other stuff will fly through anyway and people should not waste their time but go immediately to basement or shelter)

Thanks for heads up!!! Eyes on the skies and the TV

 

[Jim Saueressig]

The show started if anyone is interested.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

That segment is over now but the show replays at 1:00 AM CST.

 

[Eric Flescher]

Thanks for the heads up I watched it and it was quite good

I set the DVR to record and glad I did because I got a migraine and could not watch it the time .
Just watched it . THIS SHOCKWAVE SHOW on History channel was well done

What was different about the way they showed the Andover under the bridge was the stop action and intersplicing with some I never heard of

(1) they said it the tornado (they kept referring as a funnel cloud) actually hit just to the right of the underpass area so they were lucky. They were subjected to the less high winds coming around . If it them head on , they probably would have no chance

(2) They showed a nice simulation and did it right when showing how wind and more junk could go through the air. They did not say it but some of the that has to do with the Bernoulli effect.

(3) there was a nice cut in from the camera man and weather guy who showed how they were trying to outrun the tornado. They could see it gaining which is one thing I tell the kids you can't outrun a tornado so don't try. It just happened to be coming straight ways the road the same way the tornado was heading.

(4) But I am wondering now since the tornado was angling towards them and straight toward them- couldn't they have gone the other way and escapted that way

The extra visuals, good information and addiitonal info makes it a good one to copy and show in earth science and physical science classes etc to demonstrate the point even better. I think I will make a CSI activities out of it.

There were also parts of the show about
* how a soldier was saved from a sniper in Iraq by his protective armor vest ( have seen this before)
* a fireball explosion and how firefighters deal with it
* an amazing video of a guy who accidentally gets a boat blown up around him when it ignites the gasoline fumes but he amazing escapes the fireball
* more
I'd recommend watching the Andover part but the whole show too.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

They could have stopped where they were at when they first saw it and it would have probably passed them well away. the turnpike does however run in a NE/SW direction for the most part so it would have run along it fairly well.

It actually annoyed me quite a bit with all the film in and film out effects, it was just too much jumping around and lameish video effects for me.

 

[Mike Smith]

(4) But I am wondering now since the tornado was angling towards them and straight toward them- couldn't they have gone the other way and escapted that way

The problem is that the Kansas Turnpike has off-ramps only every 20-30 miles outside of cities. They would have had to drive through fields and could have gotten caught.

Gregg and Ted were coming back to Wichita from covering a story in northeast Kansas, didn't have the radio on, and had no idea there was a tornado in the area until they saw it. Considering they were not meteorologists or storm chasers it is understandable how things played out.

 

[Shane Adams]

They may have accidentally stumbled into the opportunity, but no one will convince me they didn't set the rest up. Look at the video. It would've been so easy to just outrun it. The tornado was moving around 45mph. Watch the lines on the interstate as they're driving. The driver was purposely hanging back to pace the tornado, to add drama to the scene. As close as it was to them when they started driving away, there was no way in hell they would've had over a minute's worth of time to slow down, stop, get out, and walk up into the girders before it got there, unless they sped well ahead of it. They slowed to pace the tornado for the "it's catchin' us" shot, then sped away to get ahead with enough time to get up under the bridge. Ever wondered why it goes from them "trying" to outrun the tornado to them walking up the embankment to seek shelter? Reporters are human beings too (although the actions of some severely argue this), and when crazy, spontaneous things happen, they react the way anyone would. But when the guy is saying things like "hanging on, hanging on for their lives.." that tells me the dude's quite collected...and buzzword/phrasing away to add drama. Which in turn tells me, they set it up.

I've seen this clip who knows how many times, and it's always been obvious (IMO) they could've just driven away from it but chose to make it "news". This has become my worst-hated clip in tornado video history. If I never see it again, that's still too much.

 

[Brent Gilles]

I know of someone who has seen the raw footage of this video (i have not seen it for myself), but he says they did slow down for the tornado and took advantage of the situation only to set a bad example for what not too do.

 

[Greg Stumpf]

Gregg and Ted were coming back to Wichita from covering a story in northeast Kansas, didn't have the radio on, and had no idea there was a tornado in the area until they saw it. Considering they were not meteorologists or storm chasers it is understandable how things played out.

Mike, is it true these guys were working for the television station you were affiliated with at the time? If so, what you say might be true.

However, I find it very hard to swallow that any reporter from any Wichita area media outlet could have been unaware of the ongoing weather situation on 4/26/91. This event had one of the highest forecast certainties, many days in advance, of any event in my 20+ year chase career, culminating with a High Risk outlook and PDS Tornado Watches. Aren't news reporters supposed to be the folks "in the know"? There was an extremely heightened situational awareness on this day in the OKC media.

I also agree with Shane - the KS Turnpike presented an excellent opportunity to outrun the tornado (this was before they put in the concrete median barriers), but it is clear from the raw video that they stuck around too long to get the dramatic video (pre-overpass).

BTW - in the raw video, which is rarely shown, you see an 18-wheeler driving southbound appear to just steer across the median and into the tornado. Usually, they only show the minivan tumbling about, but not this 18-wheeler.

