I also think that storm chasing is not necessarily a bad idea, of course it has its risks but imagine the benefits we could reap if we understood these monsters enough to harness the energy they release rather than letting it do nothing but cause a mess. Driving away several hours ahead of time is one thing, but this guy was telling people to drive at the same time he was saying the tornado was impending! The men spent years capturing and sharing storm videos with TV viewers and weather researchers. This would make it so a chaser has to stop to render aid along his path. I don't know what Reed has ever done for science with his stuff. 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. 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. 'It's not even close to anything like what we had last week,' Smith said. It will NEVER happen. Also, their data helps us to better understand the dynamics of what happens in tornadoes which can help make safer structures. I answered in good faith. Gone. But the agency upgraded the ranking after surveying damage from the twister, which along with subsequent flooding killed 18 people. All rights reserved. Watch: 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. category. Emergency officials reported numerous injuries in the area along I-40, and Randolph said there were toppled and wrecked cars littering the area. I doubt that it would even have a measurable positive effect. These things will always be unpredicable and its good to hid under the basement steps! 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. Specious arguments at best. Brandi Vanalphen, 30, was among the hundreds of drivers trapped on traffic-snarled roads as she attempted to flee the tornado system menacing the suburb of Norman. 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. . I'll take my chances sheltering in place, thank you. Later analysis of the situation indicates that there was indeed a traffic jam enhanced risk for several storm chasers, caused by the ill advised comments from local media (as described below) but that this happened after Samaras and his crew were killed, in a different location, and that this happened to not cause any deaths. 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. With better data, we could get better forecasts of Southern Hemisphere storms. 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). That was the sound of nuance rushing by your libertarian ear. I know cyclones are slightly more predictable than tornados (but much less predictable than hurricanes) they also have the habit of suddenly randomly changing direction. Samaras was killed along with his son Paul and storm chaser Carl Young in Friday's tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma. 'I started seeing power flashes to the north, and I said "screw this." I've had grown adults that have lived in Oklahoma their entire lives ask me what the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning is. Very few professional storm chasers "work for the government" really, none. Its very scary I dont think a normal person can fathom just how scary. Officials in St. Charles County also reported that local schools suffered some damage. In 2013, Tim Samaras died in one of the epic storms he'd spent decades chasing. This is not about them, it is about their death, which at the time it happened, was claimed to have been caused by a traffic jam caused, in turn, by thrill seekers jamming the roads, and thrill seekers jamming the roads is a thing that happens. Take multiple pictures of vehicles "in the way" of emergency responders at tornado or other emergency sites. Even with interstate highways out of town in six different directions, you wouldn't be able to evacuate all those people in a few hours. Since this post went live Jeff posted about another storm chaser, an amateur, who was killed in this tornado. Absolutely educate people on the safest way to ride out a storm. She quickly regretted it. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. My humble opinions: Pay attention to what he says. But before their stalking of the dangerous vortex turned deadly, their cries could be heard by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph. I've literally sat bumper to bumper with chasers on a five mile strech of road. Eye of the storm: Tornado researcher Tim Samaras monitors the radar (left). This tornado was also pretty unique in that the forward speed of the sub vortices in it were at or above 150mph. Two and half miles has been the widely accepted dimension, but if you measure wind speeds, the tornado could have been anywhere from three to 4.5 miles across. In other words, it is now probably legal and appropriate for police or fire departments to close off roads or direct traffic or tell people not to drive in a particular area where there is currently a major fire, explosion, storm devastation, and so on. 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. 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. 'The car was probably about 60 to 70 per cent of its normal size because it had been pushed and mauled and compacted as it was tumbling down the road. Photograph by Carsten Peter, National Geographic. The Weather Channel issued the following statement: It was with great sadness that The Weather Channel learned of the passing of Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young as a result of the El Reno Tornado. 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. That would stop several people right there. 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. #1. the storms path was extremely erratic and it made a sudden turn that surprised even veteran forecasters. He had a road map spread across the kitchen table! His pioneering work included the development of probes which when left in the path of a tornado, can measure pressure drops. 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). Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. Let me post a reply to many of the above comments and suggestions. Injuries that were INCOMPATIBLE WITH LIFE. But that. Meteorologists had warned about particularly nasty weather Friday but said the storm's fury didn't match that of the tornado that struck Moore. Deadly profession: Storm chasers Tim Samaras (center) and crew member Carl Young (right) were killed on Friday in a tornado that ripped through El Reno, Oklahoma, Dangers: Paul Samaras, 24, (left) and Carl Young, 45, (right) were killed as they conducted research during the tornadoes in Oklahoma this weekend, On the edge: The storm chasers were killed as they followed the tornado in Oklahoma on Friday as the death toll rose to 18 today, Deadly twister: Three storm chasers were among at least 18 people killed following the tornado which touched down near El Reno on Friday. When the NWS uses phrases such as "You will not survive, neighborhoods will be flattened" no one in their right mind is going to stay at home and wait out the tornado in their bathroom or closet above ground. I know this from my own children being in Norman public schools. Tim Samaras, 55, was not known to be risky. 