2008's Tornado Toll Deadliest In A Decade

So Far This Year, About 100 People Have Been Killed By Twisters In The U.S.

(AP)  Survivors began cleaning up from a deadly blast of storms and tornados that killed 22 people in three central U.S. states over the weekend. Officials said this year is the country's deadliest for tornado-related deaths in a decade.

In Picher, the devastation was complicated by the town's status as one of the most polluted sites in the nation. The government's Environmental Protection Agency planned to check Monday for high levels of lead, which can pose a health risk in the long term, especially to young children.

Several tornados combined to kill 22 people in Oklahoma, Missouri and Georgia over the weekend, raising the nation's 2008 total to about 100, the worst toll in a decade.

This year is on pace to see the most deaths since 130 people were killed in 1998, the eighth highest total since 1950, according to the National Weather Service. The record is 519 tornado-related deaths in 1953.

On Saturday, a tornado with the second-strongest rating killed six people in the 800-population town of Picher, destroying a 20-block area and blowing dust off mountains of mining waste, or chat piles. Authorities patrolled the area overnight into Monday to prevent looting.

The tornado's winds were estimated at 165 mph to 175 mph, and the damage track stretched 74 miles - 29 in Oklahoma and another 45 in Missouri, where 15 people were killed. On Sunday, storms rumbled across Georgia, killing one person.

Because of Picher's pollution, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is unlikely to grant assistance to homeowners to rebuild in the northeastern Oklahoma town, said the state's emergency management director, Albert Ashwood.

Many families have moved away to escape the lead pollution, taking advantage of state and federal buyouts in recent years. Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, who toured the area by air and on foot Sunday, said the buyout program won't stop just because homes were leveled. He went so far as to say he would "guarantee" that those awaiting buyouts who lost their homes would be treated fairly.

One of the homes those crews likely will examine will be that of Jeff Reeves, 43, who has followed his grandfather and father as Picher's fire chief. He has lived in Picher all his life and has watched it slowly decline.

"With everything else that's going on here, I'm not sure there is a recovery," he said.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, heavy rain knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers, flooded roads and chased people out of their homes, mostly in the region near Washington, D.C.

[nonayabiness]

Seems like Mother Nature is kinda kickin ''em when they''re down this year. The Myanmar cyclone, China earthquake, and this little lead-filled ghost-town''s tornadoes. Truly tragic.

[stn_sage]

My advice: get used to it world!

Global warming---climate change---is real! These upticks in earthquakes, tornadoes, and volcanic activity are part of a new, emerging pattern of change and NOT aberrations!

We can listen to the naysayers who don''t want to believe it---or, we acknowlege it''s happening, study it, decide what we can do to adjust, and then adjust.

If we engage in this neverending debate with the naysayers, continuing to fail to act, there will come a point in time when we will not be able to act!

I''d rather trust in observable science than take the word of a politically-leaning rightwinger that it''s NOT happening! Clearly, IT IS!

[shamanator]

I agree with what stn_sage says concerning the recent frequency and intensity of tornadic activity...but, as a person who holds a minor in geology and has been an amateur meteorologist for 25 years, I fail to see how there could be any correlation between man-made greenhouse gasses and earthquake/volcanic activity.

[stn_sage]

I fail to see how there could be any correlation between man-made greenhouse gasses and earthquake/volcanic activity.
Posted by Shamanator at 04:17 PM : May 12, 2008
--------------------------------------------------
My response: I made no such assertion in my prior post. I assert only within their own cycles of causation, are events accelerating resulting in increased activity!

HOW and in what ways they might interact to mutually reinforce and/or accelerate one another''s activities and effects, is something that is being studied in some cases, and needs to be studied in other cases.

Are we going to do it, or wait until disaster arrives?

[al2008-2009]

I%u2019m appalled at the governor%u2019s lack of response to the global warming thunderstorms and tornadoes. We have no comprehensive strategy in place whatsoever, let alone a detailed plan of action to mitigate the effects of these tornadoes, and mother earth continues to suffer while the governor%u2019s office refuses to go forward and do what%u2019s right for mother earth.
.
How long must we sit idly by while our mother continues to suffer from the warming taking place at a feverish pace? How long must our mother suffer before we have proper c02 taxes put into place? How long must the destruction of mother earth take place before we finally put responsible plans into action? How long must we wait until we beef up our corn ethanol production? At least Obama wants to cut c02 pollution by 80%; he is definitely our best hope.
.
We the people call upon the governor to implement a comprehensive antiglobal warming strategy at once and work in coordination with state and federal officials; these tornadoes and storms continue to worsen and the quicker we stop the warming the sooner we will see these storms cease. We need action now.

