Some of my colleagues stayed, where there is a basement. https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley/status/, While perusing the New York Times over the weekend, I was disturbed to see an article by Paul D. Thacker that basically advocated using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to request e-mails from scientists in search of undisclosed industry ties. 'What we saw from the tornadoes that came through Moore and the other ones last week was that people who were in cars on the Interstate were killed,' Fallin told CNN. We have many many laws that are more or less unenforceable. I am not a believer in public shelters, so we need more people to take advantage of state and county rebate programs to get their own shelters. Say you are sitting in your home and you know there is a tornado coming and you are watching TV and the following breathless reporting is happening. Yes, lets get the facts straight, which the comments below and the information added here help do. Actually there were other comments that could even make an above ground room safer. We've received your submission. Carl Young, Timothy Samaras and his . I hold a degree in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. . All this about tornadoes is very reminiscent of fires in Australia. It may well be that entirely different approaches are better. It is not inforceable. Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. I have stood up for professional storm chasers in this post. Do it right now,' local news forecasters told viewers. It may be only a matter of seconds before you have time to find shelter. Are they going to fire that weather reporter who told listeners to drive into the tornado? I think that Tim Samaras knew what he was doing. I made the decision to go home since I have a shelter, and i was able to leave work and be home close to 4pm. They sheltered at St Anthony's Hospital which was only about 1/4 mile from where the tornado touched down. It is probably true that Samaras abandoned attempts at dropping probes more often then strictly necessary, cautiously avoiding rain-wrapped tornadoes where they would not have been able to see where the tornado was, in order to be extra safe. Not to mention what small town or rural county has the manpower to do so when budgets are stretched so thin? The storm was headed toward Oklahoma City, which has more than a million people in the metro area. But that is not a reason to not have the laws. Here is what the tornado did: It grew from a big tornado to a bigger tornado, to what might be the largest tornado ever observed with instruments, in a matter of seconds, and it made a fast jog to the right, not an unusual thing for a tornado to do, but unanticipated by the storm chasers. I doubt that it would even have a measurable positive effect. The authors conclude, "it is likely that no clear direction to safety was apparent.". The roads need to be kept open and clear for the REAL scientists out there gathering data and for the safety folks to do their job. What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? I have suggested that such a thing should be worth, at least, a parking ticket. I don't know what they were thinking in a state packed with cars and almost no other transportation options and few shelters. Flash floods: Two pickup trucks are pictured stuck in high water along NW 23rd Street in El Reno. Enforcement is difficult, but not impossible. I've looked at video and have counted 458 people outside their vehicles in that small strech of road. The seasoned storm chaser had dedicated his life to extreme weather, following storms for a quarter of a century. In a tribute, Mr Samaras' brother Jim wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you to everyone for the condolences. The traffic could have been created for any number of reasons. The tragic circumstances that caused the deaths of Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young has been well documented. This spring's tornado season got a late start, with unusually cool weather keeping funnel clouds at bay until mid-May. For those suggesting regulation on storm chasing. 'My car was actually lifted off the road and then set back down,' Ms Black said. That was the sound of nuance rushing by your libertarian ear. The . It will NEVER happen. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Yes, they died, but there is ZERO evidence this law, if passed, would have prevented even one of them. There was no place to hide.. Photographed with a wide angle lens, the mile-wide tornado, is seen near El Reno, Jack-knifed: Traffic slowly moves around a semi tractor-trailer that was blown off the highway by the tornado on Oklahoma Interstate-40, Stranded: Vehicles trapped by flash flooding sit underneath on the road in Oklahoma City after severe thunderstorms brought tornadoes, high winds, heavy rain and hail to the area. OKLAHOMA CITY The deadly tornado that struck near Oklahoma City late last week killing 18, including three storm chasers, had a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles and was the second top-of-the-scale EF5 twister to hit the area in less than two weeks, the National Weather Service reported Tuesday. Shooting tournament: People search a field for guns near a destroyed RV at a state shooting tournament that was destroyed in El Reno, Weapons displaced: Shotguns recovered from a field lay against a overturned trailor at a state shooting tournament that was destroyed in El Reno, Devastation: When the storm passed between El Reno and Yukon, it barreled right down Interstate 40 for more than two miles, ripping billboards down to twisted metal frames. Friday night's storm formed out on the prairie west of Oklahoma City, giving residents plenty of advance notice. Or, amateurs could get to a good viewing area well ahead of anticipated severe weather, and then stay put and off the road. 