If you ever watch that show Storm Chasers on Discovery you always think no one is actually going to get hurt or killed despite the dangers and that a lot of it is just for show. On Friday though things did turn serious and three of the participants on the show were killed in Oklahoma during the tornadoes there. Tim Samaras and his son were killed with their crew member Carl Young.
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49 comments:
That's really sad.
Don't mess with Mother Nature!!
White people loooove dying by tornado and shark attack. Zero fucks are given to people who die by doing stupid shit. Chasing a tornado is first class stupid shit!
Darwin award? Owned?
Who loves danger dies by it. Their reckless way of life has had consecuences and, hopefully, many people will learn that tornadoes are dangerous.
I live in Oklahoma, and yes, I kind of make fun of homemade storm chasers, too. You see these guys out tooling around in their trucks with "Tornado Chase Vehicle" spelled out on the side in mailbox letters. BUT, these guys who died were, in fact, involved in serious scientific data collection that benefits all of us who live in Tornado Alley. And the very skilled weather teams we have here follow the storms on the ground, from the air, and of course, via radars and stuff. They work hard to keep us all informed and safe. When we have weather conditions that warrant watching closely, we depend on our weather people - trust them with our lives, actually.
The tornado Friday was especially unstable and took an uncharacteristic turn that caught even very seasoned chasers and forecasters off guard. RIP, gentlemen. Thanks for collecting data that has helped keep my family and friends safer than ever.
You're right, Fru. Without the decades of work from trained, professional storm chasers, we wouldn't know half of what we know about tornadoes today. RIP to these guys. Wow.
(And I'm glad you're well, Fru. You better have a cellar, dammit.)
Yes, these were professionals that helped get valuable information about tornadoes. It was their job. They weren't doing it for the kicks.
Last night we were watching a documentary on the tornado in OK and the hubby was explaining just how important their job is and how they get paid alot for their work. There's no amount anybody could pay me to take on such a dangerous job but I respect them and appreciate their dedication. So sad :-(
Hubby and I had a conversation about all the destruction of tornadoes the other day. I asked if people wouldn't be safe in their basements, and if so why they didn't go there. He says that most of the houses don't have basements. Can someone in Oklahoma or elsewhere in tornado-land please explain to me why you would not have a basement or a cellar when you KNOW you're going to have to deal with some serious weather? I'm genuinely stunned and confused here. I live in Canada and tornadoes are rarely an issue, but every person I've ever met has a basement in their house just because, well, you need a basement!
Hi libby! We are fantastic, and yes, we have a storm shelter. It's a big metal box that is dropped right into the slab of our garage. It's crazy cool - they can install one in four hours; cut right through the slab, dig the hole, and drop 'er in. It has a rolling metal top that bolts shut.
When the dudes on TV say it's go time, we load in there with the animals and everything (chickens are on their own :-) ), and listen to the play by play on the radio. It's hard to explain to people who don't live here how incredibly accurate and comforting our weather people are. They track the storms intersection by intersection.
Some places have old homes and old farm houses don't always have cellars or basements. Trailer parks do not have basements.
Many homes do not have basements and it could be based upon the terrain, the cost or the age.
I live in an area where basements are normal, but my old home never had one and still doesn't.
Hi Cee Kay - I'm not really sure why there aren't more basements here - I'm a fairly recent transplant. I believe it has to do with the relative instability of our soil - red clay. However, I've read some things lately that indicate that isn't really the case. I know the old-timers had root cellars, and lots of us folks have modern shelters, but I'm not sure why houses don't have basements as a rule. I know we were disappointed when we moved here - thought the hubby would finally get to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a house with a basement. We're from Texas - no basements there, either.
That's interesting, Frufra, thanks. Seeing those videos before & after that first tornado a few weeks ago scared me to death for you folks out there.
I'm in 'Tornado Alley' too, but NOTHING like OK it would seem!
Agree with Frufra - these storm chasers do incredible research that helps save lives in the long run. 500 years ago, these were the guys crossing the North American continent, exploring and risking their lives doing it. You and I may not be up to doing it, but thank God there are those that are willing to take chances to gather important information. RIP guys.
@Fru and @warm - thanks for your input. I guess I never really considered that the land might not support digging a basement. (I do know that trailers don't have basements, but does a large part of the population live in trailer parks? That's also quite different from here.) I really need to remember that not everyone lives life the way I do. *L* (Then again, I can live through -30 in the winter and I'll bitch about it, but I can still do it!)
@ Frufra Well said regarding Tim and his Son, It seems he was really respected in his field.
Also, how much it cost's for a shelter? (if you don't mind my asking) I really think they should be government subsidised too.
I live in Texas and we don't have basements either. The red clay soil we have does have a lot to do with why we don't have them. We've just always been taught to get in the bathtub or an interior closet with pillows.
What great knowledge have we learned from these natural events over the last 50 years? Not to get in their way! That's the only thing that peple should pay attention to. So zero fucks given. I'll never ever ever die in a tornado. Want to know why? Cuz I'm not going near one. Done. The research can be done in wind tunnels.
