My Prayers Are With Those

[jfrancispastirchak]

A little different perspective...

Sorry, It's early, and I may be jumping the gun, but, 48-hours after the first round of deadly tornadoes, I have to ask: with the National Weather Service's narrative in the wake of the Shawnee tornadoes that more brutal weather could hit the same general area again on Tuesday, why in God's name did local schools even open on Tuesday?

Forecasting accuracy has accellerated since the 1980's. This alone should have given pause to the district superintendants of every school district in Central and Eastern Oklahoma, to react to the NWS' comments with directives on Monday night, ordering all schools closed on Tuesday.

If this sounds like Monday morning quarterbacking, please know that I shared this thought with family members late in the day Monday, May 20th, after hearing the Weather Service's concerns for Tuesday on network news.

Again, I apologize for jumping on this so soon. Understand though that I raised 3-children of my own. Given the same conditions thirty years later, I would have called the superintendent's office with my concerns for student safety, and urged him to close school!

As of this writing, roughly half of the fatalities counted so far in Moore OK are students being recovered from the rubble of one collapsed elementary school building. My heart is simply broken.

 

[ionosphere]

I do understand this perspective. However...if we are going to close schools whenever there is a threat of tornadoes, we will never get through the school year. This is Tornado Alley. In the spring, there is a threat of tornadoes on a regular basis. Furthermore, let's pretend that schools were closed yesterday. The parents of these children would probably still have to work. So you have kids at home alone with an EF5 tornado bearing down. The homes around these schools are now piles of lumber. The kids were safer at school. Remember...despite the wildly fluctuating numbers of fatalities at the sticken schools, only 7 children died. And by no means am I suggesting that number is acceptable, I'm just saying the number would've likely been higher if they were at home.

A little different perspective...

Sorry, It's early, and I may be jumping the gun, but, 48-hours after the first round of deadly tornadoes, I have to ask: with the National Weather Service's narrative in the wake of the Shawnee tornadoes that more brutal weather could hit the same general area again on Tuesday, why in God's name did local schools even open on Tuesday?

Forecasting accuracy has accellerated since the 1980's. This alone should have given pause to the district superintendants of every school district in Central and Eastern Oklahoma, to react to the NWS' comments with directives on Monday night, ordering all schools closed on Tuesday.

If this sounds like Monday morning quarterbacking, please know that I shared this thought with family members late in the day Monday, May 20th, after hearing the Weather Service's concerns for Tuesday on network news.

Again, I apologize for jumping on this so soon. Understand though that I raised 3-children of my own. Given the same conditions thirty years later, I would have called the superintendent's office with my concerns for student safety, and urged him to close school!

As of this writing, roughly half of the fatalities counted so far in Moore OK are students being recovered from the rubble of one collapsed elementary school building. My heart is simply broken.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

I do understand this perspective. However...if we are going to close schools whenever there is a threat of tornadoes, we will never get through the school year. This is Tornado Alley. In the spring, there is a threat of tornadoes on a regular basis. Furthermore, let's pretend that schools were closed yesterday. The parents of these children would probably still have to work. So you have kids at home alone with an EF5 tornado bearing down. The homes around these schools are now piles of lumber. The kids were safer at school. Remember...despite the wildly fluctuating numbers of fatalities at the sticken schools, only 7 children died. And by no means am I suggesting that number is acceptable, I'm just saying the number would've likely been higher if they were at home.

Ion... Yes, that casualty statistic was corrected. I wasn't aware of that update until after submitting my post. And, you raise a good point about life on the plains; tornado threats in the spring are a fact of life, and yes, closing shcool on "threat" days would ordinarily seem impractical. My suggestion though was based on more exceptional circumstances; the day when much of Shawnee was flattened by a twister of obviously F-4 force, the National Weather Service warned that yet another round of destructive storms was possible in largely the same area on Tuesday. These were not routine days on the plains, but rather the "exceptional circumstances" that should have forced the closure of schools, in my opinion.

 

[ShowLow]

praying for everyone concerned. I think along with first responders people in radio and tv need to be commended for what they do in trying to get info out and thus saving lives. God Bless.

 

[MikeRobertsRocksOn]

Hi. I just wanted to send a note and say that I am thinking of you and wishing all of you in Moore well at this difficult time. I live in East Central Minnesota, a long way up I 35. I've been listening to KOKC, and despite this incredible tragedy, I'm happy that those Blaw Knoxs are still there doing their magic. My deepest condolences to those that have suffered so much in the last few days. Good Luck, and Peace.
Mike Roberts, KOMA Alum 1974 -1977

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

praying for everyone concerned. I think along with first responders people in radio and tv need to be commended for what they do in trying to get info out and thus saving lives. God Bless.