'Tim was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued tornadoes and lightning in the field in an effort to better understand these phenomena. I have a feeling that Scienceblogs will not last long without me. Im not sure how many people actually got in their cars and drove south. We do know, however, that the highways in the area became jammed with cars, and the vicinity around the intersection of I35 and I40 was described as a parking lot. One thing we do know is that many people who drove south to get away from the tornado in fact drove directly into its path, created a traffic jam, and most of the deaths associated with this tornado were among those people in those cars. I think the only way to deal with these weeks-long tornado outbreaks is to build high-quality shelters in every community and make sure people know where they are. Birth Name: Tim Samaras Occupation: Meteorologist Place Of Birth: Colorado Date Of Birth: November 12, 1957 Date Of Death: May 31, 2013 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: American Tim Samaras was born on the 12th of November, 1957. One might argue that if someone wants to drive their car into the path of a tornado they should be allowed to do so because it is a free country. Too many words! Having been in law enforcement some years ago I don't think you understand how unenforceable those laws would be. I was visiting OKC from Kansas City that day. >>> I support this 100%. The other, which according to professional storm chasers is a problem, is the increased number of people crowding roads (including but by no means limited to) highways in or near the paths of storms. Samaras was killed along with his son Paul and storm chaser Carl Young in Friday's tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma. Basically the idea here is that if you can avoid a direct hit to the head by the helmet taking the beating your more likley to survive. I appreciate that, it is a good idea. Also we MUST push for adqueate shelters. In Missouri, areas west of St. Louis received significant damage from an EF3 tornado Friday night that packed estimated winds of 150 mph. I've always been told never to try and outrun a tornado, it is one of the most dangerous things you can do. So, I think this particular weather caster did come up short in his responsibilities to provide good safety information but I'm not sure that his comments in and of themselves constituted explicit instructions to leave one's house, get in a car, and drive. It truly is sad that we lost my great brother Tim and his great son, Paul. I answered in good faith. 'I'm wondering if the tornadoes from a couple of weeks ago didn't frighten people so badly that this time they were taking no chances and trying to evade it by car,' said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. He skipped out on chasing the massive tornado that flattened Moore, Okla., because it was too dangerous. ISBN 978-1426203022 Did you know Edit What this weather forecaster just did was to advice a couple/few tens of thousands of people in the path of a tornado to get in their cars and drive in the same direction. Thankfully, I got out of it with just a few minor injuries and broken windows, but if a monster tornado happens people will not be as lucky as I was. I doubt it. Nine were confirmed dead in the Oklahoma City area on Friday evening, though the death toll has since risen, and flash floods in Arkansas caused additional fatalities, including a sheriff trying to rescue people from rising waters. This tornado was a once in a decade if not longer event that we have truly never seen anything like. More than 200,000 were left without power in the impacted areas. Ironic how his own community of chasers would throw him to the wolves but won't put themselves in that category. All rights reserved. Writing new laws on the books is useless, even before the news agencies started this new trend which is disturbing you have people hiding under overpasses and pulling stupid stuff, Chasers have complained about this issue for years, notice numerous videos of truck drivers who even drive into the funnel, enforcement will be non existent because this puts law enforcement in a position of risk and is irresponsible, i agree with the tours, but again many people cannot afford the tours that are out there now and so they figure its cheaper to go it themselves, we can blame people for the groups death but the fact is that there were several unusual factors that caused this. 'For reasons that are not clear to me, more people took to the roads, more than we expected. Invoking the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, a federal conspiracy law devised to ensnare mobsters, the suit accuses the organizations, as well as several green campaigners. This is my last post at Scienceblogs.com. Or, perhaps, you are driving down the highway at 40 mph along with a dozen other cars also driving down the highway and suddenly you are all flipped. Three veteran storm chasers were among the 10 people killed following Friday's EF3 tornado in El Reno, Okla. His graduation was at Alameda International High School in 1976. Officials described parts of Interstates 35 and 40 near Oklahoma City as 'a parking lot.'. and help keep the future of the Observer, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch, The Last Ride of Legendary Storm Chaser Tim Samaras. Were all the people blocking the road amateur chasers? Finally do what we did in California for earthquakes. That is the speed at which they rotated around the tornado, not their recorded windspeed. People who tried to get away in their cars faced potential dangers from flash flood waters as well as tornado-force winds. The apparent fact that individuals don't take on the personal responsibility of doing the sensible thing is a tragedy. ", Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Samaras submitted this footage to National Geographic in the weeks leading up to his death,. Second, the point is still valid. When she emerged from the freezer her car windshield had been shattered by the hail. Absolutely educate people on the safest way to ride out a storm. So in a free country, it is possible to do as you suggest. They were essentially targets just waiting for a tornado to touch down,' Ms Randolph said. The one thing in your article I see that you failed to address is the number of chasers in the past that have been killed by the storm while chasing them. Law enforcement in a tornado emergency already has immense priorities safeguarding the areas affected, treating the injured, rescues, ascertaining what equipment is needed, etc who would be pulled