"This is a very sad day for the meteorological community and the families of our friends lost. https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley/status/, While perusing the New York Times over the weekend, I was disturbed to see an article by Paul D. Thacker that basically advocated using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to request e-mails from scientists in search of undisclosed industry ties. On the one hand, researchers have to pay the bills somehow, and this is one way to do it. 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: This probe registered a world-record 100-millibar drop in pressure inside the twister. I assume those are passed to make legislators feel good about their jobs. The gas you'd save would easily pay for a shovel. Chasing Tornado's. 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. Anything else is just going to lead to panic like the panic that killed people on the 31st. The authors conclude, "it is likely that no clear direction to safety was apparent.". Old cells hang around as we age, doing damage to the body. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Here is a compilation of broadcasts and events documenting this: I have no idea how many of the people in the viewing area of this station saw or heard this report and responded by driving into the path of the tornado. 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 you cant walk down Main Street you are not really free to walk or drive up and down Main Street to take pictures of the event. 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). This would make it so a chaser has to stop to render aid along his path. In St. Charles County, at least 71 homes were heavily damaged and 100 had slight to moderate damage, county spokeswoman Colene McEntee said. This was one of the highways that really did have a traffic jam thanks to the TV people who encouraged locals to attempt to flee in their cars. The news comes as the death toll from Friday's tornadoes and storms in Oklahoma has risen to 18 people, including six children and 12 adults, the Oklahoma chief medical examiner said on Monday. 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. 'For reasons that are not clear to me, more people took to the roads, more than we expected. Until proven otherwise, I will assume that the special category of people known as Professional Storm Chasers like Tim Samaras and his crew as well as Reed Timmer, and others, are risking their own lives to make observations and collect data that help us understand tornadoes better, to make better predictions about storm behavior, and thus to make better predictions about unfolding storms. Not to mention what small town or rural county has the manpower to do so when budgets are stretched so thin? Pay attention to what he says. But what I would really like to ask is this. With all due respect, the citizens of tornado alley, especially Oklahoma, need to better educate themselves on severe weather. Many of us were fortunate to have worked with them and have great admiration for their work. 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. Officials in St. Charles County also reported that local schools suffered some damage. "We're trying to collect as many observations as possible, both from outside and from the inside. This included CNN. I don't know what they were thinking in a state packed with cars and almost no other transportation options and few shelters. Which, I think, was one of Greg's original points. With all due respect, Mr. Laden's article suggesting outlawing or making storm chasing illegal and only permissible for the "authorities" is a typical misguided response after a emotional tragedy. Yes, they died, but there is ZERO evidence this law, if passed, would have prevented even one of them. I had spotty phone connection with my husband watching TV in Kansas City, and my sister watching from Edmond, OK. Just as it was coming toward us, it turned south. The boy and other family members had sought shelter in a drainage ditch. There's no wiggle room. 'I think we are still a little shaken by what happened in Moore. At Will Rogers World Airport, 2,000 people spent the night sheltering in underground tunnels, reported News 9. Also we MUST push for adqueate shelters. Regarding the rest of your comment. 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. Our community has suffered a terrible loss and our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones. Injuries that were INCOMPATIBLE WITH LIFE. Twistex Memorial dedicated to 3 killed in El Reno. 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. Plain and Simple what needs to be done now is EDUCATION. Sheltering in place should always be recommended. This one didn't. Rather than wishing for the cops to block storm chasers from going to work or giving untrained hayseed sheriffs deputies the responsibility of predicting tornado behavior and rerouting traffic accordingly, maybe instead of getting stuck in traffic the next time an F5 rolls through town how's about using that time digging a nice cozy little family sized hole in their back yard and stocking it with a weather radio and a couple of 12 packs of whatever passes for beer in Oklahoma. Tim Samaras Cause of death Tornado incident Known for Tornado field research Spouse(s) Kathy Samaras. This is not an especially enforceable regulation". Were looking at extremes in the rare EF5 category. I remember Pa wearing this Civil Defense helmet and he was chirping on this big ol' walky talky! I agree that telling people that the safest thing to do is to get in their car and drive is wrong. Another two sets of storm-chasing meteorologists had lucky escapes on Friday night after their vehicles got too close to the multiple tornadoes that hit the Oklahoma City area. Another thing I noticed that was looked over in this article was the unique conditions that were present at the time that Tim and his crew were killed by the storm. Doppler imaging pegged the tornado's width at 2.5 miles, the widest ever documented. None of those fancy schemes work. Some of my colleagues stayed, where there is a basement. Samaras' car was perhaps too slow and too light, and the road was not amenable to fast driving. It is not inforceable. But, the idea of outrunning instead of staying home was on people's minds because of things that had been said earlier in various media. Caught in the midst of the gigantic storm was a group of storm chasers who had nowhere to hide. That seems to be what happened here. ScienceBlogs is where scientists communicate directly with the public. Skip Talbot makes this point. It truly is sad that we lost my great brother Tim and his great son, Paul. I don't think people realized how deep and strong the water was.'