As it turns out this week, the subject matter in my commercial class is meteorology. There are some things I like to focus on, the most important of which is learning how to recognize in-flight aviation weather hazards.
The tornadoes that ripped through Joplin, MO and Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, have been truly devastating. At last report, 119 lost their lives in Joplin and law enforcement officials have confirmed two dead in Oklahoma. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has gone on record as reporting 2011 as the worst year for tornadoes since 1953. During that year 57 years ago, 519 people died throughout the United States.
This year, 365 have died thus far.
Video on TV of the tornadoes and storm damage is horrific. In Oklahoma, high winds tossed semi-trucks onto their sides along Interstate 40. According to CNN News, the tornado was a half-mile wide and Fox News reported it touched down and stayed on the ground for more than 50 miles. The Canadian County, OK sheriff, speaking from Piedmont, OK, said the tornadoes destroyed many of the homes in the Piedmont area.
News cameras captured disoriented and distraught homeowners picking through the rubble that once was their homes. Another report on Fox News indicated the tornado caught a father and his son driving home from the son’s graduation ceremonies. The cyclonic wind smashed the windshield of their vehicle and took out the sunroof. The tornado tore the 18-year-old high school graduate through the sunroof and authorities are still looking for him. The father is in the hospital with shoulder and arm injuries.
Estimates for the monetary damage of the tornadoes are now pushing $9 billion. However, the loss in terms of fatalities, homes, and lost treasures is inestimable.
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© 2011 J. Clark
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