Is Storm Chasing Worth Physical Injury Or Loss Of Human Life
Is storm chasing worth physical injury or the loss of human life?
Hope VanSickle
Bryant & Stratton College
Eng101JSD
Professor Dan Filipkowski
October 12, 2013
Most storm chasers are serious scientists working to increase our knowledge of tornadoes and other severe weather masses and how they behave. The risk storm chasers put themselves in every day brings a question that remains unanswered, Is storm chasing worth physical injury or loss of human life? The loss of storm chasers lives is far less than the loss of lives our nation would sustain if the early warnings given by the brave souls of the chasers were to stop. Storm chasing is incredibly dangerous. Surviving tornadoes and severe weather requires adequate coverage and careful planning. To think that some people willingly, purposefully stay out in a storm may seem careless, but in reality, when done by people trained in the storm chasing field , storm chasing and storm spotting …show more content…
provide valuable information that helps save lives. “I know all too well the things people associate with storm chasers," wrote AccuWeather meteorologist Cory Mottice in an article. "Why do meteorologists chase storms? Simply put, we do it to save lives.” Storm chasers are able to give warnings to the public of the storm because of their on-location observations. As Mottice explains, "When we are out chasing storms, we have the best forecasting tool available, our eyes. Unlike radar and satellite imagery, we can see what is going on in real-time. We don 't have to wait five minutes for the next radar scan to come in; instead we are watching it as it is happening.", (Accuweather, 2013). There is no replacement for human involvement in storm chasing when the goal is saving lives and injuries during major storms. Storm chasing is broadly defined as the search of any severe weather condition, regardless of motive, which could be curiosity, adventure, scientific exploration, or for news professions/media coverage. A person who chases storms is known as a storm chaser, or simply a chaser. While witnessing a tornado or a funnel cloud, is the biggest goal for most chasers, there are others that chase thunderstorms. (Olson, 2013) In the field of storm chasing, Tim Samaras was a rarity, respected by academics and thrill-seekers alike for his contributions. Samaras, 55, and his team, were among 18 people killed in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado this year. Although he lost his life gathering information to keep our nation safe, his life was not wasted, he made great strides for the greater good of our nations. Several other chasers were hit by the tornado. Among them was the Weather Channel’s “Tornado Hunt” vehicle, which was reported to have been lifted and thrown an estimated 200 yards. All three people inside the vehicle, including meteorologist Mike Bettes, survived, but the driver suffered a broken neck, fractured vertebrae and several broken ribs.The incident has prompted calls for regulation of storm chasing, including from the president of the Kansas Emergency Management Association in the heart of Tornado Alley. To further support my argument are Meteorologists like Michael Armstrong at KWTV in Oklahoma City and Ben McMillan, they believe storm chasers play an important role in keeping the public safe. "Storm chasing isn 't about what you see on TV. It 's about forecasting and safety preparation," said Ben McMillan. (Drape, Electa, The Denver Post, June 2013)"Tornadoes are dangerous. We can 't really predict their paths," Bluestein said. "It is a tremendous display of power. A tornado is a mystery we 're trying to unravel — how they form and why. Hopefully, ultimately, we 'll know and we 'll save lives.” (Drape, The Denver Post, June 2013). To support the idea of the naysayer, we could say that our Meteorologists should rely only on the technology; however that is not always reliable either. Electronic weather monitoring systems in the United States such as NEXRAD are used daily. Along with that is TWISTEX that Tim Samaras founded and many more. (Drape, The Denver Post, June 2013). Although there are many people that do not believe that storm chasers save lives, the research leans the opposite way.
As noted by the senior storm tracker for Channel 9 News in Oklahoma City, Val Castor, “People ask why do you have storm chasers when you have all this technology? But Doppler radar and technology can only go so far. And you need the eyes and ears in the field to see if there really is a tornado on the ground, because radar will not tell you. Radar will tell you if there 's rotation in the clouds and it will tell you how strong the rotation at that level, but it will not tell you if there 's a tornado on the ground and that 's what the storm chasers are for.” (Scott, S, 2013, para 4) The problem with relying on only the electronic technology to warn us of upcoming storms is that they cannot always keep up if the storm is going fast enough. The fact that people can keep reporting as they see the storms track or the way it is changing, is irreplaceable to our
safety. The lives that are saved, the families that are helped and the alerts that go out by using the data the storm chasers collect cannot be replaced by technology or machines. The human mind is far more advanced than anything man can make. Our nation needs the brave people called storm chasers to ensure we will be safe and not caught in a severe storm that we can’t get away from in time.
