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've heard horror stories about the attempt to partially evacuate Houston in advance of Hurricane Ike. But that is not a reason to not have the laws. None of them contributes to the scientific research and experimentation going on. Thacker, as you might recall, wrote a highly biased article with Charles, Every timeyou follow the motion of a spacecraft, moon, planet or other object through the Solar System, you're putting the theory of gravity to the test. Very few professional storm chasers "work for the government" really, none. Were looking at extremes in the rare EF5 category. In many cases, a law is unenforceable at face value, but when something goes wrong it suddenly becomes part of the equation. Further with this ridiculous drive away strategy and the inability to predict small movements how do you parse the storm chasers from the poorly directed refugees? Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. Another example of this on a NATIONAL level and not just a local level is Season 5 episode 6 of Storm Chasers (The discovery channel show that followed three chaser groups) where Joel Taylor, Reed Timmer, and Chris Chittick all call friends and family on their cellphones advising them to drive away from Yukon, OK and Norman, OK. Actually pointing those in Yukon into the path of the Pidemont, OK tornado. Troopers requested a number of ambulances at I-40 near Yukon, west of Oklahoma City. If out of the many decades that chasers have been in the field only 3 have ever died then I'd say chasing is safer than many other dangerous events. This storm was erratic and there will be more storms just like it in the future. The result, even in dry, acronym-heavy academic language, manages to serve as both an enlightening and horrifying account of storm chasing's worst day. 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. The spot a few yards off Reuter Road where the body of Tim Samaras was found inside the crushed vehicle (his son. Continuing on Helmets here is a link to a story on yahoo:http://news.yahoo.com/tornado-coming-grab-helmet-084500057.html. If you were turned away from Main Street due to a fire, and instead took Elm, would the state be responsible when a fire spontaneously breaks out on Elm as well and sprays glass on you? (MORE: Reaction from Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground). 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. category. #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. Take your time.'. But telling everyone to leave their homes and drive is not advised, if that is actually what the newscaster did. If you are worried about the roads being clogged during a tornado then don't drive or don't live in tornado alley. The seasoned storm chaser had dedicated his life to extreme weather, following storms for a quarter of a century. 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). "We're trying to collect as many observations as possible, both from outside and from the inside. Washington, DC: National Geographic. 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. People who are paying for the storm chasing experience are expecting to do pretty much the same thing. According to his Discovery Channel biography, Young and Samaras tracked down over 125 tornadoes together. This probe registered a world-record 100-millibar drop in pressure inside the twister. @Hamish: One reason that can work in Australia is because most of the region that is vulnerable to tropical cyclones (a hurricane is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 64 kts/74 mph/118 km/h) is sparsely populated. Rather, they are jamming roads in the very places where a traffic jam can be deadly if a tornado happens to pass over the gaggle of cars stuck in place. At least six semis on their side at a weight station on I-40 near Oklahoma City, photographer Jim Beckel reported. Television cameras showed debris falling from the sky west of Oklahoma City and power transformers being knocked out by high winds across a wider area. On Tuesday, Storm Chasers star Joel Taylor died at 38. Same is true for Safety officials and storm chasers and officil spotters doing their jobs. 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. We have many many laws that are more or less unenforceable. There is a large university team with a NASA/NOAA grant that I know of, and a number of professional chasers are grad students at a university, but that is not the same thing. Helium is a precious, non-renewable resource. An engineer by training, Samaras was known for devising instruments that offered the first views inside live tornadoes. ScienceBlogs is where scientists communicate directly with the public. Tens of thousands were without power, and only eight minor injuries were reported. The storm was headed toward Oklahoma City, which has more than a million people in the metro area. 10th St. and Radio Rd. He said "you need to be below ground [pause] if you can drive south bla bla bla", Does this mean "you need to be below ground, but if you are in you car in the path of the tornado you can drive south", Or does this mean "you need to be below ground or if you can drive south, go and drive south". Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. Tim Samaras' Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Nov 12, 1957 Death Date May 31, 2013 Age of Death 55 years Cause of Death N/A Place of Death May 31, 2013 Profession Meteorologist The meteorologist Tim Samaras died at the age of 55. Probably many thing contributed to what happened. The people could be driving for many unattributed reasons. So maybe take the time to authorize a few specialists that take recreational tours storm chasing, and keep the rest of them off of the roads. 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. I also agree that people should not be allowed to drive through tornadoes for the safety of others, however if people were not allowed to escape I believe that more shelters should be provided for individuals in the path of the storm. Our hearts also go out to the Carl Young family as well as they are feeling the same feelings we are today. I started driving on the shoulder. But let us not let the fact that Samaras and his crew were killed in a manner that did not relate to traffic obviate further consideration of the "drive to the fire" problem. It needs to be taught FREE for the public as well. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. 'Tim was not a cowboy, he was as cautious as possible about his approach to studying these dangerous storms.'. Not according to biology or history. 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. 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: It would have taken out everything. Oklahoma City has a similar population level to Cairns and Brisbane. 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. Waiting: Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport was evacuated. The Oklahoma City metro district has about 1.3 million people. This in the super rare category because we dont deal with things like this often.. 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. The gas you'd save would easily pay for a shovel. Shelters up the price of homes, making homes much less affordable for many people. ", In reply to by Danny Caputi (not verified). Pay attention to what he says. As for highway patrol and local police their cars NEED to have radar installed and they need lessons on how to use it. I can't imagine the trauma of living through a tornado strike. This is a reasonably important job that concerns many aspects of the environment. 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. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. - May 31, 2013 (his death) Other works book: "Tornado Hunter: Getting Inside the Most Violent Storms on Earth". Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Do not sell or share my personal information. It was NOT caused by a traffic jam. And again. 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. Several parents in the group I was with decided to drive south, away from the storm. I've been in a tornado, when I was six! Paul is right. National Geographic storm chaser Tim Samaras gave an interview on the day of his deathspeaking to National Geographic radio host Boyd Matson from the road on May 31 about his attempts to study . 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. Samaras was killed along with his son Paul and storm chaser Carl Young in Friday's tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma.

An engineer by training, Samaras was known for devising instruments that offered the first views inside live tornadoes. Local news reported an estimated 1,200 people were at the airport. 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). There was no place to hide.. I am hereby referring you and all readers to the comments. Looking at where he was, I don't think evacuation traffic would have had much of an impact, if any. This story has been shared 160,448 times. Probably not. The police can close off that street and nearby streets and as annoying or inconvenient as that may be, they are not taking away your rights. These devices, which he . 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. 'Some tornadoes are wrapped in rain, so it's basically impossible to see, which is extremely dangerous,' said Bruce Thoren, a meteorologist with National Weather Service in Norman. Caught in the midst of the gigantic storm was a group of storm chasers who had nowhere to hide. NBC News reported that the passengers were herded to the basement and told to put their hands on their heads as they waited out the storm. Dan Robinson had a clear view of their white Chevy Cobalt in his rear facing dash cam as they pulled up to and crossed Hwy 81 until their headlights fade behind the outer wall of the suction vortex that killed them. Until I see good evidence to the contrary, I will be strongly against regulations on this activity. 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." 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. 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. The other hit Moore, a city about 25 miles away from El Reno, on May 20, killing 24 people and causing widespread damage. 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. Note the comments that 22% of the fatalities at Tuscalousa were head injuries and in general a majority of tornado fatalities where head injuries. 'I'm not sure why people do that sort of stuff, but it is very dangerous. 'Tim was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued tornadoes and lightning in the field in an effort to better understand these phenomena. Tornadoes do neither. Many still believe mountains and rivers save towns. How did Matt die in Storm Chasers? In tribute to his brother, Jim Samaras posted on Facebook: Thank you to everyone for the condolences. Countless hikers have fallen to their deaths from cliffs. You can also shop using Amazon Smile and though you pay nothing more we get a tiny something. The people who drove away did find shelter after what sounded like a very fearful drive. 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). Photograph by Carsten Peter, National Geographic. Too many words! Officials described parts of Interstates 35 and 40 near Oklahoma City as 'a parking lot.'. I appreciate that, it is a good idea. They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they LOVED. Three storm chasers died in that storm. >>> I support this 100%. Either prospect is equally remarkable. But what I would really like to ask is this. Following their passion: Storm chasers Tim Samaras (right), his son Paul Samaras (left) and Carl Young (second left) were killed on Friday by a tornado. Nooooooooooo!!! I answered in good faith. The tornado caught up with him and his crew and ended them. His body was found but the wildlife officer is still listed as missing. None of those fancy schemes work. He gave direction to leave if in the path. Most tornadoes in the United States are relatively small. 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. 