Unease

[Joshua Horenstein]

So I find myself thinking about this season with new feelings of trepidation and unease and I’m not sure what to make of it.

For a little background. Im 40 years old, been chasing since the mid '90s more or less annually. I have always been the cautious one, avoiding core punching, speeding, or general recklessness at all costs (even missing the storm.)

The chaser deaths a couple weeks ago (and the El Reno ones a couple years ago) are affecting my nerve, particularly given the one young driver who appeared to be doing nothing wrong. Maybe it’s because I have two little ones to think about as well...

Anyone else feel this way and if so what did you do?

 

[Joey Ketcham]

So I find myself thinking about this season with new feelings of trepidation and unease and I’m not sure what to make of it.

For a little background. Im 40 years old, been chasing since the mid '90s more or less annually. I have always been the cautious one, avoiding core punching, speeding, or general recklessness at all costs (even missing the storm.)

The chaser deaths a couple weeks ago (and the El Reno ones a couple years ago) are affecting my nerve, particularly given the one young driver who appeared to be doing nothing wrong. Maybe it’s because I have two little ones to think about as well...

Anyone else feel this way and if so what did you do?

I don't feel that way, no reason to really IMO. Drive safe, watch for others and you should be fine. The risks of chasing today is the same as they were in the 90's, most accidents are caused simply by people not paying attention. I ask this... when you get into your vehicle to go to work, or to the grocery store, or to go shopping.. do you have these feelings of trepidation and unease? Driving always will be the most dangerous part of storm chasing, and those same dangers exists anytime you get behind the wheel of your vehicle. When it comes down to it, storm chasing IS a very safe hobby. Look at the statistics, in the past 50 years very few storm chasers have been directly killed as a result of the storm itself.

 

[JamesCaruso]

Joshua,

I have also been chasing since the mid 90s. Nearing 50 now but still have younger children to think about. I still get some anxiety on "big" chase days. But the bottom line is that it's mostly within your control, you can always chase more conservatively and stay further back. The only thing not completely in your control is what happens on the road, as you mentioned... But that's a risk you take anytime you get behind the wheel. I am not sure where you live, but I live in a metropolitan area (Philly) and drive back and forth to an even more congested area (NYC). I drive over 18,000 miles a year in this environment so I feel infinitely safer on the rural roads of the Plains, even the worst chaser convergence doesn't really worry me too much.

Try to enjoy yourself, this is our passion, don't let anything ruin it for you.

Good luck,
Jim


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[Jeff Duda]

Josh,
I'm a bit younger than you and do not have any kids or really anyone else to worry about. While the recent chaser deaths won't keep me from chasing with the same frequency as before, the idea that someone can screw up while driving and get someone else killed is definitely fresh in my head. However, like James said above, you assume the risk of being injured or killed in a traffic accident pretty much every time you get in a motor vehicle. It also seems reasonable that your risk of being involved in a traffic accident goes up with 1) the more miles you drive, and 2) the more densely traveled roads you use. Therefore, those of us who live in or commute to any city (basically anything larger than a few thousand) likely take more risk just driving to work, to restaurants, to church, to whatever it is we do with our lives than we do while chasing (at least as far as being in an accident with another driver).

This event was certainly a stark reminder of how things can go bad, but it was just one example, and when it really comes down to it, it is exceedingly rare. Again, as I explained above, you probably do many other things that pose a greater threat to your life more frequently and probably without giving it much thought compared to storm chasing. Just keep that in mind when you think about this.

 

[StephenHenry]

I know how you feel Joshua. How can you not feel empathy for fellow chasers and their families - whether you knew them personally or not? There's a unique sense of joy and fulfillment that comes and the beginning of a new chase season. I definitely haven't felt that in its purest form since March 28. Like Jeff, I don't think this will change the amount of chasing we do, and we don't have any kids. One thing that definitely helped that uneasy feeling was to discuss some specific steps my wife and I would take to be more defensive in our driving this year - including verbally clearing every intersection whether we have the right-of-way or not.

 

[Brett Roberts]

I have mixed feelings on this topic, but rationally, I pretty much agree with Joey and Jeff. I don't think the events of March 28 will change my propensity to chase at all, though they might make me freshly cognizant of the dangers of distracted driving while chasing, which is a good thing.

