Discovery Channel "StormChaser" killed in tornado

I'm not going to lie, some of the comments on here are just dull-minded and arrogant. For one, nature couldn't care less if you're afraid of it or not. 2nd, these guys were professionals. I mean, where do you get off calling them "amateur thrill-seekers"? The force of Nature is not confined by the will-power of man. It is going to do what it wants to do. You could have all of the equipment and expertise in the world, and still find yourself out-matched when the storm turns around and decides to chase you.

The spotters and researchers in the field, provide places like the NWS with first hand accounts of tornado touchdowns, tracking data, etc. Of course they enjoy the thrill - it's what they do; they live for it. But they serve a purpose. They enhance the warning system by putting there lives on the line, so you might have a little more time to get to shelter. And they also provide you with all of those close-up videos of the storms themselves.

reply to post by TFCJay


Nope not scared. It actually amazes me to the point where I want to go to a storm rather than stay put. Yes some things like hurricanes and tsunamis but as far as tornadoes, i'm not scared. hopefully you understand

reply to post by iunlimited491


I have a feeling you're referring to me so, I would like to say that I meant it to be like, yes it's scary but I love seeing the weather and I think I would make a great storm chaser because I'm not as scared of weather as most of ya'll.

Hope they made good money in exchange for their life.

Originally posted by sarra1833
I believe it was said that the casualties were the first ever for storm chasers. So these people do play things very very safe indeed.
A freak accident, and so so sad.

Yeah, Tim Saras was easily the best and most careful of the amateur storm-chasers. You can't blame him for pursuing a thrill. Storm-chasing wasn't just his hobby; it was his passion.

reply to post by Casualboy100


Here in my area they offer free storm chaser training every spring. If you live in tornado alley they probably do where you live as well.
I have chased one tornado, not out of seeking a thrill, but I had to get to where my ex wife and kids were as the tornado was headed straight for them. I was scared out of my mind for thwir safwty, but I wasn't fearful for my own. I watched the storm pass on dopler radar and took off right behind it. It was intense. I keep meaning to go get the training, but never do.

Were these guys in one of the special tornado-proof vehicles when they were killed? If not, then why not?

reply to post by Gazrok


From what I have seen of the truck they had been using was more of a cargo truck. Because they were out with the massive camera array he had built and was using to photograph lightning and the tornados. This guy was seriously 'Mr. Safety' too.

This is a link to picture on FB, it shows him working on his massive camera. Link


I was watching this storm play out from start to end, from the safety of my computer chair, and there was another team that stopped for rescue & transport. (@WesternOkChaser is the twitter of those great guys!). They stopped to help with the injured near The Weather Channel's tornado rolled vehicle. They were worried they would get hit at the hospital where they took the injured to, because the storm was so weird, fortunately the tornado was moving away from the hospital.

This storm system was all over map when it came to the tornadic potential; one of the constant comments that kept coming up as the storm kicked off, "This storm is missing something to go tornadic." (Paraphrase.)

Just really bad luck.
M.

Originally posted by Casualboy100

 

I'm not as scared of weather as most of ya'll.

-_________-

I want to point out the irony:

The week before this,wasn't it like 12 or so people died?

Then, this week, they announced the new storms PLENTY in advance (obviously also in a lesson due to the many fatalities in the previous week) TO WARN PEOPLE.

And those who died, the Stormchasers, didn't die because they were surprised by the storm, rather, because they knew exactly when and where the storm(s) would hit - meaning their knowledge about the storms was actually their demise. IRONIC...

When I lived in the US, tornadoes were (and still are) nightmares for me, gladly I never really saw one up-close although we had several scary encounters, for example once riding through a large storm system all the way from FL up to IL with green/black sky and warnings basically all the way through the trip. The fact that my then wife was histerical about tornadoes didn't really "help" either.

Let's put it that way, if I were to see a tornado, I would likely pee in my pants and freak out.

The fact that MANY homes in the US are relatively flimsy wooden structures WITHOUT A EFFING BASEMENT doesn't make things better, for sure.

Back in IL, the "basement" was only an area approx. 3ft below ground level (if houses even had one), but not really a "basement" in that sense as I know a "basement" for.

As for the wooden/brick house difference...is actually moot because there were some instances where people died in IL, in a nearby town people who seeked out shelter and went in the ONLY solid, brick building (!!) however a tornado killed them, I think they were even in the shelter. The tornado simply leveled the entire home and didn't care that it was an old, brick building.

Also...if you read the CNN article, you can read that the Stormchasers vehicle was "flattened like a can", point is not even the most bada$$ "like a tank" looking vehicle might save you when a tornado will directly hit it. There is nothing which can stop the incredible force of a tornado.

Originally posted by Gazrok
Were these guys in one of the special tornado-proof vehicles when they were killed? If not, then why not?

One of those vehicles, The Dominator had it's hood pulled right off.. Scary storm and it looks like a storm chaser traffic jam prevented normal escape..