off those duties to chase down minor traffic violators? Tornadoes do neither. Samaras acknowledged the dangerous weather conditions Friday in his final tweet before his death: Individuals and institutions across the fields of storm-chasing, meteorology, and media expressed their sorrow and condolences to the victims' families Sunday. Amy Williamson, who lives just off I-40 in the western Oklahoma City suburb of Yukon, said when she heard the tornado was heading towards her home, she put her children, baby sitter and cats in her car and drove away. Most of the difference in predictability of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic and the waters around Australia is that the North Atlantic has both a longer climatology base and a higher density of surface observations. The sudden acceleration to NE caught several folks by surprise. Or was it a rotating thunderstorm (a supercell) with small- to moderate-sized tornadoes swirling about one another? Lighting up the sky: The storm chasers work was featured on National Geographic and the Discovery Channel as they tracked violent weather systems, 'Tim's research included creation of a special probe he would place in the path of a twister to measure data from inside the tornado; his pioneering work on lightning was featured in the August 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine. It is not like the Tornadoes have a rule book that if we follow we are safe. This storm was erratic and there will be more storms just like it in the future. This is a free country, or at least we want it to be a free country, and being able to freely travel on public thoroughfares is part of that. They should not drive where they will not be able to pull over safely to allow emergency traffic and other traffic to flow. Rather than wishing for the cops to block storm chasers from going to work or giving untrained hayseed sheriffs deputies the responsibility of predicting tornado behavior and rerouting traffic accordingly, maybe instead of getting stuck in traffic the next time an F5 rolls through town how's about using that time digging a nice cozy little family sized hole in their back yard and stocking it with a weather radio and a couple of 12 packs of whatever passes for beer in Oklahoma. There are places in this country that I have almost no tornados This law would only allow people who "***work***" for the government to be there. The interstate was shut down due to the storm, with multiple crashes and injuries. If you know several hours in advance that there is a high probability that a tornado will come through your area, then it is a good idea to just go away and be somewhere else. Bart, the fact that the tornado was extreme is certainly the biggest factor, but I did not overlook the fact that this event (these storm chasers getting killed as well as three others luckily surviving a badly rolled over car). The gas you'd save would easily pay for a shovel. I would like to point out that Mike Morgan, the meterologist at KFOR, did what he's done successfully many times since May 24, 2011. Probably not. None of them contributes to the scientific research and experimentation going on. That is not my argument either, it is simply what all the experts say. I live in a rural town in southern West Virginia, however we are no strangers to tornadoes in 2001 a tornado ripped several close friends houses to shreds and they were only saved by using the old bath tub trick. But, the idea of outrunning instead of staying home was on people's minds because of things that had been said earlier in various media. News casters were telling people in the direct line of the tornado do drive south. But then the tornado made a turn and headed straight for the south that people were being told to drive to. That sort of delay could have been the difference between the Samaras team escaping and being caught in the tornado. Note the comments that 22% of the fatalities at Tuscalousa were head injuries and in general a majority of tornado fatalities where head injuries. 'There is very low visibility with the heavy rain so we're having trouble getting around. .". If you watch the Discovery Channels Storm Chasers show, you will notice that as the seasons progress the professional storm chasers encounter more and more traffic as they try to move to the predicted path of oncoming tornadoes to drop data collecting probes or carry out direct intercepts (where the specially modified vehicles equipped with data collection devices are directly hit with a tornado). The Friday storm, however, brought with it much more severe flooding. The breathtakingly fast subvortex -- the tornado within a tornado -- is visible to the south in footage captured by fellow chaser Dan Robinson's rear dashboard cameras as he fled several hundred yards ahead of Samaras. Bolstering your argument by supposing the dead agree with you indicates how weak your initial argument is. At the end of the day this is just a silly notion. " One thing in your favor: Tornadoes do not have politically powerful, wealthy backing, so it should be easy to enact laws regulating how people enjoy them :-), "I suggest that law makers in tornado alley states consider legislation making it a violation to intentionally drive into or near the path of known or likely tornados. ", In reply to by Danny Caputi (not verified). Your analogy regarding the burning building is wrong as well. A Carrollton High School Claims Employee Gave Student Prescription Drugs, Rep. Nate Schatzline, Under Fire for 'Drag' Video, Accused of 'Doxxing' Keller ISD Mom, Another Carrollton Fentanyl Arrest and an On-Campus Overdose at R.L. "I don't know if I would say I worried about it because one of the biggest things he stressed was safety. Renowned researcher and storm chaser Tim Samaras, 55, his son Paul Samaras, 24, and his chase partner Carl Young, 45, passed away after they were overtaken by the multiple-vortex tornado,. "We still don't know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don't," he . Another two or three miles east and we would have been looking at a death toll in the hundreds. We are part of Science 2.0,a science education nonprofit operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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