Massive Twister Hitting OKC

[SanTropez]

It's TORNADO ALLEY. Move away!

 

[TheSeventhTiger]

I wonder if the big bad wolf lives there.

 

[Nate]

Okay, to all those who say "why do you live in tornado alley?" just like jon_berzerk said, the area encompasses much of the central States

Do we just abandon the those areas?
Why do people live in Florida, Louisiana, and much of the East coast? Hurricanes are more widespread in damage and effect more lives. Why live on the West coast with the fear of the "big" one at any time? Hell, there's still an active volcano people are building around.

There has been 3 bad tornadoes in that general area over a decade but if you look at the stats last year alone

Two storm systems developed between February 28, 2012 and March 3, 2012 that spawned numerous tornadoes that killed at least 52 people. Within the past seven days of today’s date (March 5, 2012), the National Weather Service has issued 413 tornado warnings across the United States, with the majority of these warnings occurring east of the Mississippi River. Also as of March 5, the preliminary count for the tornado outbreak on March 2 is up to 80 with 42 tornadoes confirmed and 39 deaths. The storms pushed through Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Deadly U.S. tornado outbreak February 28-March 3, 2012 | Earth | EarthSky

And that's less a weeks worth of time...

You'd see it's much more far reaching than my neck of the woods.

Being able to predict a tornado is getting better and being able to withstand one is as well... If this had happened 20-30 years ago this death toll would have been much greater.
I'll take my twisters over any of the other problems occurring in the States

 

[Truthmatters]

every town should have shelters under schools and or town centers

 

[TheSeventhTiger]

There Is No Safe Place To Live In The USA. Every State has a potential threat mother nature has to offer. I actually feel safe on the west coast of Florida. we have never gone through a town being demolished by hurricane/tornado/ and sometimes sink-holes. (but sink holes are caused by democrats as we all know).

 

[Truthmatters]

there are ways to protect Ourselves


the right jsut never likes it

 

[Nate]

there are ways to protect Ourselves


the right jsut never likes it

How so? Be specific, especially when it comes to Oklahoma... We're about as red as a State can get.

 

[depotoo]

last night I heard there is an older couple missing that was returning from a funeral to their home in Moore just about the time of the tornado and their children and grandchildren have not seen nor heard from them since.

 

[jon_berzerk]

every town should have shelters under schools and or town centers

most do

 

[Pop23]

there are ways to protect Ourselves


the right jsut never likes it

How so? Be specific, especially when it comes to Oklahoma... We're about as red as a State can get.

This isn't a left/right issue. Anyone who thinks it is, is well

As has been pointed out before, many of the dead had shelters available. They either could not, or did not go to them.

When you look at the pictures from OKC and see that, from all that destruction, with a maximum preperation time of 16 minutes, fewer then 50 died, it is amazing. How many died in Katrina or Sandy, with days to prepare? I'll take tornado alley over the gulf coast or the Atlantic coast any day.

As for why anyone lives in tornado alley. Just be glad they do, you would go very hungry if they did not. Tornado alley is the bread basket of the nation.

 

[namvet]

Nuke the side of its inflow. That will cut the warm moist air off from getting into the meso cyclone.

when mother nature puts her foot down nothin' to do but run or hide

Where ?

how bout out of its path ???

 

[namvet]

there are ways to protect Ourselves


the right jsut never likes it

that's "jsut" true.

 

[namvet]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kc04f9zdBA&feature=player_embedded]Time Lapse of Moore, Oklahoma Tornado - 5/20/3013 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Coyote]

I think the the tornado can be summed up in one photo ...

 

[Politico]

Oklahoma tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble - YouTube

Biggest staged Bullshit I ever saw. Those reporters should be fucking shot.

