Common sense will tell you to collect the data that meteorologist have had for years about how tornado's form and come up with an idea that makes these conditions less favorable maybe even do tests on a smaller scale. So, regarding the question of traffic: first, I know. Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and Carl Young, . There is a great irony to the deaths of the three storm chasers from Twistex. Violent weather also moved through the St. Louis area. Officials in St. Charles County also reported that local schools suffered some damage. Paul is right. Privacy statement. 'Somebody driving along really not familiar with what's going on can basically drive into it.'. Since then, multiple versions of what happened have been claimed, and as far as I can tell, all of that is laid out in the various comments on this thread. I think it's an abomination that news forecasters suggested people drive away that temporally close to a suspected tornado touchdown. . It seems to me that we should be collecting equivalent data from storms that do and storms that do not drop tornadoes, because, after all, one of the things we want to know more about is the difference between those two types of storms. Then we have police in the mix attempting somehow to cite the stupid? Samaras shows probes he uses to measure. The men worked as a team and Tim Samaras had received 18 grants from the National Geographic Society for work in the field. Oklahoma schools are not properly educated on how to shelter children. A finite resource. Jim Samaras said his brother, nephew and their colleague were dedicated to avoiding trouble while chasing storms, and that the family wasn't worried about whether he was taking care of himself. For example, it used to be hard to catch motorists running red lights in NYC. Flash flooding accounted for some of the deaths, such as that of a 65-year-old man who died on Saturday when his car drove off a damaged bridge in eastern Oklahoma County. Alliteratively, if you are in a car and hit by the vortex of an F3 or stronger tornado, your chances of survival are much lower. ", In reply to by Danny Caputi (not verified). The worry soon turned to flash flooding and floodwaters topped four feet in Oklahoma City on Saturday morning. Debris was tangled in the median's crossover barriers, including huge pieces of sheet metal, tree limbs, metal pipes, a giant oil drum and a stretch of chain-link fence. That is not my argument either, it is simply what all the experts say. 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. He turned and saw at me peering up from the basement steps! The National Weather Service said the severe weather threat would shift into neighboring Illinois and Missouri, where Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Friday. Also dead were Tim's son, Paul, and Carl . >>> I support this 100%. Tens of thousands were without power, and only eight minor injuries were reported. "Though we sometimes take it for granted, Tim's death is a stark reminder of the risks encountered regularly by the men and women who work for us.". The tragic circumstances that caused the deaths of Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young has been well documented. They eventually revised this policy I'm assuming based on what has happened to folks in their stores during a bad storm. Christopher, I've heard from their own lips complaints by professional storm chasers about the looky-lous that clog up the roads, so probably both. The roughly 5,000-year-old human remains were found in graves from the Yamnaya culture, and the discovery may partially explain their rapid expansion throughout Europe. This in the super rare category because we dont deal with things like this often.. An outright ban is prolly a bad idear too. They were screaming, Were going to die, were going to die,' Randolph told USA Today. That would stop several people right there. If you are worried about the roads being clogged during a tornado then don't drive or don't live in tornado alley. The news comes as the death toll from Friday's tornadoes and storms in Oklahoma has risen to 18 people, including six children and 12 adults, the Oklahoma chief medical examiner said on Monday. ScienceBlogs is a registered trademark of Science 2.0, a science media nonprofit operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. "We're trying to collect as many observations as possible, both from outside and from the inside. 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. This advice sounds reasonable, but it really isnt. 'Tim was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued tornadoes and lightning in the field in an effort to better understand these phenomena. When the amateur storm chasers descend upon the same area they create a real hazard for the professionals by blocking escape routes. Pay special attention to what the weather forecaster says starting at 4:35: if you can drive south, anywhere around Whitewater Bay, State Fair Park, the Ballpark, downtown Oklahoma City, southwest Integres, US Grant District, Rose State college, Midwest City regional medical center, Midwest City, and Parts of Del city, you need to drive south now. (approximate transcript). This, in turn, would require storm chasers to make their case that they are professionals that are doing something worthwhile, and that they take appropriate action related to their own safety and the safety of others. Join the Observer community and help support The people who drove away did find shelter after what sounded like a very fearful drive. from a major non profit, click through the the X Blog to read the press release. Rather, his team would predict the path and drop machines on the ground designed to directly measure variables such as temperature, humidity, wind and so on, but with the team and their vehicles getting out of the way before the tornado comes. After a large and violent tornado went through Moore Oklahoma a few days ago, several people in various media outlets including CNN mentioned that given the (seemingly enigmatic) lack of good shelter in homes and public buildings in Oklahoma, that a good option to protect yourself in case a tornado comes your way is to drive away. But the agency upgraded the ranking after surveying damage from the twister, which along with subsequent flooding killed 18 people. Nooooooooooo!!! Pre-school teacher, 29, who lost one of her legs in Boston TIM SAMARAS: THE VALUABLE LEGACY OF A STORM CHASER, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' The scale is based on observable destruction, and little was damaged as it tracked through the remote, relatively featureless farm country. 