It's true that your daily commute in city traffic is more dangerous, per mile, than most storm chasing. However, storm chasing usually entails a lot of miles. That's where there's some justification for feeling that hardcore chasing, chasecationing, etc. increases your risk of being in a major accident by a nontrivial amount. Andy Gabrielson also passed away in a highway accident not related to the weather. Is it a coincidence that both Andy and Kelley were "hardcore" chasers who drove tens of thousands of miles per season? Perhaps. But speaking for myself, I probably drive something like 3-4x as many miles per year as I would if I didn't chase at all. And while most of those miles are in low traffic areas, they're also at high speed - not to mention a lot of miles after dark in areas with deer, a lot of miles in rainfall heavy enough to cause hydroplaning, etc.

I think most chasers have been well aware of these risk factors since they started, and there's little reason to scale back one's chasing in response to an isolated event (unless you want to, obviously). But at the same time, I understand the feeling of unease; because of the factors I mentioned above, it's not entirely irrational.

 

[Greg Flint]

Josh - Having such young children, certainly has caused me to pause/reflect before this upcoming season.

My boys are 4 & 2, and are at the age where they look up to me as if i'm superman. Spoiler alert: I'm not. But its a great feeling, as anyone who is a dad knows.

I become very emotional, just THINKING about the possibility of dying at this point in their life. I could not imagine what my wife and boys would feel. In fact, it wouldn't really matter if it was an actual storm/tornado that got me or if I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed via accident/DUI/road conditions etc the result would be my boys experiencing tremendous loss. So, I guess i understand your conundrum.

I was rear ended by a box truck on my way to work (no license, no insurance, and no fun) back in Nov 2016 and i still have lots of neck and back pain. I was not at fault in the accident, and was driving to work. For those who say, you drive during storms (there are risks) you drive to work (there are risks), the similarities begin & end with being in the car. That's why i feel its completely irrelevant in my opinion, to even begin to compare the two. YES accidents happen at all different points when we drive automobiles, but during a storm chase we are specifically driving into or getting close to a dangerous event on purpose. Not only that, there are other individuals who have the same goal making it even more dangerous because as we all know, focusing 100% on the road is next to impossible when your heart is pumping 2x faster than normal and there is a tornado warned storm nearby. Very different conditions than commuting to work. I don't know about others, but i am not streaming, looking at radar, reading forecasts, checking twitter etc when i'm driving to work. I also drive to work by myself, so i have no "eyes and ears" like i do when i'm chasing. Point being, the only similarity between chasing and commuting to work is you are in a car. That's it.

We can be smart about how we chase, but the main goal is to put our selves in a situation where lots of lives COULD be lost as a result of the weather, very different then driving to work on a Tuesday. Again, only similarity is you are in a car driving.

So Josh, yes i've thought about this a lot lately. I feel chasing alone puts you at a HUGE disadvantage when it comes to safety. Its hard enough to focus on the road during a chase, so if you have a partner that can act as a look out, hopefully that's at least a step in the right direction and you can improve your chances of being safe out there. Remember, when we drive to work most of us are solo, so we don't have that "lookout" or second set of eyes. Very important.

 

[Randy Jennings]

I have to admit that I asked myself if it was all worth it when I had to text my wife and kids in the middle of the chase on the day Corbin, Kelley, and Randy passed to let my family know I was OK and it wasn't me. Less then 48 hours before the incident I had a brief conversation with Randy and Kelley in Waurika, OK when we stopped at the same gas station as they had. They where having the time of there lives out chasing that day it seemed. It was eerie watching their video stream afterwards and watching as they got closer to that intersection; oblivious to what was about to happen and to think about Corbin who was also oblivious.

Yet to me I still go crazy when I'm sitting at my desk at work or home and there is - or is about to be - a storm somewhere that I could be chasing. So just like falling off a bike, I got back on and went chasing again. I think we go in cycles in chasing. When we mess up or get uncomfortable, we change our ways for a while. If you aren't going crazy not chasing - then maybe giving chasing a rest for a while is a good thing to do. But if you still have the spark - get back on the bike.

