I don't think so! Your argument that talking about a way to address a situation in which people lose their lives is inappropriate because the situation is an emotional tragedy is actually the misguided reaction. That's really all I have to say on that issue. Excluding the one thrill seeker and the three professionals that were killed in this event there has not been another incident. Plain and Simple what needs to be done now is EDUCATION. They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they LOVED. 'For reasons that are not clear to me, more people took to the roads, more than we expected. For example, a highly irresponsible storm chaser endangers an innocent bystander, then that danger comes to fruition. 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. You do raise many good points about how such a law would be implemented, and some I can thing of answers to, some not so easily. But, since we (we here discussing this) don't really know the laws and how they work regarding emergency response, traffic, etc. I realize you say in general terms such laws probably aren't enforceable and my question is then why make the laws? 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. The forecast quality will always be better than for small-scale phenomena like tornadoes. 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 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. Chaser traffic, maybe. Missouri and Illinois around St. Louis were also hit by 12 tornadoes, at least 100 people are injured and 'numerous homes' have been damaged. Another two or three miles east and we would have been looking at a death toll in the hundreds. He almost certainly didn't know that the rain-shrouded vortex was hooking toward him, to the northeast, and that he had entered its circulation. Tornado warnings were also posted Friday night near Tulsa and near St. Louis. 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. 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. Let's create MORE laws to regulate something we really do not know if it is a problem. I'm Sooner born and Sooner bred and I learned early that a car is one of the most dangerous places to be in a tornado. It is emotional to posit "people died, let's make a law" without really identifying a true cause. When the winds were at their most powerful, no structures were nearby, said Rick Smith, chief warning coordination meteorologist for the weather services office in Norman. Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and Carl Young, 45, died on Friday in El Reno after a tornado that packed winds of up to 165 mph picked up their car and threw it,. I don't think people realized how deep and strong the water was.'. Are they going to fire that weather reporter who told listeners to drive into the tornado? In many cases, a law is unenforceable at face value, but when something goes wrong it suddenly becomes part of the equation. Waiting: Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport was evacuated. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. 'Use a telephoto lens for gosh sakes. Hopefully, that lesson will be learned immediately. It may well be that entirely different approaches are better. If you want to walk down Main Street, in downtown America, you can do that, because it is America. Absolutely educate people on the safest way to ride out a storm. Also, consider that there is huge debris in tornadoes regardless of whether or not some amateur gets caught in it. Vented to the atmosphere, it eventually makes its way to the exosphere and is light enough to escape to space. I don't know what Reed has ever done for science with his stuff. He knew where not to be and in this case the tornado took a clear turn toward them," he said. Laws are really challenging to enforce. One simple idea was to have either a hard hat or some sort of hard shell helmet to wear. And what of its width? Video taken by a number of storm chasers showed debris pelting vehiclesFriday. And now Of those areas mentioned in this quote, Downtown OK city has about 7,600 people living in it. But before their stalking of the dangerous vortex turned deadly, their cries could be heard by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph. That is not my argument either, it is simply what all the experts say. I did not make the argument that storm chasers cause cars to fly through the air and hurt people (though that could happen) I made the argument that amateurs who are just out to see the tornado jam traffic this is not something I've discovered, it is something that professional storm chasers have claimed to be true. The tragic circumstances that caused the deaths of Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young has been well documented. At the time that Samaras, his son, and his colleague, were crushed to death inside their tornado-chasing car, which was apparently rolled by the force of 200-300 mile an hour winds over a distance of a half mile or so, it was said by numerous news sources that this car had been trapped by a traffic jam caused by looky-loos who wanted to see the tornado and/or people sent out on the roads by a local weather reporter to "escape." Tornado watches tend to cover a larger area, and the lead time is much shorter. The newscaster's advice was appalling. 'The fact that it could happen to someone like Tim, it could happen to me, it could happen to anybody. category. Since then, multiple versions of what happened have been claimed, and as far as I can tell, all of that is laid out in the various comments on this thread. This, in turn, would require storm chasers to make their case that they are professionals that are doing something worthwhile, and that they take appropriate action related to their own safety and the safety of others. In his twenties, he began to chase tornadoes for the science and humanity's safety every spring all over the United States until his tragic death. Actually there were other comments that could even make an above ground room safer. Actually, to get my point all you really have to do is read the post but to restate the idea: Jamming a county road or a state or federal highway during an emergency is a public danger. 