'Our hearts also go out to the Carl Young family as well as they are feeling the same feelings we are today. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph heard the panicked voices of the crew over her patrol radio right before the storm turned into their car. The National Geographic Society made 18 grants to Tim for research over the years for field work like he was doing in Oklahoma at the time of his death, and he was one of our 2005 Emerging Explorers. You shouldnt be allowed to do that. The family sheltered from the storm in a hospital parking garage. ', Danger: A series of violent storms and tornadoes have killed nine people as they swept through Oklahoma City and its suburbs on Friday, Damage: People survey the damage at the Canadian Valley Technology Center's El Reno Campus after it was hit by a powerful tornado on Friday, Crash: An airplane from the Aviation Technology department lies upside down on the lawn at Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno. 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. That's what they're made for,' long-time storm chaser, David Hoadley, of Falls Church, told The Washington Post. Oklahoma wasn't the only state hit by violent weather Friday night. Paul (1925-2005) was a photographer and model . Of those areas mentioned in this quote, Downtown OK city has about 7,600 people living in it. Meteorologist Mike Bette is nursing minor injuries after his 'tornado hunt' car was thrown some 200 yards by the storm. This is a reasonably important job that concerns many aspects of the environment. Carl Young, Timothy Samaras and his . The kitchen windows blew in and Pa slid across the kitchen floor and we hid down under the stairs! I would say to such folks the same thing a fire chief would say to people who are not trained, qualified, or equipped to study burning office buildings but feel that somehow being close to one would help them provide insights about fire safety: "Move along, you're not helping but just getting in the way here. In 2013, Tim Samaras died in one of the epic storms he'd spent decades chasing. Storm chasing is definitely in the "Don't try this at home, kids!" The debris field created by Samaras' wrecked car, the report concludes, corroborates the footage, which shows the subvortex moving across the face of the larger tornado at about the time Samaras' headlights disappear. Most new laws seem to be rehashes of existing laws that can be adapted. People were going southbound in the northbound lanes. 'It was chaos Everybody was running for their lives,' Terri Black, who lives in Moore, said. Several parents in the group I was with decided to drive south, away from the storm. Or was it a rotating thunderstorm (a supercell) with small- to moderate-sized tornadoes swirling about one another? So, that apparent fact was part of the underpinning of the original post (below). It was a shock this morning to learn from an editor at National Geographic that Tim Samaras had been killed by a tornado in Oklahoma. Police urged motorists to leave the crosstown Interstate 40 and seek a safe place. The elder Samaras' body was still belted into their Chevrolet Cobalt, which was found on an unimproved county road parallel to Interstate 40. Winds swept one vehicle with a crew from The Weather Channel off the road, tossed it 200 yards and flipped it into a field -- they escaped major injury. Three storm chasers died in that storm. 3) "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." 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. And for several minutes you car is shoved around on the surface like you were a puck in a game of air hockey, with the car slamming into other cars and other cars slamming into you, and each car being turned over now and then. It's your life so guard it like you own it. In fact, while writing this post I wondered what the three scientists were thinking as their car, and other cars, were hemmed in with a traffic jam that seems to have been caused by inappropriate reactions by a large number of people. Here's the before photo, of Mr. Samaras' car. Education may help, but first we need to educate Meteorologists in the media, the brilliant minds out there need to come up with a set of definitive standards on what to do and what not to do and hold the TV weather accountable, develop an educational program for the public, but most of all give people a place to go, public shelters or something for safety, if people have a shelter they more than likely wont get in their car in the first place. Was the chaser causing harm? ScienceBlogs is where scientists communicate directly with the public. Will Rogers World Airport was evacuated as Oklahoma City braced for the tornado, that was moving at 40mph. But once your car is inside an F3 or F4 tornado, that is no longer your problem alone. pauline taylor seeley cause of death; how does this poem differ from traditional sonnets interflora; airmessage vs blue bubbles; southside legend strain effects; abd insurance and financial services; valenzuela city ordinance violation fines; my summer car cheatbox; vfs global japan visa nepal contact number; beaver owl fox dolphin personality . Storm chasers with cameras in their car transmitted video showing a number of funnels dropping from the supercell thunderstorm as it passed south of El Reno and toward downtown Oklahoma City. A small tornado in Kansas, photographed during Tim Samaras's lightning expedition in August 2009. Contributions are fully tax-deductible. I also heard mention of a storm chaser who, attempting a U-turn to avoid a flooded stretch of road, went off a hidden embankment and was lucky to avoid drowning. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The Samaras' and Young were pursuing an EF3 tornado as it bore down on a metropolitan area of more than 1 million people. This advice sounds reasonable, but it really isnt. Take note at 3:09 - that's the edge of the tornado visible in the right side of the frame as it grows to nearly 2.6 miles across - the largest ever recorded. Okay, fair enough. The KFOR anchor should have said "if you are in your vehicle (head south). The last time we had a tornado warning where I live (July 2008), several people who work in my building actually went outside to look; luckily, the tornado never came close to us, because it was the worst one in state history (it was an EF-3 that had a 50 mile ground track). Tornadoes happen in bunches and clusters. 'There is very low visibility with the heavy rain so we're having trouble getting around. 'The trees were leaning literally to the ground. Smith said the storms 2.6-mile path besting a record set in 2004 in Hallam, Neb. If idiots who don't know what they're doing want to drive into a twister, let them. 