Lucky escape: A meteorologist from The Weather Channel was injured after his car (seen here) was thrown 200 yards by the storm, Waterway: A man uses a jetski to travel between his home and Osage City, after Missouri was affected by severe flooding, Storm damage: Navy veterans inspect the washed out road where they pulled a woman and her daughter to safety after their car flooded, A family in El Reno, Oklahoma inspect what is left of their home after Friday night's tornadoes battered the local area, Rain: Parts of Oklahoma City experience extreme flooding after multiple tornadoes passed through Central Oklahoma, For more videos, please go to the Long Center Austin. Nooooooooooo!!! 'Mile Wide Tornado' originally aired Sunday and focuses on the May 20 tornado that devastated a wide swatch of Oklahoma. Even if we could predict hours in advance that the storms would hit a particular county (and as you correctly point out, this is not true--there may be several distinct tornadoes in a single outbreak, so it's quite possible that Oklahoma City and Enid could both be hit the same day), this would not help in a major metro area like Oklahoma City. Personally it does anger me when you see chasers, pro or amateur, driving past people who may be potentially injured and most certainly in need just to keep getting the shot. Sher told ABC News: 'When the troopers found them, they were both deceased.'. Public safety workers already enjoy wide latitude in the execution of their jobs. 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. Old cells hang around as we age, doing damage to the body. 10th St. and Radio Rd. It's even worse if you are an amateur tornado chasing on your own--at least the tour groups have an experienced person to warn them that the tornado is coming straight at them and they need to hit the dirt NOW! Some of my colleagues stayed, where there is a basement. Excluding the one thrill seeker and the three professionals that were killed in this event there has not been another incident. Despite the horrible fact that some two dozen people died in the Moore tornado last week, there were tens of thousands of people directly in that tornados path, hiding out in low interior rooms within their homes or other buildings, who survived. 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. (MORE: Reaction from Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground). That might be preferable because making a new law to address particularistic new circumstances that are already covered by existing law, regulation, and best practice is probably a bad thing. With the severe weather knocking out power to nearly 120,000 customers in Oklahoma, according to electricity provider OG&E. In fact, one could argue that a new law is not needed and this power is already available to police and emergency response agencies. 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. Shelters up the price of homes, making homes much less affordable for many people. We cannot separate it from other compounds on earth (like we can, say, hydrogen), we cannot combine other elements to manufacture it (like we can, say, gasoline). Apply that technology to license plates instead of faces. One simple idea was to have either a hard hat or some sort of hard shell helmet to wear. A 51-year-old teacher's assistant who also tried to run from the storm said she quickly regretted her decision, after becoming stuck in traffic in the path of the tornado. If you want to walk down Main Street, in downtown America, you can do that, because it is America. The complexity of the kind of law your advocating is also extremely hard to defend in court. There are many chasers who do stop to render aid and time and time again they are often the first to reach the victims in crucial first moments with skills to save lives. There is only so much space to get away and so many roads to use, many in poor repair. Anyone can be wrong and that includes forcasters on tv, government and business emergency policies. One more thing: at the point the tornado lifted, it was heading more or less directly eastward along I-40 (again, Jeff Masters is my source here). I think this tornado did some stuff we didn't expect. Tim Samaras's Instagram, Twitter & Facebook on IDCrawl Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. You do raise many good points about how such a law would be implemented, and some I can thing of answers to, some not so easily. That is not my argument either, it is simply what all the experts say. Samaras was killed along with his son Paul and storm chaser Carl Young in Friday's tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma. But telling everyone to leave their homes and drive is not advised, if that is actually what the newscaster did. As you come closer to a cloud you don't get something smooth, but irregularities at a smaller scale." 