[squidly8]

Tornado frequency and intensity are not increasing. What is happening is that our ability to detect them is drastically changing. 500 years ago, less people and virtually no long range communication ability. 100 years ago - more people but essentially the same communication. Now we have radar and satellites that we can detect the precursor conditions and virtually every tornado that forms - whether it does any damage or not. We also have spread ourselves out - we cover more surface area. Essentially we are a bigger target when a tornado does touch down. Therefore we get more damage and more deaths. Just in the last couple of years has the capability of measuring the intensity of a tornado emerged. Trying to compare to a storm 10 or 20 or 50 years is not possible because we can''t classify those storms. Therefore it is inaccurate for someone to claim they are increasing in intensity. The same is true for hurricanes although we have had the capability little longer there. However there has also been a change to the rating system for hurricanes.

[squidly8]

The cyclone in Myanmar - someone please show one shred of evidence to support the claim that this particular storm was intensified by global warming. It hit an undeveloped, low lying country that has stripped away the coastal mangrove swamps making it ripe for a disaster. There is a long history of catastrophic cyclones in that area of the pacific. Here is link to Bangladesh cyclones in Wikipedia - they are not an uncommon occurance. It is also has a much smaller coastal area as compared to Myanmar.

[squidly8]

Sorry my link didn''t paste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bangladesh_tropical_cyclones

[s1ckd09]

I''''d rather trust in observable science than take the word of a politically-leaning rightwinger that it''''s NOT happening! Clearly, IT IS!
---------------------------------------------

Posted by stn_sage at 04:01 PM : May 12, 2008

How hilarious and utterly ironic that you actually say you trust an observable science. All of the "observed science" shows that NOTHING is happening out of the ordinary, and manmade greenhouse gas emissions are a negligable part of it. It is only the inaccurate and consistentlty WRONG climate models that predict all of this catastrophe.

[jokevote]

22 people 1 is sad, cyclone thousands 1 is sad, earth quake thousands 1 is sad. How fortunate we are that GOD is being so kind to our sinful country.

[runnm]

Tornados are the result of COOLING, not warming, air. Anyone who says that they are the result of so-called "global warming" either doesn''t know what they are talking about or they have their own agenda.

[jwrhea]

Knock off the Global Warming Cr@p. The earth has expierianced global warming many times in the past. If the experts are right on global warming, then they need to show us the freeways, factories and power plants that the cavemen and or dinosaurs used to cause the previous global warming events.

[beehive21-2009]

Fear not folks,as history has shown,the Earth sheds its inhabitants like a dogs shaking water away,you may be sure of one thing,like the dinosaurs,man is Doomed like other living things,it''s evolution,remember.Hang on, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride.

[stn_sage]

All of the "observed science" shows that NOTHING is happening out of the ordinary, and manmade greenhouse gas emissions are a negligable part of it. It is only the inaccurate and consistentlty WRONG climate models that predict all of this catastrophe.
Posted by s1ckd09 at 07:13 PM : May 12, 2008
---------------------------------------------------
My response: Oh, really?!

And the melting of the icecaps is NOT out of the ordinary?
And the huge hole over Australia due to ozone depletion with the resultant increase in radiation and increase in cancer rates there, is NOT out of the ordinary?!
And the el Nino & el Nina which is causing alternating flooding & drought, is NOT out of the ordinary?!
And the fact the avg temp is increasing a degree and a half per yr which will result in 5 years or so of putting us at an avg temp where an ice age can make a reoccurance, but that''s NOT out of the ordinary?!

Tell me---do you have any idea what ORDINARY means, mister?! Do you work for the Bush admin tearing up science reports and rewriting them? You obviously don''t know much about science!

Also, models are just that---models! They''re refined over time, very few models are accurate approaching above 90%. You expect too much and when you don''t get it, you declare all science to be deficient, useless, and therefore irrelevant! You''re WRONG!

And if the public continues to listen to people LIKE YOU, this planet IS doomed!

[stn_sage]

Fear not folks,as history has shown,the Earth sheds its inhabitants like a dogs shaking water away,...
Posted by beehive21 at 10:12 PM : May 12, 2008
------------------------------------------------
My response: I like your calm, philosophical take on the matter, beehive21! You''re NOT trying to misinform anyone about what''s going on or stupid enough to try to deny it! That''s cool! We have whatever time we have left, right?! :)

[CoSyBob]

There has been no warming in a decade . This last year has been as cold as the early 1900s . No uniform change to the spectrum of the atmosphere can change the mean temperature of the globe which is determined according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law by the sun and our distance from it . The intensity of storms is determined by differences in temperatures , not temperature per se .

[CoSyBob]

There has been no warming in a decade . This last year has been as cold as the early 1900s . No uniform change to the spectrum of the atmosphere can change the mean temperature of the globe which is determined according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law by the sun and our distance from it . The intensity of storms is determined by differences in temperatures , not temperature per se .