References
Drape, Electa , Tornado chaser Tim Samaras contributed real science before ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23381485/tornado-chaser-tim-samaras-contributed- real- science-before
Severe Storm Chaser | About Max Olson and his Storm Chasing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mesomaxwell.wordpress.com/
Scott, S (2013). Chasing Oklahoma Storms: ‘Technology Can Only Go So Far’. Weekend Edition Saturday (NPR),
Stormchasing mortal - Página 2 - MeteoPT.com - Fórum de ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.meteopt.com/forum/meteorologia-geral/stormchasing-mortal-7155-2.html
The Importance of Professional Storm Chasing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/the-importance-of-professional/13857255
Hope VanSickle
Bryant & Stratton College
Eng101JSD
Professor Dan Filipkowski
October 12, 2013
Most storm chasers are serious scientists working to increase our knowledge of tornadoes and other severe weather masses and how they behave. The risk storm chasers put themselves in every day brings a question that remains unanswered, Is storm chasing worth physical injury or loss of human life? The loss of storm chasers lives is far less than the loss of lives our nation would sustain if the early warnings given by the brave souls of the chasers were to stop. Storm chasing is incredibly dangerous. Surviving tornadoes and severe weather requires adequate coverage and careful planning. To think that some people willingly, purposefully stay out in a storm may seem careless, but in reality, when done by people trained in the storm chasing field , storm chasing and storm spotting …show more content…
provide valuable information that helps save lives. “I know all too well the things people associate with storm chasers," wrote AccuWeather meteorologist Cory Mottice in an article. "Why do meteorologists chase storms? Simply put, we do it to save lives.” Storm chasers are able to give warnings to the public of the storm because of their on-location observations. As Mottice explains, "When we are out chasing storms, we have the best forecasting tool available, our eyes. Unlike radar and satellite imagery, we can see what is going on in real-time. We don 't have to wait five minutes for the next radar scan to come in; instead we are watching it as it is happening.", (Accuweather, 2013). There is no replacement for human involvement in storm chasing when the goal is saving lives and injuries during major storms. Storm chasing is broadly defined as the search of any severe weather condition, regardless of motive, which could be curiosity, adventure, scientific exploration, or for news professions/media coverage. A person who chases storms is known as a storm chaser, or simply a chaser. While witnessing a tornado or a funnel cloud, is the biggest goal for most chasers, there are others that chase thunderstorms. (Olson, 2013) In the field of storm chasing, Tim Samaras was a rarity, respected by academics and thrill-seekers alike for his contributions. Samaras, 55, and his team, were among 18 people killed in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado this year. Although he lost his life gathering information to keep our nation safe, his life was not wasted, he made great strides for the greater good of our nations. Several other chasers were hit by the tornado. Among them was the Weather Channel’s “Tornado Hunt” vehicle, which was reported to have been lifted and thrown an estimated 200 yards. All three people inside the vehicle, including meteorologist Mike Bettes, survived, but the driver suffered a broken neck, fractured vertebrae and several broken ribs.The incident has prompted calls for regulation of storm chasing, including from the president of the Kansas Emergency Management Association in the heart of Tornado Alley. To further support my argument are Meteorologists like Michael Armstrong at KWTV in Oklahoma City and Ben McMillan, they believe storm chasers play an important role in keeping the public safe. "Storm chasing isn 't about what you see on TV. It 's about forecasting and safety preparation," said Ben McMillan. (Drape, Electa, The Denver Post, June 2013)"Tornadoes are dangerous. We can 't really predict their paths," Bluestein said. "It is a tremendous display of power. A tornado is a mystery we 're trying to unravel — how they form and why. Hopefully, ultimately, we 'll know and we 'll save lives.” (Drape, The Denver Post, June 2013). To support the idea of the naysayer, we could say that our Meteorologists should rely only on the technology; however that is not always reliable either. Electronic weather monitoring systems in the United States such as NEXRAD are used daily. Along with that is TWISTEX that Tim Samaras founded and many more. (Drape, The Denver Post, June 2013). Although there are many people that do not believe that storm chasers save lives, the research leans the opposite way.
As noted by the senior storm tracker for Channel 9 News in Oklahoma City, Val Castor, “People ask why do you have storm chasers when you have all this technology? But Doppler radar and technology can only go so far. And you need the eyes and ears in the field to see if there really is a tornado on the ground, because radar will not tell you. Radar will tell you if there 's rotation in the clouds and it will tell you how strong the rotation at that level, but it will not tell you if there 's a tornado on the ground and that 's what the storm chasers are for.” (Scott, S, 2013, para 4) The problem with relying on only the electronic technology to warn us of upcoming storms is that they cannot always keep up if the storm is going fast enough. The fact that people can keep reporting as they see the storms track or the way it is changing, is irreplaceable to our
safety. The lives that are saved, the families that are helped and the alerts that go out by using the data the storm chasers collect cannot be replaced by technology or machines. The human mind is far more advanced than anything man can make. Our nation needs the brave people called storm chasers to ensure we will be safe and not caught in a severe storm that we can’t get away from in time.
References
Drape, Electa , Tornado chaser Tim Samaras contributed real science before ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23381485/tornado-chaser-tim-samaras-contributed- real- science-before
Severe Storm Chaser | About Max Olson and his Storm Chasing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mesomaxwell.wordpress.com/
Scott, S (2013). Chasing Oklahoma Storms: ‘Technology Can Only Go So Far’. Weekend Edition Saturday (NPR),
Stormchasing mortal - Página 2 - MeteoPT.com - Fórum de ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.meteopt.com/forum/meteorologia-geral/stormchasing-mortal-7155-2.html
The Importance of Professional Storm Chasing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/the-importance-of-professional/13857255