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. They did not discuss the details but I would suspect you would want a helmet that comes down to the jaw line, which sort of eliminates a lot of bicycle helmets, although likely the bike helmet is better than a bare head. "We still don't know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don't," he told National Geographic last month. El Reno Mayor Matt White said that while his city of 18,000 residents suffered significant damage including its vocational-technical center and a cattle stockyard that was reduced to a pile of twisted metal he said it could have been much worse had the violent twister tracked to the north. Tim shared data and results. But I'll just say that I think there are less extreme solutions than putting a ban on all amateur storm chasing. They sheltered at St Anthony's Hospital which was only about 1/4 mile from where the tornado touched down. Then he yelled "get your ass back down there, boy!" Yes, Houston is a bigger city than OKC, and one of the freeway routes out of town takes you to Galveston, which is exactly the wrong way to go. It still came down to the fact that you have to do what you feel is right (especially if it conflicts with what you are being told to do) and not just become a helpless lemming during an emergency. His pioneering work has made it easier to warn people about tornadoes. In theory the helium gas should combine with the natural vortex suction and make the conditions for the tornado formation less favorable it may also be possible to deliver the helium through other methods or maybe have the helium frozen in water droplets A.K.A frozen helium crystals, and dropped from air tankers. I've heard horror stories about the attempt to partially evacuate Houston in advance of Hurricane Ike. But please, do we need new laws? Because of the circumstances on the two-lane road, it appears that he could not get out of the way, and, basically, the tornado picked up his vehicle, Jim Samaras told the Today show. The authors conclude, "it is likely that no clear direction to safety was apparent.". And, as I think I've said several time, Tim and his crew were professionals, making an important contribution. And we cannot "go to the sun" or other planets where it's abundant and "scoop it up and bring it back to earth". The other victims' bodies were found half a mile to the east and half a mile to the west, Canadian County under-sheriff Chris West said. That is a real problem and has increased over time. Everybody was running for their lives,' said Terri Black, 51, a teacher's assistant in Moore. Your argument that talking about a way to address a situation in which people lose their lives is inappropriate because the situation is an emotional tragedy is actually the misguided reaction. At the end of the day, he wanted to save lives and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for that," Jim Samaras said. Tim Samaras, his son Paul and colleague Carl Young died Friday night when an EF3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph turned on them near El Reno, Okla. After years of sharing dramatic videos with. We are still burying children and victims, so our emotions are still strong,' he added. Second, the point is still valid. 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, which appeared to be in the midst of a sharp change in direction. 'Tim was not a cowboy, he was as cautious as possible about his approach to studying these dangerous storms.'. It encouraged all, including the media and amateurs, to chase safely to avoid a repeat of Friday's deaths. Skip Talbot makes this point. "We still don't know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don't," he . But the main circulation was crawling with smaller tornadoes, some moving at speeds of 260 feet per second (177 mph), according to the report. The US has several cities along hurricane prone coasts which are larger (including Houston, Miami, and New York). Getting into a ditch can apparently also be fatal. They didn't happen to be overrun by a killer tornado at the time. In fact, the general wisdom is that if you are unlucky enough to be in a car when a tornado hits, you should pull over, get OUT of the car, and find a low place to hide. Would one less car have been on that particular road had your proposed law been in place? The article was entitled, disturbingly, Scientists, Give Up Your Emails. 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. Debris: This aerial photo shows damage in the Rolling Meadow Estates neighborhood on Friday in Broken Arrow, Okla. after a tornado had passed the area, Dangerous: Forecasters warned of a 'particularly dangerous situation,' with ominous language about strong tornadoes and hail the size of grapefruits 4 inches in diameter. But telling everyone to leave their homes and drive is not advised, if that is actually what the newscaster did. It almost stopped, then went East. People who are paying for the storm chasing experience are expecting to do pretty much the same thing. Tim was a couple of miles south of interstate. In some but not all cases, this advice was qualified; 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. I'm not sure about your claim that there was not a traffic jam, that conflicts with everything else I've heard. We have many many laws that are more or less unenforceable. Long story short, I and many others took cover in the hotel bathroom as the tornado headed straight toward us (to hit at 7:05). 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. And that traffic jam was probably caused by the exodus of people following very bad advice, and possibly as well as non-professional storm chasers moving in on the likely path of the storm. When told to seek shelter, many ventured out and snarled traffic across the metro area - perhaps remembering the damage from May 20. The fact of the matter is, you just never know where they're going to hit. 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? Television images showed downed power lines and tossed cars as the storm systems dumped at least three inches of rain, stranding motorists in flood water. But a law or explicit regulation, or even a well publicized set of best practices in the interest of public safety, might make the point that needs to be made, thus discouraging people from making decisions that endanger others. Having been in law enforcement some years ago I don't think you understand how unenforceable those laws would be. Road closures exist now, but there are lots of roads. 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. Samaras was killed along with his son Paul and storm chaser Carl Young in Friday's tornado.
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