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. In some but not all cases, this advice was qualified; If you know several hours in advance that there is a high probability that a tornado will come through your area, then it is a good idea to just go away and be somewhere else. This included CNN. If you live there, there should be no excuseyour life depends on your knowledge. 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. Heres why each season begins twice. He earned his Master of Science degree in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada. This is nothing new, and this really has nothing to do with someone on television telling them to do so. Police urged motorists to leave the crosstown Interstate 40 and seek a safe place. Join the Observer community and help support It would have taken out everything. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Hail and heavy rain pelted the metro area to the point that emergency workers had trouble responding to 'widespread' reports of injuries. 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. Christopher, I've heard from their own lips complaints by professional storm chasers about the looky-lous that clog up the roads, so probably both. Were 20 of those people storm chasers? Also, hurricanes tend to follow predictable paths and show up on sattelite. 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. But it is a free country, and if people want to be foolish then so be it. Note the story of the HS football team that was viewing videos when the storm approached and the coach said put on your helmet. 82.6K subscribers Tim Samaras gained notoriety as one of the top stormchasers in the country, and a star of Discovery's Stormchasers, who helped us further understand the science of tornadoes. Tim shared data and results. But seriously, I'll be talking about the story of the current, In every area of life, but especially in the overlapping realms of technology, science, and health, misunderstanding how things work can be widespread, and that misunderstanding can lead to problems. Or, perhaps, you are driving down the highway at 40 mph along with a dozen other cars also driving down the highway and suddenly you are all flipped. I don't think people realized how deep and strong the water was.'. Most new laws seem to be rehashes of existing laws that can be adapted. And we cannot "go to the sun" or other planets where it's abundant and "scoop it up and bring it back to earth". 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. I could not agree more with the statement in this article saying that driving away is not the best option. 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 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. The sudden acceleration to NE caught several folks by surprise. It needs to be taught FREE for the public as well. 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. 'I'm a seasoned tornado watcher but I just could not see staying and waiting for it to hit,' she 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. His website Twistex has been integral to understanding how tornadoes work and improving warning times for those living in Tornado Alley. 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). 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. If you are worried about the roads being clogged during a tornado then don't drive or don't live in tornado alley. But the main circulation was crawling with smaller tornadoes, some moving at speeds of 260 feet per second (177 mph), according to the report. In the freezer some people were freaking out and crying, while some comforted others and few told jokes, revealed Beverly Allam, 57. 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. 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. 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. This is an enormous loss for his family, his wide circle of friends and colleagues and National Geographic.'. Nooooooooooo!!! 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). I have stood up for professional storm chasers in this post. But Fridays massive tornado avoided the highly populated areas near and around Oklahoma City, and forecasters said that likely saved lives. 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. I would like to see some repercussions for the idiotic weather personalities who suggested running away. But, since we (we here discussing this) don't really know the laws and how they work regarding emergency response, traffic, etc. 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. 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. But telling everyone to leave their homes and drive is not advised, if that is actually what the newscaster did. After 20 seconds, it rotates back around to the south side of the tornado. 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. 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. Can we bring a species back from the brink? 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. He attempted to take his own life and spent several days in intensive care before ultimately succumbing to his injuries. Rick Smith, the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service at Norman, said that while the storm packed a powerful punch, it wasn't as strong as the Moore tornado. There are too many chasers/gawkers on the road these days.get use to it and prepare for it. Waiting: Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport was evacuated. 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. Watch: #1. the storms path was extremely erratic and it made a sudden turn that surprised even veteran forecasters. Don't create a law just to feel better because people died. It needs to be taught in public schools, teachers also need to take these courses. 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. Certainly broadcast public service announcements discussing the danger of chasing storms. Emergency officials reported numerous injuries in the area along I-40, and Randolph said there were toppled and wrecked cars littering the area. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph heard the panicked voices of the crew over her patrol radio right before the storm turned into their car. Twistex Memorial dedicated to 3 killed in El Reno. Thats just my speculation, Smith said. Tim Samaras Cause of death Tornado incident Known for Tornado field research Spouse(s) Kathy Samaras. Take multiple pictures of vehicles "in the way" of emergency responders at tornado or other emergency sites. That's two more vehicles going into the danger zone. Injuries that were INCOMPATIBLE WITH LIFE. @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. There is only so much space to get away and so many roads to use, many in poor repair. Jim Cantore, a Weather Channel meteorologist, tweetedSundaythat meteorologists were in mourning. The majority of schools are built from concrete blocks that are not reinforced. 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. Very few professional storm chasers "work for the government" really, none.