Storm Chasing: Ethics and Safety

[David Wolfson]

I don't think it's pointing out the obvious too much to reiterate that the Twistex team was just about the best trained, most experienced, appropriately cautious, professional, courteous, and connected chasers you will ever find. If there's a lesson to be learned from this particular tragedy and the other near-tragedies, perhaps its that training, or certification, or licensing, or experience might tend to give a chaser some false sense of security or immunity when it comes to the power and unpredictability of storms.

My observation as a traffic planner is that the issue isn't so much the number of chasers on a particular road. A two-lane road can physically handle the traffic if it's moving. But when the road is blocked for whatever reason it doesn't much matter if there are thirty trained and licensed spotters or three hundred yahoos on that road. That's too many if trouble comes their way without a ready escape route.

The larger issue which still really bugs me -- both with respect to the Newcastle-Moore tornado and these -- is the lack of shelter requirements for commercial and public buildings. Simply put, I think requiring them to have sufficient, inspected, adequately engineered shelter space to handle their employees plus some extra depending on the business will save lives. A few towns in Oklahoma do have municipal shelters and they have worked. With these, residents and travelers have some nearby places to go in an emergency and don't clog the roads and potentially put themselves into harm's way.

 

[Warren Faidley]

Two things would improve highway safety and save lives.

1: Add additional electronic highway information signs, especially along 1-40 and 1-35. A notice could tell motorists to exit well in advance of a weather threat.

2: The Highway Patrol in Oklahoma should hire a very experienced chaser or meteorologist to assist with real-time road closure decisions during severe weather. I'm not sure how the current chain of commands works, but it's obviously flawed. I doubt they have someone looking at high resolution radar who understands storm behavior. I suspect the decisions are made by someone watching television. This would also help to protect their own officers.

W.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Two things would improve highway safety and save lives.

1: Add additional electronic highway information signs, especially along 1-40 and 1-35. A notice could tell motorists to exit well in advance of a weather threat.

2: The Highway Patrol in Oklahoma should hire a very experienced chaser or meteorologist to assist with real-time road closure decisions during severe weather. I'm not sure how the current chain of commands works, but it's obviously flawed. I doubt they have someone looking at high resolution radar who understands storm behavior. I suspect the decisions are made by someone watching television. This would also help to protect their own officers.

W.

1. Adding freeway information to the already existing Wireless Emergency Alerts most cell phones receive probably wouldn't hurt either.

2. They need a bright red telephone that's wired directly to Tim Vasquez's secret underground lair.

 

[STexan]

I'm not sure ANY "road closure" is a good idea except in a handful of rare events occurring in locations where a closure is prudent. And trying to "re-direct" traffic is not really practical or possible.

 

[Hannah.Taylor]

I'm gonna throw a few things in about pre-chase ethics. This is for you younger, high energy, over excited types.

If you're chasing with someone, who invites another person that you haven't met or chased with before...don't message that person out of the blue and suddenly change the meet time of the upcoming chase with, just because initiation looks to be later than expected. Especially if you haven't discussed it with your primary chase partner first (YES, this just happened today. I was seriously pissed about it, but it's been handled and addressed, so I won't embarrass the chaser publicly that did this, although I really should).

If you make plans to chase with someone, make sure you have money BEFORE you commit to making plans. Making chase plans and then breaking them the day of because you didn't get paid, or couldn't meet up with someone to get paid is piss poor consideration for your chase partner. (Yes, this happened yesterday.) My chase partner was waiting to get paid for a service he provided, and couldn't meet up with the person. Which ruined the plans I could have made doing something else.

Don't cancel a chase on a day that you've already committed to with someone in favor of a day with a better set up. Your chase partner might already have other things going on or planned.

I can't even believe I have to say these things, but apparently some people just don't get it and think it's all about them. When you chase with others, be considerate, have some manners, and most of all know your place. Especially when someone else provides their vehicle and finds other chasers to help keep costs down.

Rant over.