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? Your freedom ends at my nose if your presence endangers me. ", Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. In fact, we probably need more professional storm chasers, and among storm chasers my feeling is that we need a better more comprehensive research design. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. And, as I think I've said several time, Tim and his crew were professionals, making an important contribution. 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. At Will Rogers World Airport, 2,000 people spent the night sheltering in underground tunnels, reported News 9. Del City has 21,000 people in it. A total of five tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City metro area, the National Weather Service said. I appreciate that, it is a good idea. However, people are not immortal and sometimes die doing the very thing live for, you simply can't legislate that human desire for adventure out of existence, nor should you try to. 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. This is an . When told to seek shelter, many ventured out and snarled traffic across the metro area - perhaps remembering the damage from May 20. The storm path could have gone many other directions. The bodies of another motorist and the Discovery Channel storm chasers, Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and Carl Young, were found in a three-mile diagonal path near N.W. Don't create a law just to feel better because people died. So, that apparent fact was part of the underpinning of the original post (below). The Storm Prediction Center said scientific storm chasing is performed as safely as possible, with trained researchers using appropriate technology. meteorologist. I don't think the scientists who died in this storm would agree with you on that. They are acting in the interests of public safety. 'I started seeing power flashes to the north, and I said "screw this." pauline taylor seeley cause of death; how does this poem differ from traditional sonnets interflora; airmessage vs blue bubbles; southside legend strain effects; abd insurance and financial services; valenzuela city ordinance violation fines; my summer car cheatbox; vfs global japan visa nepal contact number; beaver owl fox dolphin personality . Note the comments that 22% of the fatalities at Tuscalousa were head injuries and in general a majority of tornado fatalities where head injuries. 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. What's eerie is that the subvortex becomes stationary on the road, like it chose to stop right on top of them. I think it's an abomination that news forecasters suggested people drive away that temporally close to a suspected tornado touchdown. There are some similarities to people doing volcano research, in that people doing it know they have a high risk of death if they happen to be on duty when the eruption occurs. Same is true for Safety officials and storm chasers and officil spotters doing their jobs. The Weather Channel's severe weather expert, Dr. Greg Forbes, knew Tim personally. So, if you live in Oklahoma City and figure there may be tornadoes coming later in the day, there is nothing to guarantee that driving north to Aunt Millies house in Enid, OK will not put you in the path of one of the tornadoes that happen to form that day. After seeing last month's tornado also turn homes into piles of splintered rubble, Ms Black said she decided to try and outrun the tornado when she learned her southwest Oklahoma City home was in harm's way. If you're prepared to fight fire and defend your property you have to be there before fire starts and stay there for as long as it takes. Look at that video. I've also suggested that traffic jams which could be caused by either of these effects can trap people where they don't want to be and that is dangerous to those in the vehicles. And, I've argued that telling people that the safest thing to do is to get in their car and drive is wrong. The comments below have not been moderated. 'I'm a seasoned tornado watcher but I just could not see staying and waiting for it to hit,' she said. You can also shop using Amazon Smile and though you pay nothing more we get a tiny something. Please make a tax-deductible donation if you value independent science communication, collaboration, participation, and open access. Police/authority do have the power to stop vehicles/storm chasers from continuing down a road if there is an immanent threat. All rights reserved. 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. Continuing on Helmets here is a link to a story on yahoo:http://news.yahoo.com/tornado-coming-grab-helmet-084500057.html. understanding tornadoes will prevent this from happening. So, lets go back to the advice again. 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. 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. In fact, one could argue that a new law is not needed and this power is already available to police and emergency response agencies. I don't think anyone's rights need to be taken away Too many people clogging the roads in a chase situation makes it difficult for anyone to get away when a storm turns on them. 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. Not only are rubberneckers prohibited from fire danger areas, even people who live in the area are prohibited from access. 