Tornadoes

Why Chase Tornadoes? To Save Lives, Not To 'Die Ourselves'

Mark Memmott — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:41:00 +0000

The deaths Friday of veteran storm chaser Tim Samaras, his son Paul and their friend Carl Young when a tornado near El Reno, Okla., pummeled their vehicle has raised some questions:

-- Why do storm chasers do what they do?

-- Do the benefits outweigh the dangers?

Morning Edition has spoken with Josh Wurman, of the Colorado-based Center for Severe Weather Research.

Why Do People Live In Twister-Prone Oklahoma?

Dana Farrington — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:09:00 +0000

In covering the devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma, we've been asking a lot of questions about safety and preparedness.

Death Toll From Latest Oklahoma Tornado Rises Further

Mark Memmott — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:01:00 +0000

There are now reports that as many as 18 people died from injuries they received Friday when the latest in a weeks-long series of tornado-spawning storms tore through parts of Oklahoma.

Update at 8:50 p.m. ET. Death Toll Revised:

An update from Oklahoma's Department of Emergency Management Monday evening reports that 12 adults and 6 children died in Friday night's storms, NPR Southern Bureau Chief Russell Lewis tells us. Officials say that they haven't identified all of the victims.

Tornadoes Threaten Oklahoma City

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 01:23:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. It has been another day of terrible tornadoes in Oklahoma. Supercells have moved across the state focusing their fury on the Oklahoma City metro area. It was just two weeks ago that another tornado devastated the city of Moore, killing 24 people.

This evening, damage reports from these latest tornadoes are beginning to trickle in. Tens of thousands of people are without power in the Oklahoma City area, and flooding is now a major concern.

In Ohio Town, Okla. Twister Conjures Echoes Of 1974 Disaster

Noah Adams — Fri, 31 May 2013 21:49:00 +0000

When a tornado roars into a populated area, the change is often drastic and deadly, and it happens within minutes. As the people of Oklahoma struggle to look beyond this month's devastating storms, residents of Xenia, Ohio, are reflecting on the tornado of 1974.

Xenia, in southwest Ohio near Dayton, became well-known to the nation that year. "Everywhere I go, and I've been all over the U.S., if I say I'm from Xenia people say, 'tornado,' " says Catherine Wilson, who runs the historical society in Xenia.