Is this episode available online anywhere? THC is not repeating it in the next week.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

This is a great reason why if you drive into a tornado, just say you did it on purpose. This way 17 years doesn't have to pass and you still get to hear about it. I know this is my plan of action if I get in one on accident or purpose. I can't imagine having done something 17 years ago and still having it be discussed as to what I did or didn't do. I guess now it happens often enough that it's going to be hard to have yours stand out that many years later.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

This is a great reason why if you drive into a tornado, just say you did it on purpose. This way 17 years doesn't have to pass and you still get to hear about it. I know this is my plan of action if I get in one on accident or purpose. I can't imagine having done something 17 years ago and still having it be discussed as to what I did or didn't do. I guess now it happens often enough that it's going to be hard to have yours stand out that many years later.

Well if you live to tell about it that would have its advantages, if not then it will not matter what others are saying anyways.... LOL

 

[Mike Smith]

Mike, is it true these guys were working for the television station you were affiliated with at the time? If so, what you say might be true.

However, I find it very hard to swallow that any reporter from any Wichita area media outlet could have been unaware of the ongoing weather situation on 4/26/91. This event had one of the highest forecast certainties, many days in advance, of any event in my 20+ year chase career, culminating with a High Risk outlook and PDS Tornado Watches. Aren't news reporters supposed to be the folks "in the know"? There was an extremely heightened situational awareness on this day in the OKC media.

I also agree with Shane - the KS Turnpike presented an excellent opportunity to outrun the tornado (this was before they put in the concrete median barriers), but it is clear from the raw video that they stuck around too long to get the dramatic video (pre-overpass).

BTW - in the raw video, which is rarely shown, you see an 18-wheeler driving southbound appear to just steer across the median and into the tornado. Usually, they only show the minivan tumbling about, but not this 18-wheeler.

They may have accidentally stumbled into the opportunity, but no one will convince me they didn't set the rest up. Look at the video. It would've been so easy to just outrun it. The tornado was moving around 45mph. Watch the lines on the interstate as they're driving. The driver was purposely hanging back to pace the tornado, to add drama to the scene. As close as it was to them when they started driving away, there was no way in hell they would've had over a minute's worth of time to slow down, stop, get out, and walk up into the girders before it got there, unless they sped well ahead of it. They slowed to pace the tornado for the "it's catchin' us" shot, then sped away to get ahead with enough time to get up under the bridge. Ever wondered why it goes from them "trying" to outrun the tornado to them walking up the embankment to seek shelter? Reporters are human beings too (although the actions of some severely argue this), and when crazy, spontaneous things happen, they react the way anyone would. But when the guy is saying things like "hanging on, hanging on for their lives.." that tells me the dude's quite collected...and buzzword/phrasing away to add drama. Which in turn tells me, they set it up.

I've seen this clip who knows how many times, and it's always been obvious (IMO) they could've just driven away from it but chose to make it "news". This has become my worst-hated clip in tornado video history. If I never see it again, that's still too much.

My gosh, what generated this hostility?

On April 26, 1991, WeatherData was a 825 N. Main and KSNW TV (the station that employed Gregg and Ted) was at 833 N. Main with an indoor passage between WxD and KSN's news studio. We did 100% of their weather under contract. I knew Gregg and, especially, Ted before and after that memorable day.

Ted is one of the most honest and modest people I have ever met. I believe what he told me that they had the radio off and didn't know the tornado was approaching. Yes, I and others were broadcasting, days in advance, that tornadoes were likely that Friday. But, that didn't mean they would have been hanging on every word of every forecast or that they would have had the radio on when their return trip to Wichita originated in an area with clear skies.

Did they get out of the car to shoot the tornado? Of course! That is what TV news crews do.

Did they go out there with a plan to intercept the tornado and hide under the bridge? Absolutely not.

As for outrunning the tornado, it is likely they could have. But, from my analysis (and I have viewed the raw video many times) it not was as obvious to them as it might be to us. They were not meteorologists or chasers. The Turnpike was strewn with debris (look at the roadway as they were speeding away from where they were photographing the tornado). A tornado was bearing down on them. They were frightened. Period.

Most people don't know as much about weather and chasing as we do.

Cut them some slack.

 

[Shane Adams]

It's nothing hostile, it's just the opinion I've had of the incident since 1991. I only commented on it because it was brought up. I'm not out to beat dead horses as some on this thread would make it seem.

When you see me starting threads about past events, then you can wave your flags

 

[Greg Stumpf]

Mike, I agree. I certainly don't think they ever intended, before driving up to the storm, to intercept the tornado at such a close range and get under the bridge either.

I only found it hard to believe that any Wichita news reporter on assignment would have had such a low situational awareness on that day, regardless if they left ICT in clear sky conditions (which is certainly not a sufficient condition for no storms later in the day). But, I'll take your word for it. I assume from that day forward, reporters on assignment were made better aware of the weather, and kept their radios on (or...cell phones fully charged).

I do believe, however, that when presented with their unique situation, they made a few bad decisions, partially as a result of "getting the scoop". As you said, they are media, and perhaps what they did was "understandable" to other media types (stop, film, get the story), and to storm chasers too. But a different set of actions might have been "understandable" to other motorists, for example, do a U-ey on the turnpike, and blast out of there in the opposite direction.

But none of this really meant much to us back then. The bigger concern we had after that event was the overplaying of the video in the context that their decision was a good decision, after all, they weren't killed or injured. I assume this was also considered "understandable" to other media types (at the time), but not to us, hence the damage control we (scientists, chasers, and the media included) had to assume later.