 

[namvet]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTpceWd8UE4]5/20/13 Moore, OK Devastating Tornado - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Oldguy]

I'm back from Moore, OK after 5 days of walking around the affected area talking to victims, first responders, volunteers, soldiers from every branch, Red Cross and FEMA people. My job is damage assessment, so I visited with probably 500 people or more in the zone of destruction to determine what their needs are and what we can do for them.

The destruction within the path of the tornado is total. Houses, schools and businesses have been reduce to piles of sticks, streets have disappeared underneath the rubble and the people are dealing with the aftermath as best they can. Just outside the path of the twister, everything is covered in dried blobs of insulation, personal belongs and boards protrude from roofs 2 or 3 blocks away. Trees are shredded, cars piled upon cars and not much remains recognizable. Among the oddities I saw (which are common with tornadoes) was a still inflated Santa Claus resting in a yard as if he were praying to Mecca with his ass in the air, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuck in a tree 40 feet off the ground and a street sign designating the intersection of S. Santa Fe and SW 15th street carried about 10 blocks and put back into the ground upright.

But, it's the people. It's always the people. I've responded now to 25 or 30 disasters, of all kinds and in every corner of this great Republic and even in other countries, and it's always the people who impress the most. Always. Moore, OK is blessed with magnificent people and magnificent neighbors. Today, the first day free from work or school, the destroyed area was swarming with volunteers from all over the country and they outnumbered the victims by at least a factor of 10-1. Moving rubble, searching for personal treasures, cooking food or just randomly handing out bottles of water to total strangers, the number of folks there to help was overwhelming. I've seen that kind of response everywhere I've ever been, but never in such a compact area. It was an incredible sight!

And, you want a feel good story? How about these:

Today, I met a young man and his Mother. He's been through a tough ten years raising his kids alone after his wife left him for the drug culture and he was reduced to living in a house his Mother owns. It's now gone. Nothing left by sticks. On the day of the storm, he rushed toward the school where both of his kids were, only to be restrained by the police until the twister passed. He stood and watched it strike the school where his kids were. Unknown at the time, his Mom was doing the same thing from another direction.

After the tornado had moved on, everyone converged on the school to search for survivors. The first child lifted out of the part of that school where 7 kids died was his son and the first responder just handed him back to whomever was there. He placed the boy right into his father's arms! At the other end of the building, the mans daughter was pulled from the rubble and shoved into the embrace of her Grandmother! What an astonishing blessing!

One more: I met a young man who just graduated from Moore High School last night. On the day of the storm, he conned the teachers into letting him go and he ran down the street to a Circle K store, from where he first saw the approaching tornado. He thought it was miles away but, in reality, it was less than half a mile away. Instead of fleeing for his life, he sprinted 3 blocks right in front of the approaching twister to his home, where he shoved his Mother and sister into a closet, went back out and got the family dog, then covered them all with his own body just as the funnel hit. They all survived unhurt. You want to talk about how sorry the younger generation is? You go ahead. I'll show you this kid.

And, I have to mention Tinker AFB. A large number of the folks I met work there and their employers have been incredibly supportive. The victims have all the time off they need to deal with their own personal tragedies, troops were sent into the neighborhoods as the debris was still flying and I met the base Commander, LTG Litchfield and an Air Force Chaplain walking around a neighborhood visiting with the families of their troops and anyone else they came into contact with. Maybe the government doesn't do everything right, but Tinker AFB sure does. And, so does the 45th BDE, Oklahoma National Guard. They were all over the place doing a sterling service.

Plus, I have to mention the often maligned FEMA. Every single, solitary FEMA worker I came into contact with was an extraordinary human being. They've been there from the first and are still out there working under impossible conditions and rendering wonderful help. So is the Red Cross, The Salvation Army, responders from more than 60 different churches and our own Southern Baptist's who were there before the sun set on the first day. Police and fire departments from all over Oklahoma rushed to the scene and helped out.

The people of Moore will survive. Not only survive, but prosper and grow stronger. With the marvelous support of their neighbors and total strangers, they'll get through this.