Yeah, I have to agree with @Single Man in Love with Love. I grew up on the Central Plains and we pretty much had weekly tornado warnings. The VERY LAST PLACE you want to be is in a vehicle, and I've always put these "storm chasers" in the same category of "Everest climbers." Thrill-seekers who put themselves in danger for no reason other than to say they beat Mother Nature. That is, until Mother Nature wins.
When a tornado comes nearby, get thee underground. It's that simple. This was a stupid, pointless tragedy, and my heart goes out to their friends and family.
Just goes to show how bloody dangerous tornado-chasing is, even for trained people who actually know what they're doing. No doubt they were well aware that the things can always change direction, and had taken that into account, figuring that even if this one did, they could still get out of its path. They were wrong.
I believe the water table in certain areas is a reason why texas, ok and others do not have basements. Water table plus clay soil, heavy rains, etc. my spouse is an architect and knows the lay of the land so to speak.
I believe the water table in certain areas is a reason why texas, ok and others do not have basements. Water table plus clay soil, heavy rains, etc. my spouse is an architect and knows the lay of the land so to speak.
fru- so glad you're safe! Yes, I think these storm chasers get valuable information, but I also think the people who do it love the element of danger. Its fine to say they died doing what they loved, but what about their families? How are they supposed to feel? I read an interesting article by a young woman who loved extreme sports and did it all sorts of dangerous things. She loved it, but never thought of how her family felt until she got hurt, and they cared for her. She saw things very differently and def curbed her activities.
Fru, I'm in Norman and you're right- without these guys, lots of folks would be dead. The Doppler only shows approximate location of a possible vortex. It must be confirmed with human observation. They are good enough to say which streets, how big, how fast, whether it is rain wrapped and not visible to the naked eye. They also help spot where first responders need to go and very often are the first guys to pull folks out of the rubble. What we saw Friday scared the shit out of everyone. We had at least three tornadoes going in different directions when usually they go in a ENE pattern. These turned south and north and east unlike anything else.
I have pals who storm chase. It's not just an adrenaline rush, there is serious science going on. Reality shows make it seem like something else just to get viewers. These men and women are out there trying to save lives and gather data.
As for Cee's question about basements, I have been in Norman for more almost 22 years. I was here for the May 3rd tornado and the basement question always comes up. Central Oklahoma has unstable soil. It's a mixture of red clay and sand and underneath are lots of aquifers. Every once in a while a sink hole will open up. The droughts cause cracking on the ground and houses with basements flood. When my husband I went house shopping, without an exception, every house that had a basement had to have piers or serious reinforcement because the walls were cracked and weeping. It also became more popular not to have basements with certain housing styles. Since the 60's basements haven't been in vogue.
Most folks I know are buying storm shelters that are in ground. They run several thousand dollars and sometimes rebates from the state are available. Most folks try to get the rebate, and if they can't, they don't buy the shelter. Folks just can't afford it.
The local schools used to be designated shelters until this past year because last year, Norman was hit and folks were on the road trying to find a school that was unlocked. Creepy. Getting stuck in your car with a tornado on your ass because the shelter was locked up after hours... So, they did away with them altogether.
Anyhow, Friday was shit yourself time. Those things seemed like they were everywhere and they had to keep reprojecting their paths because they changed direction. It was not a night to play the Gary England Drinking Game.
@single man, because of storm chasers we've increased the lead time for tornado warnings from three minutes to almost twenty. That's huge. And no, "storm chasers," who are really meteorologists and not all shitheads like Reed Timmer, do not make much money from it at all.
Don't have a safe room or cellar at my fairly new (5-year old house) in NE Oklahoma. Neither do my neighbors or any of the schools around me (that I know of). Which is sad. :(
Hubby and I have discussed about getting a safe room, they are about $2-4,000 dollars, I think? But we have always decided against it 'cuz hubby will probably be transferred back to Houston in a couple of years.
Those storm chasers were caught in the midst of all the people fleeing the storm. Almost all who died by the tornado were along that corridor of highway.
His job (as stated above) was not thrill-seeking, for chrissakes. He dropped probes in front of the tornado's path to determine strength and pressure.
LOL! Wind Tunnel? I'm guessing science wasn't your best subject was it? Bless your heart.
Truly sorry these guys lost their lives. I noticed the mention of their death after the show last night. And while these guys WERE getting scientific information, there are indeed others who chase for the thrill. And THAT is foolish.
We were trying to remember how much we paid when we put ours in - maybe $3000? We had it installed shortly after buying the house, when, if you've ever bought a home, you know, money is flying out of your pockets so quickly that you kind of lose track. It was worth the investment for us - huge, huge peace of mind.
And we were out of town Friday - way far out of town - so we didn't have to live through that one. But yeah, it gets real really fast sometimes. Thank God for our weather people!
Sad those guys died. Another group of storm chasers had their vehicle thrown about and are still in the hospital. Good luck to all!
I live in Canada and my area has red clay soil and we have basements.
However each house has a sump pump in order to avoid flooding in the basement during heavy rains or quick thaws in the spring time.