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. state by state the possibility that some kind of adjustment must remain open. However, the men's deaths have shone a spotlight on the dangers of storm chasing. Tornadoes do neither. Amy Williamson, who lives just off I-40 in the western Oklahoma City suburb of Yukon, said when she heard the tornado was heading towards her home, she put her children, baby sitter and cats in her car and drove away. 'Tim was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued tornadoes and lightning in the field in an effort to better understand these phenomena. Officials added five victims on Monday to the confirmed list of dead from the tornadoes and from storms that caused severe flooding: three adults and two unidentified children, the medical examiner's office said. And we're wasting it on stupid, silly things like party balloons. I remember Pa wearing this Civil Defense helmet and he was chirping on this big ol' walky talky! We all see our own causes as noble don't we? 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. 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. The sudden acceleration to NE caught several folks by surprise. 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. Birth Name: Tim Samaras Occupation: Meteorologist Place Of Birth: Colorado Date Of Birth: November 12, 1957 Date Of Death: May 31, 2013 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: American Tim Samaras was born on the 12th of November, 1957. Scientists have to accept that. I do find it sad that that few if any of your statements regarding how the Twistex team was killed was accurate. This is a reasonably important job that concerns many aspects of the environment. On her way home after the worst had passed 'the roads were like rivers,' she said. I also think its called natural selection. The National Weather Service said the severe weather threat would shift into neighboring Illinois and Missouri, where Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Friday. There is a great irony to the deaths of the three storm chasers from Twistex. I was streaming the weather warnings at work throughout that afternoon, and the KOCO weather forecasters distinctly advised driving home if you could make it by 4pm and if you had a sturdy shelter at home. This spring's tornado season got a late start, with unusually cool weather keeping funnel clouds at bay until mid-May. In Canadian County, Okla., where the men died, Undersheriff Chris West noted the three were hoping to help understand violent storms. It's your life so guard it like you own it. I assume those are passed to make legislators feel good about their jobs. #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. Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and Carl Young, . 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. Oklahoma is a severe convective weather 'bulls-eye' and always will be. Take your time.'. I was in Warr Acres, just next to Bethany in OKC on Fri. May 31. ", In reply to by Danny Caputi (not verified). They went in the field focused on collecting data to enable meteorologists to further the science behind tornadoes which we know has and will help to save countless lives. 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!' Violent weather also moved through the St. Louis area. But what about big storms that dont drop tornadoes? The breathtakingly fast subvortex -- the tornado within a tornado -- is visible to the south in footage captured by fellow chaser Dan Robinson's rear dashboard cameras as he fled several hundred yards ahead of Samaras. Three experienced tornado chasers actual meteorological scientists were killed when their truck (one of the vehicles depicted above, probably) was destroyed by the tornado. It made all the difference that it was out in the country.'. Three veteran storm chasers were among the 10 people killed following Friday's EF3 tornado in El Reno, Okla. Very few professional storm chasers "work for the government" really, none. Humans enjoy challenges that involve risk and admire those who "cheat death". 'My car was actually lifted off the road and then set back down,' Ms Black said. In the case of the El Reno tornado, traffic in combination with road bottlenecks (over a river) did in fact cause a number of storm chasers (and go watch the video to get an idea of how many storm chasers there were!) They were essentially targets just waiting for a tornado to touch down,' Ms Randolph said. 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. 'I think we are still a little shaken by what happened in Moore. "We still don't know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don't," he told National Geographic last month. 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. As the author admits early on, tornadoes change course and skip. I also heard mention of a storm chaser who, attempting a U-turn to avoid a flooded stretch of road, went off a hidden embankment and was lucky to avoid drowning. Storm chaser Tim Samaras died Friday doing the work that made him so well-known: following tornadoes. Two other victims were found in a car in Union City, another was found on a road in El Reno. His pioneering work included the development of probes which when left in the path of a tornado, can measure pressure drops. Also my brother was forced to move to Oklahoma for a job just last week only days after the tornado in this article struck Oklahoma city. Education may help, but first we need to educate Meteorologists in the media, the brilliant minds out there need to come up with a set of definitive standards on what to do and what not to do and hold the TV weather accountable, develop an educational program for the public, but most of all give people a place to go, public shelters or something for safety, if people have a shelter they more than likely wont get in their car in the first place. Big fires are also pretty unpredictable and they can drop burning embers many kilometres away from the fire centre. With the regulation that you are proposing, what would you suggest to someone who doesn't have the tools or money to contribute their chasing to science, but simply would like to witness the beauty of mother nature, and is educated enough on storms to make smart decisions to not pose a danger to others? But that brings in another issue doesn't it? Also, believe it or not, people do follow "unenforceable" laws for the simple reason that they want to be law abiding citizens. "We're trying to collect as many observations as possible, both from outside and from the inside. 