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. The deaths of Mr. Samaras, his son, and Mr. Young had absolutely nothing to do with the horrendous traffic affecting other parts of Oklahoma on May 31. They never follow the same track. According to his Discovery Channel biography, Young and Samaras tracked down over 125 tornadoes together. They went in the field focused on collecting data to enable meteorologists to further the science behind tornadoes which we know has and will help to save countless lives. tornado disbursement tactical teams should be flown in by helicopter and then flown out after the job is done, its much safer this way. You are absolutely right, that this tornado was a particularly monstrous one. It was over in just minutes, when we climbed the stairs half the house was gone but nearly all the houses on the street in back of us where gone! Having a law about something means that society wants certain things to happen or not happen. The shredded pieces of the car hook to the south then across the road to the northeast: I have difficulty fathoming the violence implied in that paragraph. Salvaging: A chef at Gilmore's Kitchen at the OKC-West Stockyards, is framed by the kitchen pass-through window on the only kitchen wall still remaining as he checks tornado damage in El Reno, Childcare center: The devastation caused by Friday's storms included a wind turbine blade crashing into a daycare center, fortunately no children were inside, Remains: A man looks for items in what is left of a house in El Reno, Oklahoma on Saturday, Damage: A family inspect the office of what is left of the livestock auction business near El Reno, Oklahoma. 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. Emergency officials reported numerous injuries in the area along I-40, and Randolph said there were toppled and wrecked cars littering the area. 82.6K subscribers Tim Samaras gained notoriety as one of the top stormchasers in the country, and a star of Discovery's Stormchasers, who helped us further understand the science of tornadoes. I have a feeling that Scienceblogs will not last long without me. An outright ban is prolly a bad idear too. Among the injured was a meteorologist from The Weather Channel. They sheltered at St Anthony's Hospital which was only about 1/4 mile from where the tornado touched down. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous. Which, I think, was one of Greg's original points. That is a real problem and has increased over time. Take your time.'. In St. Charles County, at least 71 homes were heavily damaged and 100 had slight to moderate damage, county spokeswoman Colene McEntee said. They eventually revised this policy I'm assuming based on what has happened to folks in their stores during a bad storm. Why not outlaw sky diving too? CBS from Dallas agrees with Dorothy from KC and OL from OKC. The thing is, this tornado was heading roughly from west to east into a highly populated area. Absolutely educate people on the safest way to ride out a storm. The tornado then hurled the light Chevy Cobalt to the ground, leaving it looking as though it had been rammed through a trash compactor, police said. If you want to make this about Tim Samaras, how about you contact his family, colleagues, or friends and ask them what he would have wanted. 'Somebody driving along really not familiar with what's going on can basically drive into it.'. I do find it sad that that few if any of your statements regarding how the Twistex team was killed was accurate. They are pictured along with fellow storm chaser Tony Laubach, Avid explorer: Emotional tributes have been made to scientist and storm chaser Tim Samaras, who died doing what he loved, friends said, Destroyed: The Chevrolet Cobalt, pictured, driven by Tim Samaras was thrown half a mile in the terrifying storm, Tragic: Tim Samaras was found dead inside the car, pictured, while the other storm chasers' bodies were discovered half a mile in either direction. 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). Belongings: A woman finds personal photos for a neighbor from the remains of her home destroyed by violent thunderstorms across the Midwest, Ruins: People walk near cars and trees damaged by a tornado at the Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno, Oklahoma on Saturday morning. Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and Carl Young, 45, died on Friday in El Reno after a tornado that packed winds of up to 165 mph picked up their car and threw it, somersaulting, a half a mile. .". On Tuesday, Storm Chasers star Joel Taylor died at 38. This probe registered a world-record 100-millibar drop in pressure inside the twister. 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. Storm chaser Tim Samaras observes a blackening sky in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. I know this from my own children being in Norman public schools. "We still don't know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don't," he told National Geographic last month. Tim shared data and results. The region was fortunate because the storm touched down mostly in rural areas and missed central Oklahoma City. That's what they're made for,' long-time storm chaser, David Hoadley, of Falls Church, told The Washington Post. The authors conclude, "it is likely that no clear direction to safety was apparent.". 