[Other] Tornado jacking stuff up around here...
- Thread starter drawn_inward
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I'm about 10 miles north of this in my lab. It's gonna move just south of us. Sadly, they just announced that it hit an elementary school. 
The big one just lifted, but there's another one further south.
It's the same area that was leveled a while back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Oklahoma_tornado_outbreak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Oklahoma_tornado_outbreak
Lab mates don't know if their home is still standing. Won't know til they head home. [DOUBLEPOST=1369084056][/DOUBLEPOST]Fuck dude. Drop that microphone and help that lady.
[DOUBLEPOST=1369084056][/DOUBLEPOST]Fuck dude. Drop that microphone and help that lady.
I think that 1999 Moore tornado was the one where a group of people got extremely lucky hiding underneath a highway overpass as the funnel went directly over them - thus giving the bad idea that highway overpasses are good shelter during tornadoes.
Seriously, I've said it before, noting creeps me out more than the sound of an EAS message alert coming over the TV or radio. Especially when followed by the robo-voice giving the alert info. I don't live near tornado alley, but I do live in KY, which sees its fair share of them. The only thing about the midwest that would make me feel better is that it is so flat & open, you can see a tornado from a great distance away.
The Greensburg tornado was just creepy big (wiped out the whole town) & the video of that Tuscaloosa tornado a couple of years ago are just flat out scary.
Seriously, I've said it before, noting creeps me out more than the sound of an EAS message alert coming over the TV or radio. Especially when followed by the robo-voice giving the alert info. I don't live near tornado alley, but I do live in KY, which sees its fair share of them. The only thing about the midwest that would make me feel better is that it is so flat & open, you can see a tornado from a great distance away.
The Greensburg tornado was just creepy big (wiped out the whole town) & the video of that Tuscaloosa tornado a couple of years ago are just flat out scary.
Apparently there were students inside the Elementary School as it got hit.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/se...n=Feed:+rss/cnn_topstories+(RSS:+Top+Stories)
It's as bad as we'd have imagined. Ugh....
Yeah, from what I heard listening to KFOR's stream this afternoon, two elementary schools, Briarwood and Plaza Towers, and a daycare were destroyed. At Briarwood and the daycare, everyone managed to get out or was rescued; but sadly,at Plaza Towers seven kids drowned in the basement from heavy rain run-off, and another 13 to 20 (and possibly more) were killed in the collapse and subsequent gas fire that burned itself out before FD was able to extinguish it. Sometime around 4:00pm or 4:30 PDT, KFOR announced that the search and rescue operation at Plaza Towers was over, and a search and recovery operation was taking its place; and at that time they said that only the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes were safe and accounted for, with the vast majority of K-3 students' locations unknown.
Also, the Moore Medical Center (a 100-doctor, 24-hour emergency trauma center) was destroyed, and there were early reports of looting at the site (and reports that the governor had authorized the National Guard to shoot looters on sight).
Also, the Moore Medical Center (a 100-doctor, 24-hour emergency trauma center) was destroyed, and there were early reports of looting at the site (and reports that the governor had authorized the National Guard to shoot looters on sight).
First let me say that this is horrible, the more I read about it the sadder it makes me.
Second let me say this here, because I can't say it anywhere else (it's more of a personal rant about people I know and their responses to natural disasters so I'm spoiling it since it's off topic):
Second let me say this here, because I can't say it anywhere else (it's more of a personal rant about people I know and their responses to natural disasters so I'm spoiling it since it's off topic):
I find it interesting that none of my FB friends from the south who immediately call any sort of natural disaster in the north "god's judgement for x sin" never bring that line of thinking up when disasters in the south like this occur. In fact, what I hear instead is things like, "Just another example of the Devil controlling nature!" (I'm not kidding). Ugh. Frustrating, not only is it terrible, vile and shitty theology but it's completely hypocritical.
A co-worker said that Hurricane Sandy was God's punishment. Then I asked him if the north is so wicked why does Texas get hit 10 times for every one hurricane in the north east.?
I get torqued up when some fools say that kind of stuff. Last night, I made a smart-ass comment to my wife about "God judging Moore."
I also start eye-rolling when the local news stations say ridiculous things about how Oklahomans always pull together/Oklahoma spirit/Oklahoma values/ad nauseum - as if in other places people panic and abandon each other and just loot and steal.
Sure is lucky that the tornado hit here instead of Michigan - those heathens wouldn't know what to do. <- sarcasm
Dave
Staff member
So is everything okay with you and yours, drawn_inward?
Thankfully, yes. Thanks Dave!
