> On Aug 29, 2011, at 9:19 AM, Ann Sanfedele wrote: > >>> On Aug 29, 2011, at 3:13 PM, Paul Stenquist wrote: >>> Well, we'll just have to disagree on this one. I believe it was indeed much >>> ado about very little. >> > > OF course, I'm in NYC and having been in a situation where knowing all this > stuff ahead of time really did matter one thing now occurs to me since there > is a bit of grousing about the coverage... > > Didn't really know (and still don't) that the whole world was getting > um saturated with TMI about it - we who live here in the path appreciated it > And they did it without commercials, too. > > ann >
During the 25+ years I lived in Kansas City, we had numerous occasions when tornado watches and warnings were posted. KCMO is a very large metro area, and it is not unusual for one part to be threatened while another is totally clear. And of course all threats do not translate into actual events. During every such weather event, Katie (Ch 5) and Brian (Ch 7) and the others would take over their respective airwaves and provide endless commentary on the radar images and on-the-spot reporters and storm chasers. During and after every event there would be an outcry from those who didn't like to have their soap opera or sports event interrupted, or who just didn't want to hear Katie go on and on about hook echos. Katie's response: "if I can save one person's life by convincing them to stay home and under cover, this is all worth it." It is well-established that it is better to take people out of danger via bus before a flood than by helicopter from rooftops during a flood. It is better to pre-position sandbags where flooding is likely than to be making phone calls trying to coordinate acquisition of the bags and sand and volunteers to fill them while standing ankle deep in rising water. There will be fewer casualties and fewer fatalities (e.g., in Joplin) if people take cover because of broadcast warnings. So sometimes the predicted high winds during the storm turn out to be less an issue than the record-breaking floods that follow; that doesn't mean that it wasn't a good idea to have been prepared. My own closest encounter with a tornado was a few years ago. I had been out running errands; the look of the clouds and the "severe storm" and tornado warnings on the radio and the sirens going off got my attention. When I got home, I turned on the TV. About 10 minutes later Katie was zooming in on a section of the radar; "This is what a tornado looks like. It is moving along this line. It will hit Parkville in 5 minutes. If you are in Parkville listening to me now, then stop listening and get into sheltar. Now!" That included us, and we went to the basement. As it turned out. the tornado was on a straight line towards our house. But when it reached the Missouri river about 2 miles southwest of us, it executed a 90° turn to the east, followed the river for a mile, did another 90° turn and proceeded on its way to the northwest. So our time in the basement was an unnecessary precaution, but I did not regret listening to the warnings about what might happen, and I was grateful for the people who provided the warnings. stan -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