. When she emerged from the freezer her car windshield had been shattered by the hail. Anyone can be wrong and that includes forcasters on tv, government and business emergency policies. Very few professional storm chasers "work for the government" really, none. 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. The three storm chasers Tim Samaras, his photographer son Paul Samaras, and meteorologist Carl Young were killed when the twister they were pursuing made a sudden left turn and slammed into their car, sending it flying through the air like a toy. 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. 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. Too many words! Let me post a reply to many of the above comments and suggestions. I agree, we only need laws if we need laws. Do it right now,' local news forecasters told viewers. 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. >>> They were in a car, not a truck. People who tried to get away in their cars faced potential dangers from flash flood waters as well as tornado-force winds. For example, a highly irresponsible storm chaser endangers an innocent bystander, then that danger comes to fruition. 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. Storm Chaser Tim Samaras Dies; His Last Tornado Footage . Early aerial images of the storm's damage showed groups of homes with porches ripped away, roofs torn off and piles of splintered wood scattered across the ground for blocks. He will be missed. A man's body was found about 1 p.m. on Saturday in a creek just east of Dobbs Road in Harrah, said Mark Myers, a spokesman with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's office. They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they LOVED. 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!' Many still believe mountains and rivers save towns. Now that would be an effective law. However, the men's deaths have shone a spotlight on the dangers of storm chasing. One minute you're sitting there watching TV, the next minute your whole neighborhood looks like it was jammed through a meat grinder. He skipped out on chasing the massive tornado that flattened Moore, Okla., because it was too dangerous. 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. "We still don't know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don't," he . The traffic could have been created for any number of reasons. 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! What do you think? It dumped around 8 inches of rain on Oklahoma City in the span of a few hours and made the tornado difficult to spot for motorists trying to beat it home. More than 210,000 customers lost electricity in the areas affected by the storm. I have a feeling that Scienceblogs will not last long without me. 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. When told to seek shelter, many ventured out and snarled traffic across the metro area - perhaps remembering the damage from May 20. 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. The rest of the report deals with how we quantify El Reno, which surprisingly can be pretty subjective. They should not drive where they will not be able to pull over safely to allow emergency traffic and other traffic to flow. As we wrote a while back, the National Weather Service downgraded the tornado from an EF-5 to an EF-3. But I'll just say that I think there are less extreme solutions than putting a ban on all amateur storm chasing. At 6:23 p.m. on May 31, 2013, Samaras, his 24-year-old son Paul (a photographer), and TWISTEX team member Carl Young (a meteorologist), 45, were killed by a violent wedge tornado [19] with winds of 295 mph (475 km/h) near the Regional Airport of El Reno, Oklahoma. The reason that is bad advice is very simple. Samaras was born November 12, 1957 in Lakewood, Colorado, to Paul T. and Margaret L. Samaras. They were killed near El Reno in an EF3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph that ripped through the Oklahoma City area during rush hour. >>> What they're doing is seeking fame and fortune by selling their videos to various websites and television stations. Its very scary I dont think a normal person can fathom just how scary. I'll never do it again.'. Thankfully, I got out of it with just a few minor injuries and broken windows, but if a monster tornado happens people will not be as lucky as I was. His website Twistex has been integral to understanding how tornadoes work and improving warning times for those living in Tornado Alley. They didn't happen to be overrun by a killer tornado at the time. You can also shop using Amazon Smile and though you pay nothing more we get a tiny something. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 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. Lighting up the sky: The storm chasers work was featured on National Geographic and the Discovery Channel as they tracked violent weather systems, 'Tim's research included creation of a special probe he would place in the path of a twister to measure data from inside the tornado; his pioneering work on lightning was featured in the August 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine. The Friday storm, however, brought with it much more severe flooding. Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency. 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. state by state the possibility that some kind of adjustment must remain open. The Storm Prediction Center issued a statementSunday, saying it was terribly saddened by Tim Samaras' death. All rights reserved. I don't know what Reed has ever done for science with his stuff. Photographed with a wide angle lens, the mile-wide tornado, is seen near El Reno, Jack-knifed: Traffic slowly moves around a semi tractor-trailer that was blown off the highway by the tornado on Oklahoma Interstate-40, Stranded: Vehicles trapped by flash flooding sit underneath on the road in Oklahoma City after severe thunderstorms brought tornadoes, high winds, heavy rain and hail to the area. Keith: I know, I hate words! How did Matt die in Storm Chasers? They were essentially targets just waiting for a tornado to touch down,' Ms Randolph said. Also, their data helps us to better understand the dynamics of what happens in tornadoes which can help make safer structures. 'We're scrambling around,' said Lara O'Leary, a spokeswoman for the local ambulance agency. Excluding the one thrill seeker and the three professionals that were killed in this event there has not been another incident. He attempted to take his own life and spent several days in intensive care before ultimately succumbing to his injuries. would have made the storm hard to recognize up close. We MUST conserve every bit of helium that we can get our hands on. What's eerie is that the subvortex becomes stationary on the road, like it chose to stop right on top of them. Laws are really challenging to enforce. I do not understand the need for 'storm chasers' when we have the 503 WRS that routinely punches holes in tornados and drops sondes. North Atlantic hurricanes sometimes do unexpected things as well, such as acquire a forward speed of nearly 100 km/h (the 1938 "Long Island Express" hurricane) or cross Florida twice (I'm forgetting which of the hurricanes in the last ten years did this). Tim Samaras was found inside his car with his seat belt still on. I decided to let the comments speak for themselves, because, after all, this post was written three or four days after the event, and the comments reflect more recently available information and analysis. It's your life so guard it like you own it. Watch: Chaser traffic, maybe. If you are directly hit by a strong tornado, ending up in the vortex, and you are in the bathtub of your home on the lower floor, youve got a pretty good chance of survival. I've been reading Jeff Masters' blog regularly. 10th St. and Radio Rd. "He was a groundbreaker in terms of the kind of research he was doing on severe thunderstorms and tornadoes," Dr. Forbes said on The Weather Channel Sunday morning. . I do regard some of the complaints I've gotten, especially some of the really nasty ones I've gotten by email, to be excuse making. Yes, Houston is a bigger city than OKC, and one of the freeway routes out of town takes you to Galveston, which is exactly the wrong way to go. 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. Timothy Michael Samaras (November 12, 1957 May 31, 2013) was an American engineer and storm chaser best known for his field research on tornadoes and time on the Discovery Channel show, Storm Chasers. Rather, his team would predict the path and drop machines on the ground designed to directly measure variables such as temperature, humidity, wind and so on, but with the team and their vehicles getting out of the way before the tornado comes. Or, amateurs could get to a good viewing area well ahead of anticipated severe weather, and then stay put and off the road. And, just like a tornado, the last place you want to be caught in a fire is in your car. 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. In fact, while writing this post I wondered what the three scientists were thinking as their car, and other cars, were hemmed in with a traffic jam that seems to have been caused by inappropriate reactions by a large number of people. from a major non profit, click through the the X Blog to read the press release. Another two or three miles east and we would have been looking at a death toll in the hundreds. To me the real imperative is to get a tornado shelter in most homes and businesses and educate the general public about what to do and what not to do. Here's the before photo, of Mr. Samaras' car. ", In reply to by Danny Caputi (not verified). Turner High School, Texas Bill Would Make Illegal Voting a Felony, City Council To Discuss Allowing Neighborhoods To 'Opt-In' for Short-Term Rentals in Dallas. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Storm chasers should absolutely pull off the road and yield to emergency vehicles as well as people trying to escape. But the hundreds, or even thousands of non-professional storm chasers are probably not contributing to the science of tornadoes and tornado safety. I made the decision to go home since I have a shelter, and i was able to leave work and be home close to 4pm. I have not suggested that storm chasing be illegal. Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and Carl Young, . It still came down to the fact that you have to do what you feel is right (especially if it conflicts with what you are being told to do) and not just become a helpless lemming during an emergency. >>> I support this 100%. We have many many laws that are more or less unenforceable. 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. In many cases, a law is unenforceable at face value, but when something goes wrong it suddenly becomes part of the equation.
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