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. "We still don't know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don't," he told National Geographic last month. It would have taken out everything. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous. Though the state's transportation authorities strongly advised citizens not to drive, some interstate highways in Oklahoma were jammed with stalled traffic, as heavy rains drenched roadways and flooded low-lying areas. In the future I will be blogging at Greg Laden's blog, located at its original home at gregladen.com. Ironic how his own community of chasers would throw him to the wolves but won't put themselves in that category. In a separate incident, Brandon Sullivan and Brett Wright captured heart stopping footage of their exploits getting too close to the powerful twister near Union City, in southwest Oklahoma City. This story has been shared 160,448 times. And, as I think I've said several time, Tim and his crew were professionals, making an important contribution. "He looked at tornadoes not for the spotlight of TV but for the scientific aspect. This is an . Long-time friend of Tim Samaras, meteorologist Mike Nelson, told the Denver Channel: 'I have known Tim for over 20 years, he was the most brilliant and most careful severe weather researcher of them all. 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. 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! 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. In tribute to his brother, Jim Samaras posted on Facebook: Thank you to everyone for the condolences. What do you think? 'It was chaos. Mr West guessed the experienced storm chasers were attempting to parallel the storm on the county road and it either changed course or another vortex appeared. When she emerged from the freezer her car windshield had been shattered by the hail. In fact, one could argue that a new law is not needed and this power is already available to police and emergency response agencies. 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. If idiots who don't know what they're doing want to drive into a twister, let them. 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. Then he yelled "get your ass back down there, boy!" Injuries that were INCOMPATIBLE WITH LIFE. That's what they're made for,' long-time storm chaser, David Hoadley, of Falls Church, told The Washington Post. I will not comment at all in regardess to the death of Tim, Carl, or Paul, as they were close personal friends of mine and I am not reading to speak on that subject currently. When she realized she was a sitting duck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Ms Black turned around and found herself directly in the path of the most violent part of the storm. On the other hand, it means they are intentionally bringing civilians into the danger zone, and these civilians don't always know how to react if the situation gets out of hand. Samaras' car was perhaps too slow and too light, and the road was not amenable to fast driving. Tim Samaras was found inside his car with his seat belt still on. Three experienced tornado chasers actual meteorological scientists were killed when their truck (one of the vehicles depicted above, probably) was destroyed by the tornado. >>> What they're doing is seeking fame and fortune by selling their videos to various websites and television stations. The officers had to contend with hail and strong winds as they worked to help motorists. But I'll just say that I think there are less extreme solutions than putting a ban on all amateur storm chasing. 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. Tornadoes happen in bunches and clusters. Mr. Robinson also had forward and side facing dash cams operating that day and the Twistex crew's Chevy is the only other vehicle visible in any direction on Reuter Rd for the last 15 or 20 minutes of the chase. The seasoned storm chaser had dedicated his life to extreme weather, following storms for a quarter of a century. Three veteran storm chasers were among the 10 people killed following Friday's EF3 tornado in El Reno, Okla. Or, amateurs could get to a good viewing area well ahead of anticipated severe weather, and then stay put and off the road. ISBN 978-1426203022 Did you know Edit Samaras was born November 12, 1957 in Lakewood, Colorado, to Paul T. and Margaret L. Samaras. It's your life so guard it like you own it. Tim shared data and results. In reply to by Tom McDonald (not verified). But forecasters could pinpoint a relatively compact geographical region that would feel the effects of the hurricane, and they could do so with 24-48 hours notice. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. It gets logistically harder to do this if the affected area includes Cairns or Brisbane, because if you are evacuating people from low-lying areas you have to leave the roads open long enough for them to get out. Large, long-lasting thunderstorms known as supercells are responsible for producing the strongest tornadoes, along with large hail and other dangerous winds. Mike Bettes, a member of the Weather Channel Tornado Hunt Team, was driving in his SUV when it was picked up and thrown 200 yards by the monster rain-wrapped tornado near El Reno. In the area of voting, the main problem seems to be the expenditure of great amounts of outrage and, which I've posted on before there are new developments, summarized at Inside Climate News: >>> I support this 100%. This included CNN. (MORE: Tornado Hunt Team Takes Direct Hit by Tornado). The family sheltered from the storm in a hospital parking garage. 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. Tornado watches tend to cover a larger area, and the lead time is much shorter. Since I wrote this post, I've received many emails telling me that the premise is wrong, that traffic from too many storm chases did not contribute to the death of Samaras and others. CBS from Dallas agrees with Dorothy from KC and OL from OKC. 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. Either prospect is equally remarkable. 