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. The complexity of the kind of law your advocating is also extremely hard to defend in court. 'Mile Wide Tornado' originally aired Sunday and focuses on the May 20 tornado that devastated a wide swatch of Oklahoma. It needs to be taught in public schools, teachers also need to take these courses. >>> What they're doing is seeking fame and fortune by selling their videos to various websites and television stations. The Samaras' and Young were pursuing an EF3 tornado as it bore down on a metropolitan area of more than 1 million people. . Of the 60 EF5 tornadoes to hit since 1950, Oklahoma and Alabama have been hit the most - seven times each. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. The season usually starts in March and then ramps up for the next couple of months. He deployed one of these in the path of an F4 tornado that destroyed the small town of Manchester, S.D., on June 24, 2003. An engineer by training, Samaras was known for devising instruments that offered the first views inside live tornadoes. 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. "Samaras was a respected tornado researcher and friend who brought to the field a unique portfolio of expertise in engineering, science, writing and videography," the center's statement said. I've been in a tornado, when I was six! I agree, we only need laws if we need laws. 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. We've received your submission. The men worked as a team and Tim Samaras had received 18 grants from the National Geographic Society for work in the field. They can easily cite or arrest anyone they need to, and even temporarily imprison them, without charging them with anything. I'm not sure about your claim that there was not a traffic jam, that conflicts with everything else I've heard. They look up that license plate in the DMV database and conveniently send the summons to you in the mail. Enough said. Some of my colleagues stayed, where there is a basement. Academic Postmortem of Tornado that Killed Tim Samaras Is Chilling Brantley Hargrove October 1, 2013 1:50PM The American Meteorological Society has released a preliminary version of its. "

, The 'extreme cruelty' around the global trade in frog legs, What does cancer smell like? I have lived in the Oklahoma City area for 37 years and have been professionally chasing storms for the last 18 years. Today three brave, highly experienced, storm chasers were honored in El Reno. Hoadley has been in the business for 57 years and pursued the El Reno twister. This kind of movement is nearly unheard of in a tornado and that paired with the fact that the tornado was 2.6 miles wide, moving at an accelerating speed, turning 45 degrees suddenly, and had recorded winds of up to 295mph in it created the perfect scenario that no one could have predicted. For the record, an "enigmatic" lack of shelter in Oklahoma has to do with cost. 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. The American Meteorological Society has released a preliminary version of its after-action report on the El Reno, Oklahoma, tornado, which killed noted storm chaser Tim Samaras, his son Paul and chase partner Carl Young. Sean, I agree on all points. Emergency officials reported numerous injuries in the area along I-40, and Randolph said there were toppled and wrecked cars littering the area. 'We're never going to know, because they're not here to tell us,' Mr West told The Post. Reed Timmer and Sean Casey and their crews modified vehicles that successfully survived being in powerful tornados (for Mythbusters fans, you may have seen these two teams vehicles go head to head with a jet engine to see how they would survive tornado strength winds on the episode Storm Chasing Myths). As for the accuracy of the cause of death of the Twistex team, I report here what was said at the time. According to his Discovery Channel biography, Young and Samaras tracked down over 125 tornadoes together. Storm Chaser Tim Samaras Dies; His Last Tornado Footage . 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. The tornado caught up with him and his crew and ended them. He will be missed. Tim Samaras, his son Paul and colleague Carl Young died Friday night when an EF3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph turned on them near El Reno, Okla. After years of sharing dramatic videos with. Sun rise: Tornado debris hangs from a destroyed billboard sign along Interstate-40 Westbound after violent thunderstorms spawned tornadoes that menaced Oklahoma City and its already hard-hit suburb of Moore on Friday, Air chaos: At Will Rogers World Airport, 2,000 people spent the night sheltering in underground tunnels, Overturned: Authorities say people ignored advice to sit tight and attempted to leave the area - perhaps as a reaction to the previous tornado almost two weeks ago, Lightning: A storm chaser in Cushing stopped to take photos of the dramatic moment two lightning strikes hit the ground, Tragic: Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found the bodies of a woman and an infant near their vehicle. At the end of the day, he wanted to save lives and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for that," Jim Samaras said.