My nephew was stuck at his school until 7pm b/c we were cut off due to all the closed highways. A family friend picked him up and took him to McDonald's. It took my sister and bro-in-law 4 1/2 hrs to travel 25 miles last night to get back home. But all that is certainly better than anyone getting hurt or dying.
I have some co-workers who haven't come in today. They were unsure about their houses yesterday. I've only heard from two of them so far, and they were okay.
It sucks that it doesn't seem like there is anything to do to help. We're going to drop off some water and supplies tonight, but it just feels a bit silly compared to the level of destruction.
The WVU baseball team is in Oklahoma City for the Big 12 tournament. They're doing their part.
Thankfully, the official numbers have been downgraded from where they were last night/early this morning, from 91 deaths including 40 children to 24 deaths including 9 children, due to double reporting of some fatalities and confusion from the ME's office being told to expect 40 more bodies late last night.
I did see some posts about how this tornado was God's wrath for re-electing Obama, but the internet is so overrun with trolls, it's hard to take comments like that seriously - especially since the comments were coming across just as the tornado was dissipating, and the same people were joking about the news chopper being CGI, or wishing that it would have crashed.
On the other hand, I find myself stuck in a weird little dichotomy. It really doesn't bother me when someone says "we ask for your prayers during this difficult time," but it really annoys me when those same people make comments like "all of these people volunteering to help out are God's answer to our prayers." I suppose it's because, on the one hand, the first statement is just a cry for help; but the second one implies that none of these people would have helped if you hadn't prayed for assistance - like people aren't good enough to help others out without some magical sky being telling them to. It annoys me on the same level as the people who believe that aliens built Machu Picchu and the Pyramids at Giza - because obviously stacking blocks on top of each other and being smart enough to use well fitting stones was way beyond the intelligence level of early civilizations.
Regardless, glad to hear that you and yours are safe and well, drawn_inward.
I did see some posts about how this tornado was God's wrath for re-electing Obama, but the internet is so overrun with trolls, it's hard to take comments like that seriously - especially since the comments were coming across just as the tornado was dissipating, and the same people were joking about the news chopper being CGI, or wishing that it would have crashed.
On the other hand, I find myself stuck in a weird little dichotomy. It really doesn't bother me when someone says "we ask for your prayers during this difficult time," but it really annoys me when those same people make comments like "all of these people volunteering to help out are God's answer to our prayers." I suppose it's because, on the one hand, the first statement is just a cry for help; but the second one implies that none of these people would have helped if you hadn't prayed for assistance - like people aren't good enough to help others out without some magical sky being telling them to. It annoys me on the same level as the people who believe that aliens built Machu Picchu and the Pyramids at Giza - because obviously stacking blocks on top of each other and being smart enough to use well fitting stones was way beyond the intelligence level of early civilizations.
Regardless, glad to hear that you and yours are safe and well, drawn_inward.
Yeah, people are really stepping up. Kevin Durant apparently donated $1 million. I say apparently because he didn't mention it. The nice thing about these events is that for all the assholes, theres just as many, if not more, people doing great things.
Now if they would do their part come football season!
[DOUBLEPOST=1369160994][/DOUBLEPOST]
The Times of India comments on the story are as troll filled as any Yahoo news story.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rs-as-91-feared-dead/articleshow/20173316.cms
My in-laws live in India so I check to see what kind of coverage they're getting.
There are loads of folks stating the it's judgement on the U.S. for Iraq/Middle East stuff.
As for God's wrath for re-electing Obama, Oklahoma is one of the reddest states in the union.
Ah, the less pronounceable NWBMBY: Nowhere but my backyard.
I will make one suggestion if anyone know someone who was seriously affected and wants to help somehow: restaurant gift cards. It sounds silly, but it's good for several reasons. It's easier to accept for people uncomfortable taking money (something I really had problems with), it's a shocking pain in the ass to discover you can no longer cook for yourself for an undetermined length of time, and if they are eating out because of displacement like I was for a couple of weeks, the insurance company will reimburse them for the restaurant bill, turning it into a double gift.
Nice idea! I'll do that for some co-workers!
BananaHands
Staff member
This was sweet.
Interesting points:
- the tornado watch turned into a tornado warning 20 minutes prior to the tornado forming
- the tornado alert (ie, there's one on the ground) was given five minutes _after_ the tornado hit the ground (which is about what I experienced when a tornado hit Michigan last year. I heard the reports from the weather spotters about 5 minutes before they hit the TV and radio stations.)
- the tornado watch turned into a tornado warning 20 minutes prior to the tornado forming
- the tornado alert (ie, there's one on the ground) was given five minutes _after_ the tornado hit the ground (which is about what I experienced when a tornado hit Michigan last year. I heard the reports from the weather spotters about 5 minutes before they hit the TV and radio stations.)
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