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. National Geographic explorer and storm chaser Tim Samaras devoted his life to unlocking the mysteries of extreme weather. Which travel companies promote harmful wildlife activities? I doubt that the new law would save lives. Terry Garcia, executive vice president of the National Geographic Society, said: 'We were shocked and deeply saddened by the news that longtime National Geographic grantee Tim Samaras was killed in a tornado in Oklahoma on Friday, along with Tim's son Paul and their colleague Carl Young. Also dead were Tim's son, Paul, and Carl . Some of my colleagues stayed, where there is a basement. Privacy statement. 'That's a very unwise thing to do because it's the absolute worst place you can be during a tornado.'. 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 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. I recently found the article on the el Reno tornado you wrote several years ago and I was struck by the naivety of your arguments on laws banning chasing. Look at that video. And if people are close enough to a tornado so that a car gets thrown at them, then that might just be natural selection as well. 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. Shelters up the price of homes, making homes much less affordable for many people. So, regarding the question of traffic: first, I know. We need infrastructure built! Roughly speaking, this is the equivalent of driving down the highway at several tens of miles an hour and suddenly flipping, three or four times. It is not inforceable. Take your time.'. 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. The Weather Channel's severe weather expert, Dr. Greg Forbes, knew Tim personally. #2. the storm went from a mile wide wedge to a 2.6 mile record breaking monster in an extremely rapid time, usually people 1 mile away from the storm would be safe or even 2 miles away but in this case it dropped on people 2 miles away, more so i don't believe it was a traffic jam as opposed to the rapid size increase and the sudden change in course. Then, when the car is done flipping, it gets flipped again. The fact of the matter is, you just never know where they're going to hit. Being stuck in traffic during a tornado outbreak is obviously unfortunate, but unless you can find a way to outlaw tornado formation in cities during rush hour, sporting events, concerts, accidents,or anything else that causes traffic to snarl, getting hit by a tornado while stuck in traffic is simply a risk one assumes by living in tornado alley and choosing to drive a car. They need to better forecast for a chaser convergence and prepare to block roads. I'm reminded of Grand Island, NE in 1980, when the tornadoes defied everything we supposedly know about them. Contrast that, as bad as it was, with Dan Robinson's video from the El Reno, OK tornado that killed Tim Samaras, his son Paul and his long-time chase partner Carl Young. Making a law which makes it illegal to chase storms will make it practically impossible to get enough data to understand tornadoes. Public safety officials have the right and responsibility to restrict access to Main Street and areas nearby in order to save lives and property. But Fridays massive tornado avoided the highly populated areas near and around Oklahoma City, and forecasters said that likely saved lives. More than half of those were people who had been cut or pierced. Numerous vehicles were damaged in the storm and that many motorists were left stranded. I hope that newscasters are better informed about the advice they should give and that this tragedy is never repeated. I think it's exactly as you said; these are bona fide emergencies and thus are precisely the situations that they should already be empowered to act in. 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. The network said though Betts was hurt, he and the car's two other occupants were wearing safety belts and were able to walk away from the banged-up vehicle. 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. I'm not saying these circumstances are sensible or humane, but they are the case nonetheless. I don't think people realized how deep and strong the water was.'. 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. Why wetlands are so critical for life on Earth, Rest in compost? Can we bring a species back from the brink? He knew what to look for. '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. A father-and-son team of storm chasers and their long-time partner were heard screaming 'we're going to die, we're going to die' on highway patrol radio moments before they were killed by one of the savage twisters they'd devoted their lives to following. The comments below have not been moderated. He turned and saw at me peering up from the basement steps! Plain and Simple what needs to be done now is EDUCATION. Amateur chasers don't want there to be strong evidence that what they do endangers themselves or others, so they want chaser-enhanced traffic jams to be taken out of the picture. Jeff also included a video from a different storm chaser who, by his own admission, was too close, and whose escape (along with his partner, who was driving) was delayed by something like half a minute by other storm chasers getting out of Dodge. "We're trying to collect as many observations as possible, both from outside and from the inside. 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. 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. 528 people were killed by weather in 2012, of which about 200 were a result of high velocity air. One minute you're sitting there watching TV, the next minute your whole neighborhood looks like it was jammed through a meat grinder. Damage from Friday night's severe weather was concentrated a few miles north of Moore, the Oklahoma City suburb pounded by an EF5 tornado on May 20 that killed 24 people. More than 210,000 customers lost electricity in the areas affected by the storm. Note the story of the HS football team that was viewing videos when the storm approached and the coach said put on your helmet. 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. speaking of high velocity wind, that was the sound of the point flying by Dan L. Spell it out for me, Grant. The storm was headed toward Oklahoma City, which has more than a million people in the metro area. The rain was coming down horizontally in front of my car.'. I was in the northern part of the metro and we were nervous because most tornadoes through here track NE eventually. I've had several police hop in my car to look at radar and ask for opinions while chasing because they are not equipt with it.
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