[noloyalisti]

Global warming does not necessarily mean it is warmer right away. What is has been doing is disrupting the equilibrium of temperatures so that weather and storms become more severe. We have only seen the initial effects and these will likely be accelerating as we continue to drive our SUVs to the mall. Pray for $10/gallon gas.

[nonayabiness]

Global Warming = We are just fending off the next ice age.

[irliberal]

Tornados are the result of COOLING, not warming, air. Anyone who says that they are the result of so-called "global warming" either doesn''''t know what they are talking about or they have their own agenda.

Posted by RunNM at 08:14 PM

Are you massively ignorant or just doing a little agenda of your own?

Tornadoes form from temperature differentials. It takes both warm and cold air to form a tornado. The extra energy in the atmosphere in the form of heat creates a higher potential for these temperature differentials. I know YOU don''t care about facts, but someone else might. You can go cry now. Dismissed.

[juwboy]

stn_sage:

*** is the connection between ozone depletion and global warming?

[slim1h2o]

Posted by IRLiberal at 03:10 AM : May 13, 2008

By your theory,,we are headed for a Ice age. I think we had better pass expensive laws,,expensive debates,,expensive referendums to hold of the impending Ice Age!

Note Sarcasm

[irliberal]

Posted by slim1h2o at 05:46 AM

Rush, rush rush.... or dittohead. You KNOW that oxycontin affects your judgement. But I digress...

[slim1h2o]

Posted by IRLiberal at 05:52 AM : May 13, 2008

Better go out buy some ice,,before we run out!

sarcasm,,sarcasm, sarcasm sarcasm

[squidly8]

Global warming does not necessarily mean it is warmer right away. What is has been doing is disrupting the equilibrium of temperatures so that weather and storms become more severe. We have only seen the initial effects and these will likely be accelerating as we continue to drive our SUVs to the mall. Pray for $10/gallon gas.

Posted by noloyalisti at 01:02 AM : May 13, 2008

-----

So before Bush the earth was in equilibrium? Everything was rosy and happy, nobody ever died from a weather event and the climate was constant around the globe? Same temperature on the same day year after year. Rain/snow on the same days year after year.

Weather is dynamic series of events and it is only an extension of the lawyer like human-centric thinking that everything that happens on the planet is in some way, shape or form because of man and the libs like to say that man is Bush. A racoon in the woods doesn''t ever die because they lose their balance and fall out of a tree? Nope, Bush pushed it.

Egad, you tree huggers are unbelievable

[stn_sage]

Some of the posts on this story are indicative of at least one MAJOR problem! That being, those who want to add NOTHING constructive to the discussion
but instead choose to be ridiculing, dismissive, unconcerned, facetious, and downright obnoxious!

I''m to the point where I don''t care if YOU care!
You''re useless! The saving grace is one day the effects of global warming will kill you off right
along with everyone else. Thank God!

And undoubtedly, you''ll be crying like a baby when
it happens! :)

[mbcsmith]

You''''re useless! The saving grace is one day the effects of global warming will kill you off right
along with everyone else. Thank God!

And undoubtedly, you''''ll be crying like a baby when
it happens! :)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by stn_sage at 08:43 AM : May 13, 2008



Well, we''re all glad you survived the record cold and snow this past winter. It was brutally cold.

[oscarez]

Global cooling or global warming makes no difference we can''t do a *** thing about it.

[s1ckd09]

Posted by stn_sage at 10:53 PM : May 12, 2008

WOW! This planet is doomed only if people keep believing faulty science, and the manmade global warming hoax is just that... faulty science. Nobody disputes global warming, as it happens all the time and always has... and at the same time periods it is happening right now. Do yourself a favor and read what other scientists are saying on BOTH sides. I''ve read both... have you?

[al2008-2009]

Fortunately, most of us are on the right track; we see the global warming crisis of our time, and as Obama has stated recently on Earth Day we will save the planet.
.
To the others who continue to rant, complain, and stick your heads in the sand and deny global warming, please sit still and stop kicking and screaming like little children. You cannot fight change; we will get Obama elected and you will learn to live responsibly and pay your fair share of c02 taxes.
.
We will save mother earth, irregardless of a few little children who choose to act like babies. Grow up. We are fighting for the change mother earth needs, and we are winning; come join us today.

[stn_sage]

Do yourself a favor and read what other scientists are saying on BOTH sides. I''''ve read both... have you?

Posted by s1ckd09 at 11:17 AM : May 13, 2008
-----------------------------------------------------
My response: What is this...BOTH sides...crapola, son?!
Thank you, for illustrating my point! I don''t look for science reports that have been written by a liberal or a conservative!

I''m NOT INTERESTED IN the politicizing of science! OBVIOUSLY, you ARE! That''s your right, to accept science through whatever political vetting it has emerged from, but don''t expect me to accept or follow your errant lead! I wouldn''t consider it!

I''m not interested in being mislead or ''conned'' by psuedoscientists who would sell this planet down the drain for political considerations!

