Homeland Security?
I complain about it every hurricane season and now it is showing up in “tornado alley” as 60% of the Kansas National Guard ‘s equipment is in Iraq, which is slowing the response to the Greenburg disaster.
Whenever there is a major weather incident I check Dr. Jeff Masters who blogs over at Weather Underground. Dr. Masters reports 68 people have died in tornadoes this year, two more than all of last year.
He also links to The Wichita Eagle aerial photographs of the Greenburg damage. This what an EF5 tornado, with winds > 200mph, does to an area. There isn’t a leaf left on any of the trees, and the Wicked Witch getting a house dropped on her is less fantasy than you thought.
If you are a real weather fanatic, Dr. Masters also has some of the imaging of the storm from instruments. This is what you don’t want to see on your local Doppler radar images.
8 comments
I just looked at the aerial photos.
Oh. My. God.
When you think about it, it is a Katrina at its strongest, compressed in a half-mile path.
Those are scary photos. I thought nothing could surprise me after Katrina, but the devastation here is just as great. Heaven help us all; I hope nobody else has to see the likes of that this year, on the coast or in the plains.
Everything that is loose becomes a 200mph projectile. I’ve seen straw and fiberglass insulation driven into light poles in Wichita Falls, Texas. Garden furniture becomes artillery shells.
It is a terrible experience, even if you know it’s coming and you have a basement to hide in.
i had to quit looking at about photo 12 or 13. but thanks for providing the link anyway.
when my various cousins and such ask me, after every ivan, opal, erin, frederic, etc, “why do you still live in hurricane alley?” i usually respond with “why do you still live in tornado alley?” i’ve always had a soft spot for gallows humor, but i may have to drop that particular line after this.
and thanks for the reminder. time to go hunting for all my hurricane tracking bookmarks again.
It’s intense stuff, even after seeing what Camille did along the coast back in 1969, but it does eliminate any questions about how bad it was.
Used your links but gave you credit, Bryan. Those photos are devastating.
People ask us why we live in earthquake country…. We’ve been through several, only one which caused some light damage. Tornadoes and hurricanes? You guys have SEASONS for them for gosh sakes!
I think I’ll stay here in Southern California where the Big One hasn’t happened yet (knock on wood).
(/Rumble rumble…)
Tornadoes are the worst of both – the unexpectedness of an earthquake with the fury of a hurricane. Just like earthquakes you know where they are apt to be, but you can predict when.
I did a 6+ in San Diego – no thank you. I can deal with a few days notice.
Thanks for the link.