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. independent local journalism in Dallas. Samaras, a tornado scientist for over 25 years, founded and ran a scientific field research program dubbed TWISTEX (Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in Tornadoes EXperiment). The morning after: Wilburn Shaw looks for personal items in the remains of his kitchen the morning after Friday night's storm that passed through St. Charles, Mo, Power outages: Tornado-damaged power lines hang separated from its pole after tornadoes that swept through central Oklahoma on Friday, Shattered dreams: A couple in St. Charles embrace as they look over their destroyed home after a violent burst of thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest, Together: A mother holds her three children after fans at the Barons game were evacuated to the parking garage under the Cox Convention Center due to severe storms in Oklahoma City on Friday. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. The Death of Tim Samaras, Lightning Chaser. The family sheltered from the storm in a hospital parking garage. I hold a degree in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. Sun rise: Tornado debris hangs from a destroyed billboard sign along Interstate-40 Westbound after violent thunderstorms spawned tornadoes that menaced Oklahoma City and its already hard-hit suburb of Moore on Friday, Air chaos: At Will Rogers World Airport, 2,000 people spent the night sheltering in underground tunnels, Overturned: Authorities say people ignored advice to sit tight and attempted to leave the area - perhaps as a reaction to the previous tornado almost two weeks ago, Lightning: A storm chaser in Cushing stopped to take photos of the dramatic moment two lightning strikes hit the ground, Tragic: Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found the bodies of a woman and an infant near their vehicle. 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. 'He was either washed off the road or tried to get out of his car. We are still burying children and victims, so our emotions are still strong,' he added. I'm not saying I agree with it, but this is not something he suddenly started doing. I have heard that some professional storm chasers offer package tours. I dont think they realize how lucky El Reno was.. Tim Samaras - Wikipedia An image taken from video shows the vehicle that longtime storm chaser Tim Samaras, his son Paul and colleague Carl Young were killed when a powerful tornado hit near El Reno, Okla. on May 31. Though the tornado alert expired, the powerful rain continued to hit the area and floodwaters were collecting in the streets. A four-year-old boy died after being swept into the Oklahoma River on the south side of Oklahoma City, said Oklahoma City police Lt. Jay Barnett. Enforcement is difficult, but not impossible. :) His body was found but the wildlife officer is still listed as missing. And what of its width? The Storm Prediction Center issued a statementSunday, saying it was terribly saddened by Tim Samaras' death. Discovery says it has been updated with 'Stormchasers' footage of the researchers. More than half of those were people who had been cut or pierced. And, just like a tornado, the last place you want to be caught in a fire is in your car. which storm chaser killed himself - Stmatthewsbc.org When the winds were at their most powerful, no structures were nearby, said Rick Smith, chief warning coordination meteorologist for the weather services office in Norman. 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. 'Our hearts also go out to the Carl Young family as well as they are feeling the same feelings we are today. 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. Too many words! And two, the chaser would have to carry a business license on his person to prove he had a need to be there for whatever his business reason might be. I agree, we only need laws if we need laws. They said to stay at work if you had better shelter there. Photograph by Carsten Peter, National Geographic. For the record, an "enigmatic" lack of shelter in Oklahoma has to do with cost. I'm one state north from tornado alley, and I can't imagine anyone from my state saying that it's okay to drive during a tornado alert. The amateur storm chaser who was killed mentioned, in the cell phone conversation he was having with a friend (who was in a safe location and urged the storm chaser to get out of there), two local TV news vans passing him. The interstate was shut down due to the storm, with multiple crashes and injuries. 