I''m not as easily duped as you are! Believe as you want and I''ll do the same!

[stn_sage]

Science is observable, hopefully testable, but not
always. And the facts speak for themselves. Sometimes these facts can be agreed upon by large numbers of people and sometimes not! This is how it is.

But one of the worst things we''ve experienced under the Bush administration is the politicizing of science where information that is not convenient is ignored, suppressed, or distorted; and one of the means of this effort has been those who attempt to persuade you that science is attained or achieved by looking at it from a certain political ''side''!

RUBBISH!

[erasmus81]

"Global cooling or global warming makes no difference we can''''t do a *** thing about it." Posted by Oscarez at 09:51 AM : May 13, 2008

If not, it is only because of jacka-s-ses like you.

[squidly8]

stn_sage, I do not believe that s1ckd09 was referring to BOTH sides in a political sense but a scientific sense. Believe or not, there are climate scientists that disagree with man made global warming. There is not a CONSENSUS as Gore claims, there are some that believe one way and others the other way.

Those that imply that we should close off debate on a scientific topic do not know anything about science. Science is about forming a hypothesis, doing the experiments to confirm or deny and then re-evaluating the original hypothesis. This happens over and over and requires repeatable results in objective testing by other scientists. It isn''t that some majority believes some hypothesis is true so they tell the others to quit working on it and berate them if they dont follow the majority.

I am an engineer with a specialty in thermodynamics. About 120 years there was scientist that claimed that the world has learned all there is to learn about thermodynamics. Then along came different gases and refridgerants, rockets, airplanes, solar cells and a million other inventions. Where we would we be if every thermo scientist threw down their pencils and stopped investigating just because one guy said there wasnt anything else to learn?

Al Gore and people like you want to throw the pencils down and claim it true. No further investigation necessary. Everyone should just get in line behind you.

[squidly8]

over the limit, continued.....

Sorry, I am way too curious to stop looking at the science. You are apparently content to look at the politics of it.

[okmd58]

As someone who has lived in the "Tornado Alley" all my life & the reason there are more deaths this decade versus the 90''s & the 90''s versus the 80''s & so on is because of population increases. This is not very hard to figure out! It''s not the fault of global warming, cooling, SUV''s, Bush, Clinton, Republicans or Democrats, its population. So everyone just get a grip & quit trying to blame any one thing or person, its nature & no matter how hard mankind try''s to think they can change the weather they can''t.

[markbrander]

Things are only warming up according to recent predictions by the prophets! Google hismailroom for some sobering predictions!

[stn_sage]

stn_sage, I do not believe that s1ckd09 was referring to BOTH sides in a political sense
Posted by squidly8 at 12:16 PM : May 13, 2008
-------------------------------------------------
My response:
First, nice try! It''s not your responsibility to bail him out! I think he WAS referring to science run thru the political clearinghouse!

Second, I''m glad you DO recognize that even amongst scientist---politics aside---they disagree on this!

Third, I agree Al Gore''s comments mistake reality.

Fourth, if you''re a thermodynamics engineer, I doubt you''re a good one!

Fifth, DO NOT align me with Al Gore! I''ll now return the insult by suggesting you''re of dubious parenthood!

Sixth, WHERE in either post did I proclaim a final result,mister?! I believe I stated models rarely exceed 90% accuracy, people expect too much, science is observable, often times it is not testable---where in these statements do you SEE this declared definitiveness you have ascribed to ME?!! ONLY IN YOUR OWN MIND! GEEZ!

Seventh, I''ve asked no one,''to get in line behind'' me!
That---more or less---is EXACTLY what the man you''re defending was attempting to do!

Finally, I''ll try to be as clear as I can---for any idiots reading this! Do your own thinking, at least consider using the scientific method in making your determinations, and don''t be railroaded into excepting conclusions by others that you disagree with!

[stn_sage]

I tried to make a meaningful contribution in the discussion of this story only to have my time wasted by someone devious who chose to miscontrue my comments! And someone else misguided who also miscontrued my meaning.

So, I now request ALL posters to leave me out of the discussion and work it out for yourselves! Thank you very much! :)

[on_alert247]

The problem with the whole global warming debate is it is not framed in the context of the science. So people who have no interest in studying the science (by that I mean reading the technical publications) and just want the spew some talking points (Al Gore for example), add nothing of substance; its all rhetoric framed around extreme environmentalism. After reading these posts, I did not see one example of actual data being used to dispute the whether the Myanmar cyclone or recent tornado outbreaks have anything to do with global warming. For anyone willing to take this scientists word and to do your own studying, the oceanic temperatures in the Bay of Bengal have been running below normal and the tornado outbreaks in the US are statistically associated with colder than normal ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific (La Nina). According to the climate models which predict global warming, La Nina''s should be a rare occurrence.