Tornado Question

[Lanny Dean]

As a journalist, I think its time to really start discussing and showing (via YouTube) and other places, the horrific things tornadoes can do to people and cars so the kids (and some adults) understand that no vehicle (I repeat, no vehicle, can withstand a strong tornado). In other words, a balanced reality check against the poor examples set of late. I for one, have seen the death and destruction caused by severe weather, first hand, since my first encounter in Saragosa, Texas in 1987, including the deaths of many children by (only) an F3 rated tornado. I'll bet there are people out there right now planning on doing really stupid things next year. (No offense to the person who asked this important question and this is not directed towards you).

Warren

Warren has a wonderful idea....I think the view points of a few would change if they could only see the lady who had her leg broken/taken off and bent back all the way over her shoulder with a piece wood driven through her head and blowing blood bubbles as she expired right in front of us in Greensburg. Or better yet, how about the older man we tried to pull out of the rubble who had a whole gable of a house on his chest and one arm completly severed off bleeding all over everyone trying to help him...he also expired before we could get him out.

Simon, this are just some the things that could happen to you.

 

[Scott Weberpal]

What the hell kind of question is that Dennis?.....I did not know that a typo would make it so difficult for some to understand what I was trying to say.

I bet 80% of the people that read it chuckled. It's not a horrible thing to laugh when something mis-typed doesn't make sense. If he was laughing because of her getting hurt, that would be a different story.

...but I really think we will see the first "on purpose" vehicle or person vs. tornado fatality in the next few years if not sooner.

Hasn't this been said every year for about the last 10 years? However, I do agree, it will happen eventually, and one year someone will be right

 

[Jason Boggs]

I have to admit, I chuckled a little bit when I read that. It was just the way it sounded.

NOTE: I am in no way making fun of that poor woman that died tragically in the tornado. I am not the kind of person that would do something like that. My heart goes out to her and the others that had to endure those tragic moments.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Like swordfish?


"Another Manatee"
" ... actually, I think that was the same one."

GOT A HORN LIKE A UNICORN MAN EXCEPT ITS A WHALE

(sorry, couldn't resist)

 

[Brandon Goforth]

Actually, my office has received a "host" of such questions of late, including a number of inquiries from people, including young teens, who want to drive into a tornado next spring and want to know where is the best place to do it, or they want instructions on making their vehicles "tornado proof." I'll let others chime in (or not) on where such sudden irrational ideas are being generated, but I really think we will see the first "on purpose" vehicle or person vs. tornado fatality in the next few years if not sooner. Chasing is morphing even beyond the very thing Dave Hoadley predicted many years ago.

As a journalist, I think its time to really start discussing and showing (via YouTube) and other places, the horrific things tornadoes can do to people and cars so the kids (and some adults) understand that no vehicle (I repeat, no vehicle, can withstand a strong tornado). In other words, a balanced reality check against the poor examples set of late. I for one, have seen the death and destruction caused by severe weather, first hand, since my first encounter in Saragosa, Texas in 1987, including the deaths of many children by (only) an F3 rated tornado. I'll bet there are people out there right now planning on doing really stupid things next year. (No offense to the person who asked this important question and this is not directed towards you).

Warren

I agree 100%. Suddenly there are a ton of people out there who want to be "chasers" and have the nutty idea of driving into a tornado, thinking that there is no real danger. IMO, I think the show "Stormchasers" has played a big enough role in this, and there's no telling how many more people will be out next spring because of what they've seen on that show. The problem is that most of them have no knowledge of severe weather and will only become a hazard to themselves and those around them, but that'll be discussed enough in a few months when the annual chaser convergence thread starts up again. With all of the poor examples being set and broadcast nationwide, I think that we'll start seeing some "chaser" fatalities in the coming seasons. It'll happen, from people driving into tornadoes or from people just driving out of control, you know it's going to happen. Mark it down.

 

[Warren Faidley]

The big difference now is that people are going over the edge -- beyond the cowboys and yahoos we thought were bad a few years ago! In the post-Twister period, many new people began chasing (many on this list), who only wanted to do so for the fun, adventure, excitement, make some chase funds, science, the hunt and to help out when possible by (optional) spotting/EMS. (Like when I started).

Dangerous things will always happen, even if a chaser is being reasonably cautious. Like the stray lightning bolt or a tornado that forms in an unexpected area. We have all shot the shaking-handed close-call video and done some stupid things -- but we generally did not do them on purpose. The problem now is a new generation of chasers who have no fear because they have been brainwashed into thinking nothing bad is going to happen -- physically or legally -- just like illegal street drag racing. It's all fun and games until a car goes off the road and kills 10 spectators and the teen drivers are charged with negligent homicide.

This is something completely new in storm chasing. An archeology professor friend summed it up best a few weeks ago during a visit. "Storm chasing is in the process of being completely un-professionalized."

Warren

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

It's all fun and games until a car goes off the road and kills 10 spectators and the teen drivers are charged with negligent homicide.

This is something completely new in storm chasing. An archeology professor friend summed it up best a few weeks ago during a visit. "Storm chasing is in the process of being completely un-professionalized."Warren

We have already reached that stage to a big degree. Look at some of the videos and listen to what people are saying they are going to do. Some are smart enough to ask to get an idea beforehand, then you have others who don't care, don't have a clue what they are seeing or doing and going all out to make a name for themselves. There have always been some nuts out here, but now there just seems to be more and more.

 

[rdale]

We went 3 months without one of the "end of chasing is near" threads - not bad!

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

We should be so lucky on some other posts too.

 

[mikedeason]

We went 3 months without one of the "end of chasing is near" threads - not bad!

Winter is officially here!

 

[Maggie Kahman]

Warren has a wonderful idea....I think the view points of a few would change if they could only see the lady who had her leg broken/taken off and bent back all the way over her shoulder with a piece wood driven through her head and blowing blood bubbles as she expired right in front of us in Greensburg.

Did that actually happen? That made my stomach turn....poor woman...

 

[Scott Weberpal]

Warren has a wonderful idea....I think the view points of a few would change if they could only see the lady who had her leg broken/taken off and bent back all the way over her shoulder with a piece wood driven through her head and blowing blood bubbles as she expired right in front of us in Greensburg. Or better yet, how about the older man we tried to pull out of the rubble who had a whole gable of a house on his chest and one arm completly severed off bleeding all over everyone trying to help him...he also expired before we could get him out.

Simon, this are just some the things that could happen to you.

Simon mentioned an EF1 or EF2 with no debris, not an EF5 in a city.