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. Tim Samaras, 55, was found dead still belted into the mangled wreck, while the bodies of his son, 24, and Young, 45, were flung a quarter-mile away in opposite directions. Once it's used up and gone, it's .. gone. I don't think the scientists who died in this storm would agree with you on that. Tim Samaras was found inside his car with his seat belt still on. They sheltered at St Anthony's Hospital which was only about 1/4 mile from where the tornado touched down. Video taken by a number of storm chasers showed debris pelting vehiclesFriday. '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. That was the sound of nuance rushing by your libertarian ear. Thanks for contacting us. Regarding the rest of your comment. Probably not. The men spent years capturing and sharing storm videos with TV viewers and weather researchers. I would just add that other media outlets had apparently been talking about "outrunning" as a strategy for a couple of days before this particular tornado, so the idea was perhaps already in people's minds. At Will Rogers World Airport, 2,000 people spent the night sheltering in underground tunnels, reported News 9. 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). 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. I've looked at video and have counted 458 people outside their vehicles in that small strech of road. 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. Storm chaser Tim Samaras observes a blackening sky in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. I'm not sure about your claim that there was not a traffic jam, that conflicts with everything else I've heard. 'What got me scared was being stuck in traffic with sirens going off,' she said. 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? In fact, it isn't just the mathematical curiosity known as the Mandelbrot set that's full of irregularities and ever, How three storm chasers died, and what to do about it, http://news.yahoo.com/tornado-coming-grab-helmet-084500057.html, http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTornadoChaser, http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/06/19/pilger_nebraska_torn, The Lab Leak Theory Was Dismissed As Trump Xenophobia - Now Deniers Say It Was Not Accepted Because of Trump Xenophobia, DAN5/P1: Homo Erectus Early Cranial Capacity Was More Like Australopiths Such As 'Lucy', DART Made A Big Difference In Ability To Accurately Calculate Asteroid Deflections, The Subsidies Paradox: Affordable Food Versus The Environment, Degrowth communism as asolution for climate change, On that chilling law suit against the environmental groups, Watch Jeff Merkley Wipe Floor With Trump's William Wehrum, "Transparency" should not equal a license to harass scientists. For example, the requirement to hold a permit to chase could be limited within a certain radius of a city or residential area, where congestion is more likely to create a danger to public safety. That's why safety experts say you need a plan. 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. A total of five tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City metro area, the National Weather Service said. 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. You argued that your car could become a dangerous projectile if you intentionally drive into a strong tornado, but so could cars in parking lots. For example, it used to be hard to catch motorists running red lights in NYC. 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. Storm chaser Tim Samaras died Friday doing the work that made him so well-known: following tornadoes. The officers had to contend with hail and strong winds as they worked to help motorists. If you must call out Mike Morgan, then you must also call out Marc Dillard and Reed Timmer from KFOR for also suggesting people drive south. Bolstering your argument by supposing the dead agree with you indicates how weak your initial argument is. Discovery Channel said it will honor the three veteran storm chasers, who regularly appeared on its show Stormchasers, with a special airing this week. This tornado was also pretty unique in that the forward speed of the sub vortices in it were at or above 150mph. 'It was chaos Everybody was running for their lives,' Terri Black, who lives in Moore, said. 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. October 31st 2015, 7:11 PM PDT. the same thing happens every year with both tornadoes and hurricanes, how many people ignore the wanings and do not evacuate coastal areas, to only try to call 911 in the middle of the storm panicking and 911 tells them sorry cant help you. In reply to by Tom McDonald (not verified). 564K views 9 years ago June 3, 2013Tim Samaras spent more than 30 years researching tornadoes. 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. A finite resource. Scientists have to accept that. When does spring start? Humans enjoy challenges that involve risk and admire those who "cheat death". Also, we all have to take responsibility for our own safety and try and do what's best for you. Long COVID patients turn to unproven treatments, Why evenings can be harder on people with dementia, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, This sacred site could be Georgias first national park, See glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in Brazils other rainforest, 9 things to know about Holi, Indias most colorful festival, Anyone can discover a fossil on this beach. 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! All rights reserved. BTW, here is Bart's Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTornadoChaser. Storm chasers being killed by storms isn't even a problem. Flash floods: Two pickup trucks are pictured stuck in high water along NW 23rd Street in El Reno. 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. 528 people were killed by weather in 2012, of which about 200 were a result of high velocity air. In Missouri, areas west of St. Louis received significant damage from an EF3 tornado Friday night that packed estimated winds of 150 mph. Among the injured was a meteorologist from The Weather Channel. In the future I will be blogging at Greg Laden's blog, located at its original home at gregladen.com. 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. In Canadian County, Okla., where the men died, Undersheriff Chris West noted the three were hoping to help understand violent storms.