I agree with Greg - having a chase partner to be your second set of eyes is a good thing. My partner couldn't chase today, so I went solo, and I admit I didn't fell as safe. I value that second set of eyes and opinion.

 

[Steve Miller]

Scott Hammel wrote a nice piece on this subject: https://medium.com/@svegabond/2017-chasing-thoughts-and-how-to-be-safer-2cb5a6ad7fdb
I recommend.

 

[Scott Hammel]

Thanks for sharing my blog Steve! I think all of us are ultimately in the same boat here. Everyone is shaken up about it and really the only thing you can do is either not chase anymore, or do everything in your power to be safe, attentive, and stay the course. Certainly I think there are ways to chase and lessen your odds of having an unfortunate incident, like chasing secondary targets, less hyped days, etc, which I have no problem doing. However, I know that won't fly for most, so really it's up to all of us to be better and more responsible. My advice (which again, I know won't fly for some) is to not chase solo. It's just not safe and is too distracting. Anyway, my blog above details my plan going forward and highlights the mistakes I've tried to correct to be better. Have a safe 2017.

 

[Kem Poyner]

Try to find a positive in tragic events. Turn it around so their lives were not taken in vain. If I made a mistake that caused my death, hopefully it may save a life. When my twin brother was killed on his motorcycle by a person who ran a stop sign, I became the safest rider on the street. I now watch all intersections expecting cross traffic NOT to stop. I have been chasing for over twenty years, I admit I was pretty reckless in my early days. After two events that only the hand of God kept me from being killed chasing, I now want to live to chase as long as i can. Now when I see a tornado starting to form, I automatically think " Stop your brain and focus on your safety first, others are distracted!".

 

[JamesCaruso]

One of the safety recommendations emerging most often in the wake of this tragedy, including in Scott's blog post, is to not chase alone. I seem to remember another thread not to long ago around the theme of whether people preferred to chase solo. I would be interested to know if any solo chasers are in fact feeling enough "unease" now to rethink chasing by themselves. And if you are someone that prefers to chase with a partner, will you still chase alone if you have to, or will you actually avoid chasing if you can't find a partner?

I am a chase vacationer and always plan the trip with my chase partner, but have had days here or there where I was alone because our schedules conflicted. I like the solitude for a day or two, but would not want to do it for much more than that. I just can't stand that many hours in the car or on the side of the road by myself. I tend to get really tired behind the wheel sometimes, not just at night but even in the afternoon during that typical drop in energy that I think everyone gets at around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I need a driver to switch with every couple hours so that doesn't happen. Not to mention the over-simulation of all the inputs and decision making.

This year my choice, based on my chase partner's schedule, is to come out for two weeks starting on May 15 but potentially be alone for three or four days at the end because he has to go home for a family event on the 25th. Or wait to start until the 26th and know that we can chase together for the two full weeks. Although the earlier trip probably has a greater chance for success, I will opt for the later one to make sure I don't have to chase alone.


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[Steven Marshall]

I've never been one of the "debris through the windshield" types, at least not deliberately. I've always avoided close approaches and core punches if I had any other choice and I always take a partner when chasing west of Ohio. But to address the question, no the recent tragedies haven't changed my chase plans or strategies.....but the chaser hordes have! I haven't ventured west of the Mississippi since 2010. I did get to chase Matthew last year tho. The traffic jams near storms, on roads designed for farm trucks and combines assured that a traffic crash would eventually happen. My hope was that it would not also involve a tornado bearing down on the victims at the same time.

 

[Joshua Horenstein]

Thanks for all the sincere responces guys; I honestly was expecting crickets or for everyone to say they had no idea what I was talking about.

 

[Joshua Horenstein]

My boys are 4 & 2, and are at the age where they look up to me as if i'm superman. Spoiler alert: I'm not. But its a great feeling, as anyone who is a dad knows.

I become very emotional, just THINKING about the possibility of dying at this point in their life. I could not imagine what my wife and boys would feel. In fact, it wouldn't really matter if it was an actual storm/tornado that got me or if I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed via accident/DUI/road conditions etc the result would be my boys experiencing tremendous loss.

Thanks Greg; this is EXACTLY how I feel; to the point where I feel much worse about how my two boys would feel (3 and 1) than about actually dying myself.