Just caught the tail end of a news video from Moore showing a streetside marquee, possibly a surviving wall from a downed theatre. The message: PLEASE PRAY.

Yes, first responders & news reporters are all doing a commendable job under extraordinary conditions. Some early news footage this morning showed a respectful and orderly exodus by news media crews. This was requested by county and city authorities to allow unfettered access by cleanup crews and sight inspectors.

My sharply worded post of yesterday notwithstanding, I applaud the people of Oklahoma. Their courage inspires us all, and serves as glowing testimony to the old fashioned concept of American resolve. And kudos as well to the volunteers from Joplin MO. They too suffered massive losses from tornadoes two years ago. Remembering both their own struggle and the help Oklahomans offered in their time of need, they came to Oklahoma in a heartbeat. I can't imagine a more meaningful tribute to humanity. God bless Oklahoma.

 

[Tx]

WPOZ (Z88) in Orlando are flying boards that say, "Pray for Oklahoma". I think they speak for us all, our prayers are with you!

 

[bturner]

The issue about going on with daily life in tornado alley, about safe rooms in all the schools, etc., are all being questioned.

Here's some reality on tornadoes. F5 tornadoes are rare. Yes, they're the ones you hear about becuase their destruction is so beyond the imagination. An F5 might happen once or twice a year somewhere. F4s are fairly rare too. Many tornadoes are F0, F1, F2 or F3. In fact, that's most of them.

I would be the guy that wanted an underground shelter but I can understand why some would think it a waste of money because the need for a concrete and steel enforced room may never be needed in ones lifetime. I lived in Kansas City for years and I recall a house without a basement was pretty rare, but then again, the soil/water level allowed for basements. I question if an above ground safe room would have stood up to the Moore F5.

I admit there have been more F5 or very destructive tornadoes in recent years, it seems.

In many respects, tornadoes are more like hurricanes in intensity. While they are all destructive, few are the ultra powerful. Most are Cat1 or Cat2.

We have a tendency to think the high end of damage when we imagine tornadoes and hurricanes but the super destructive are still the oddity versus the norm. In a typical tornado, getting in a hallway or a bathtub will keep you safe. In Moore, you really had to be underground.

Amid all the horrors and all the heartbreaking sadness I am thrilled how strangers helped their fellow man, mostly going above and beyond what we might imagine to protect and save. My heart goes out to all of those affected.

 

[joelr]

I agree with you, bturner. I lived in the Oklahoma City area for 29 years and we never had a basement or storm cellar. My grandmother in Durant had a cellar, but I can't ever remember her using it. When I lived in KC, there were basements everywhere.

The fact that F5s and F4s are so rare makes what has happened to Moore in '99, '03 and '13 so amazing and so sad. :-(

 

[woodyrr]

When the tornado was moving more northeast, I abandoned my home in Midwest City and was listening to the KWTV 9 simulcast on KOKC 1520 while feeing north. When one of the chasers reported the tornado was crossing I-35, it would just have passed the KOKC tower site. I couldn't tell by listening to the audio that an EF5 tornado was literally right outside the back door.

Two of the on air guys at KTOK 1000 are in their third or is it fourth day of continuous coverage of the recovery efforts, trying to steer donations to where they need to be. They have been spelling each other in shifts, one on the air and the other downstairs in the parking lot directing traffic and doing remotes.

 

[ionosphere]

I was born and raised in Oklahoma City, and since my grandfather lived in Moore his entire life, I spent plenty of time there as a child. I have a friend who lives there and witnessed first-hand the damage created by the tornadoes that struck the city in 1998 (F2), 1999 (F5), 2003 (F4), 2010 (EF4) and 2013 (EF5). Interestingly, all of these tornadoes struck different parts of the city although some of the damage paths crossed at times. He says that while the 1999 tornado had a much wider damage path, the damage was much more severe from Monday's tornado. It also struck business and residential areas that had yet to be built in 1999, including a whole neighborhood built less than a year ago. Destruction in these areas was almost complete. Though the damage in this storm was worse, the storm struck much quicker with much less warning (it was only about 30 minutes from the time the storm developed until the tornado moved into Moore), but fewer people died than in 1999. That is a testament to how Oklahomans react to tornado warnings. I truly believe that most if not all of the victims were taking shelter when they died. As someone else noted, this was a rare tornado that required you to be underground or in a reinforced safe room to survive a direct hit.

Moore is still alive and well. The city is down, but it won't be for long. It has plenty of experience in getting up, dusting itself off, and coming back better than before.