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. He will be missed. A total of five tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City metro area, the National Weather Service said. I dont think there has been a single case (correct me if im wrong) of external injury or property damage due to a chasers car getting picked up by a tornado. There are some similarities to people doing volcano research, in that people doing it know they have a high risk of death if they happen to be on duty when the eruption occurs. The newscaster's advice was appalling. A new book chronicles his harrowing last days Maya Wei-Haas April 4, 2018 The tornado that touched down near El. This is an enormous loss for his family, his wide circle of friends and colleagues and National Geographic.'. Or was it a rotating thunderstorm (a supercell) with small- to moderate-sized tornadoes swirling about one another? Please be respectful of copyright. Everybody was running for their lives,' said Terri Black, 51, a teacher's assistant in Moore. meteorologist. And, I've argued that telling people that the safest thing to do is to get in their car and drive is wrong. Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and Carl Young, . The forecast quality will always be better than for small-scale phenomena like tornadoes. On the other hand, if you calculate its width by how much debris was lofted into the air, we may be talking about a mile and a quarter to nearly two miles in width. He designed, built, and deployed instrument probes to measure atmospheric variables such as pressure and wind in the path of tornadoes. Though the tornadoes were not as strong as the EF-5 twister that killed 24 on May 20, fear drove many people to attempt to flee the area in their cars only to get caught up in heavy rains and flash flooding. Local news reported an estimated 1,200 people were at the airport and were herded to the basement to wait out the storm. National Geographic explorer and storm chaser Tim Samaras devoted his life to unlocking the mysteries of extreme weather. 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. He gave direction to leave if in the path. But if the Acme Office Building, on Main Street, is on fire, broken glass is blowing out of windows and fire trucks and other emergency vehicles are trying to gain access to the building and nearby fire hydrants, and ambulances are trying to get in to pick up injured, and out to bring them to hospitals, you cant walk down Main Street. 'They had no place to go, and that's always a bad thing. They can easily cite or arrest anyone they need to, and even temporarily imprison them, without charging them with anything. Tim Samaras, 55, his son Paul, 24, and crew member Carl Young, 45, died in El Reno on Friday They were heard on Oklahoma Highway Patrol radio screaming before they were killed The elder Samaras was. I don't think the scientists who died in this storm would agree with you on that. Also we MUST push for adqueate shelters. (Football, Lacross, Motorcycle, Bicycle etc). Why is it these days that every time someone dies someone wants to make a new law restricting freedom? Academic Postmortem of Tornado that Killed Tim Samaras Is Chilling Standing water was several feet deep, and in some places it looked more like a hurricane had passed through than a tornado. So, if you live in Oklahoma City and figure there may be tornadoes coming later in the day, there is nothing to guarantee that driving north to Aunt Millies house in Enid, OK will not put you in the path of one of the tornadoes that happen to form that day. The rain was coming down horizontally in front of my car. Those media outlets need to do a more professional job and take their responsibility as journalists rather than entertainers more seriously (generally, not just with respect to tornadoes). The apparent fact that individuals don't take on the personal responsibility of doing the sensible thing is a tragedy. The rain was coming down horizontally in front of my car.'. A mans world? This would make it so a chaser has to stop to render aid along his path. The KFOR anchor should have said "if you are in your vehicle (head south). Another two or three miles east and we would have been looking at a death toll in the hundreds. 1) "Three experienced tornado chasers actual meteorological scientists were killed when their truck (one of the vehicles depicted above, probably) was destroyed by the tornado." Oklahoma is a severe convective weather 'bulls-eye' and always will be. I was in the northern part of the metro and we were nervous because most tornadoes through here track NE eventually. Northeast of St. Louis and across the Mississippi River, the city of Roxana was hit by an EF3 tornado, but National Weather Service meteorologist Jayson Gosselin said it wasn't clear whether the damage in both states came from the same EF3 twister or separate ones. Oklahomans can handle a day or two of this, but after a week plus of watching families with lost loved ones on the news they start getting jumpy. "Samaras was a respected tornado researcher and friend who brought to the field a unique portfolio of expertise in engineering, science, writing and videography," the center's statement said. But volcanoes usually give fair warning that an eruption is likely to occur in the next several weeks, and in most cases (at least in First World countries) authorities can control the few access routes to the volcano.
