It is said by people who tally such things that there are around 1000 tornadoes annually in the continental U.S., and that the recent EF5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma was only the 59th such tornado since 1950. That’s an average of less than one per year, meaning that this unimaginably powerful type of tornado is very, very rare.

There are a few towns in the U.S. that have played host to EF5s more than once. Moore, Oklahoma is one of those. In fact, this latest storm followed almost the exact same path as its May 3, 1999 predecessor.

This time there were schoolchildren involved, children whose lives were lost in the one place where they were supposed to be the safest – in their own school. Neighborhoods obliterated by such a storm can be rebuilt. Lives lost cannot. It is all the more painful when the lives are so innocent and young.

This particular tragedy has led to suggestions from some that tornado-prone Moore should not be rebuilt. I say that it would be a dishonor to those lost if it were not. We can honor them by rebuilding in more tornado-aware ways, and by heeding the warnings given us.

This is where the storm chasers come in. I have heard people who, while trying to come to grips with such a huge tragedy, will point fingers at storm chasers and say they’re no better than ambulance chasers and enjoy it when people get hurt by tornadoes,etc. Not so. Storm chasers are people of great heart, and are often the first on the scene offering help in the wake of a tornado. The fact that they are in awe of nature, so much so that they spend hours and days seeking the perfect storm to observe and record, does not mean that they are heartless ambulance chasers. It does mean that they deeply understand the power of nature and its effect on people.

Already we have made great strides in warning the public about tornadoes. The contribution of storm chasers to this advance has been anything but minimal. It’s safe to say that nowadays, an exceptionally powerful tornado is almost never a surprise; so it was in Moore where there was supposedly almost 20 minutes of advance warning. A great deal of this progress is the result of the work of storm chasers in the field, observing the tornadoes and telling local authorities what they have observed.

So storm chasers are not to blame in this situation. Who is to blame? No one. There is no choice but to go on, rebuild, and try to make things better in the future.

In the meantime, donate to the Red Cross or other worthy charity that is working in Moore to help the residents through this crisis.
Andrea McGhee-Lead Blogger Mr Twister