Long as you make sure you maintain that sump pump, you'll be OK.
@Jenn - You might be thinking of the guy that committed suicide a few years ago. I only vaguely remember the story but feel that might be what you are referring to.
South Florida is the same way - no one has a basement that I've heard of - the water table is very high - one reason we have so much flooding during big storms. And that's why we have flood insurance.
If I lived in OK or somewhere else in Tornado Alley I'd get a storm shelter for the same reason I have hurricane shutters here (and they're a lot more expensive than the storm shelter). You've got to protect yourself.
I also heard that when you have a storm shelter in OK you register it with the county so that if your shelter is covered up by debris the county will come by and check on you. Is that true?
@ Badger, my son was attending OU when that storm hit Norman. He loved spending time at the appropriately placed National Weather Center on the campus.
And, yeah, Friday, was a nail biting, we-shoulda-got-a-saferoom-after-all kinda night. I had zero alchohol consumption and kept my shoes on till one a.m.
Thank you to those who are reiterating how important a professional storm chasers job is. I grew up in Huntsville, AL and have been though a few tornadoes including the particularly devastating one of '89. Without people like these guys who risk their lives to save others and educate, these death tolls would be much higher. Their job was and is selfless, not stupid or careless as some of you would like to believe.
@ Fru & Badger Thanks for the info. :-)
May I respectfully ask how you have figured out that this is a 'white people' thing? Just curious how you got that selective info... not saying it isn't true. But um there are a likely a lot of weird & foolhardy people around the globe that mau just not get the coverage that stupid white people do.
I just bristle when anyone uses a global term for anyone's color wrt a propensity, positive or negative.
Anyone can die anywhere anyhow, kudos to them for doing what they loved and helping others.
The other team that was hurt was from the Weather Channel; their vehicle was flipped and trashed. They were banged up pretty well (some broken bones, IIRC), but should be fine, albeit shaken up. (Apparently the cameraman somehow kept hold of the camera and kept shooting as the car rolled, bless his heart.) Yes, there are idiots who do this on their own, but the people who were hurt or killed were professional conducting scientific research and relaying information on the storms' paths, etc.; there's a big difference between the 3 minutes' warning people used to have and the 20 they have now, and it's often literally the difference between life and death. It was a combination of being trapped on the highway with extremely unpredictable storms that didn't behave in any of the usual ways that got these guys, not being foolhardy. RIP, and thanks for all your hard work. :-(
That's like saying black folk LOVE gang violence and zero fucks are given about all those fools in the urban areas loaded with thugs.
@SusanB - yup, you register it with the fire department. And your friends and neighbors know, too.
I had hurricane shutters when we lived on the Gulf Coast - it's always something!!
Oh cruel fate!
Why, oh WHY couldn't it have been Reed?
Well, live by the sword... There's a woman who swims with great whites, to show people how gentle and beautiful they are. When she's bitten in half, will anyone really be surprised? To me, the storm chasers are asking for it. To me. And, anyone who rebuilds there seems not to be dealing with reality. Reminds me of ants after you kick their hill and its destroyed; not a good location. Just like in New Orleans, after Katrina. You build a city below sea level, expect issues.
These guys are heroes and should be treated as such. Sometimes bad things happen to scientists and explorers,etc, trying to expand our horizons. RIP.
I just want to echo what others here have been saying. We live on the eastern side of Tornado Alley, but we don't have a basement or a storm shelter. Our property isn't very high off the water table, so a basement wouldn't have been feasible when this house was built. As with many of our neighbors, we can't afford a lot more than the basics, so adding a storm shelter seems financially out of reach for us.
When we do have severe weather, one of the local people opens up the basement to a church down the road for everyone to pile in. Other towns also have designated storm shelters for those smart enough to seek shelter ahead of time.
I do appreciate the work of the real storm chasers, who (as mentioned above) have improved our understanding of storms to the level that we now have plenty of time to seek shelter. I just wish people would pay attention when the weatherman says to seek shelter. He may be overcautious, but I would rather be safe than dead.
Another explanation of the no basements issue. Supposedly the red clay soil combined with the extremely wet springs and searingly dry summers creates a lot of heave that will tear up a basement. Most new homes are built on a cement slab with tension cables running through it. A lot of areas have rock not very deep, all factors make for an expensive basement.
I just had a safe room installed in the garage a few weeks ago.
Frufa, Been on here a while, know you also live in OKC. Been an awful couple of weeks for us. Many of the chasers are tools, but thank GOD for them. One of the ones hit a half-mile from me and I was in my shelter following news9 on twitter. The data that came out today about the size and speed of the Friday tornado is sickening.
Frufa, Been on here a while, know you also live in OKC. Been an awful couple of weeks for us. Many of the chasers are tools, but thank GOD for them. One of the ones hit a half-mile from me and I was in my shelter following news9 on twitter. The data that came out today about the size and speed of the Friday tornado is sickening.
@gloaming, late to this conversation but we had ours installed in our garage for about $3500. Some times the local govt does subsidies, but we did ours our of pocket last year. THE best decision, especially the last couple of weeks.
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