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Present - The Weather Channel 2000 => OCMs & Personalities => Topic started by: Anistorm on May 31, 2013, 07:39:55 PM

Title: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Anistorm on May 31, 2013, 07:39:55 PM
(http://i.imgur.com/9o94Nnl.png)

oh my goodness, no words to describe this but THANK GOODNESS THEY ARE SAFE. <3 This just happened minutes ago.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Mr. Rainman on May 31, 2013, 08:22:49 PM
There is evidence that they were just north of the main circulation, which is a very stupid move when it comes to chasing. There was also evidence they were core-punching, which is also moronic. This has not official news. This is gathered from where I heard they were when it happened, relative to the storm's location. I'm glad he's okay, but that was irresponsible of the team if this turns out to be true.

Stay south of the storm, and don't core punch. With a storm as violent as this one, give it several miles of berth. Getting right up on a circulation like this one is just asking for trouble.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Localonthe8s on May 31, 2013, 09:15:28 PM
I heard about it. The tornado hunt car got destroyed as it was thrown 200 yards across the road. This could have easily been fatal but thank heavens they're safe.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: brandonmahaffey85 on May 31, 2013, 09:30:08 PM
I'm glad Mike Bettes and the Crew are safe!!!!!!
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: TWCCraig on May 31, 2013, 09:57:15 PM
That's crazy. Glad that they are safe. Goes to show the real dangers of being a storm chaser.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: gt1racerlHDl on May 31, 2013, 10:07:43 PM
just got out of work and saw the OK Tornadoes crawl, Glad Mike and the Team are fine. Also i read that multiple vehicles were overturned too?

all i got to say is hopefully everyone is alert and accounted for from the El Reno Tornado.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: toxictwister00 on May 31, 2013, 10:21:51 PM
Well you know what?! When I created the Topic I looked in every part of this website to see if there was a post about it already and there was NOT!!! So I created one!!! Thank you very much!!!!  :censored:

Dude, chill. It's not that serious. He was just letting you know there was already a discussion thread on this topic already. The two threads can be merged.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: brandonmahaffey85 on May 31, 2013, 10:40:33 PM
Well I'm just saying it's annoying before I created this topic I looked all over this website and found NOTHING about The Tornado Hunt Team. So I created a topic because there was NOTHING posted! And I am being positive. That's why I used the Censored emoticon because I will not say anything bad on here.  :nono:
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Eric on May 31, 2013, 10:49:34 PM
I have to agree with Brandon.  It seems that there are certain people who will give someone a lot of grief for a duplicated post or thread, a response that isn't quite "kosher," and so on, and it doesn't need to be this way.  In my opinion, the best way to handle this would be for a moderator to simply say that this topic was being merged with one that already existed, and that's that.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: brandonmahaffey85 on May 31, 2013, 10:54:48 PM
I have to agree with Brandon.  It seems that there are certain people who will give someone a lot of grief for a duplicated post or thread, a response that isn't quite "kosher," and so on, and it doesn't need to be this way.  In my opinion, the best way to handle this would be for a moderator to simply say that this topic was being merged with one that already existed, and that's that.


Eric thank you! At least someone agrees with me.  :clap:  :worship:
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Trevor on May 31, 2013, 11:51:45 PM
That's crazy. Glad that they are safe. Goes to show the real dangers of being a storm chaser.

Not if you know what you're doing. It's funny how Mike was complaining about storm chasers going too far a few years ago, and now look at him. As far as I know this has been the only storm chaser's vehicle destroyed by a tornado.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: WeatherWitness on May 31, 2013, 11:53:01 PM
Brandon, I understand it may be frustrating to create a topic only to find out there is a duplicate one after searching but that outbreak was completely unnecessary.  I am not trying to attack you personally, but posts with multiple exclamation marks and all caps are treated as shouting and not welcome here.  As you are a new member, I remind you to please look over the forum rules again.

Thank you. :)
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: twcclassics on June 01, 2013, 01:05:44 AM
In my opinion, the best way to handle this would be for a moderator to simply say that this topic was being merged with one that already existed, and that's that.
Which is exactly what Patrick did. While I can understand his frustration, he totally overreacted. :fear:
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: phw115wvwx on June 01, 2013, 04:28:03 AM
I've merged the topics together here and unlocked it.  Everyone, please don't try to act like a moderator unless you are one.  Members don't like to be called out by someone who doesn't have the authority to do so.  When I checked, the other duplicate topic was only two hours older than the one Brandon created, so I'm not that upset at all.  I have way bigger issues to handle in my own life than this little problem if you read my Front Porch post.

Brandon, we do try to help others if you allow it.  Please don't feel offended as it only makes things worse for everyone.  If you have any problems, just PM anyone in the moderator/administration team.  I'm certain you will try harder to look around and read the rules more as you get comfortable here.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: gt1racerlHDl on June 01, 2013, 08:53:29 AM
Mike Bettes Reflects on Tornado Hunt Accident (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N90uHU5l5go#)

Stephanie Abrams and Eric Fisher on Tornado Hunt Accident (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgagP_FnDrs#)
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Metarvo on June 01, 2013, 09:14:51 AM
Storm chasers are literally chasing danger, and yet they escape so many times.  Since they are experts, they usually know when to run.  Unfortunately, they got caught this time.  This is bad, but at least it appears that Mike will be OK.  I hear about cars being thrown in tornadoes, but I don't often hear about people being in the cars that are tossed about like toys.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: phw115wvwx on June 01, 2013, 06:41:42 PM
From what I was able to learn about this tornado, it was heading east, and a lot of storm chasers were on a small unpaved road south of it as there weren't many other roads around in the area.  That's the first big mistake.  You should never be in an area without at least a couple escape routes in case things get crazy, and you must factor in road conditions as well.

Unfortunately, the tornado suddenly shifted southward a couple miles, intensified rapidly, and expanded in size into a larger wedge.  As a result, many chasers were caught off guard in a traffic jam trying to flee from it on that road.  Those chasers committed a second and almost deadly mistake by trying to outrun it, and they either suffered serious damage or even got flipped off the road as the inflow winds suddenly increased in strength and debris started to fly around them.  You should never outrun a tornado as they can go up to 60 mph. 

Now you see why I would never want to be in that position.  Tornadoes can change at any moment without any warning.  Those chasers should feel lucky to be alive today.  I even wonder why there were so many people out there on a single road to chase this tornado in the first place.  It wouldn't surprise me if TWC heavily reevaluates this idea of storm chasing in a meeting next week.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Metarvo on June 01, 2013, 07:10:17 PM
There were tornado evacuees (http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/31/us/severe-weather) on the highways along with the chasers.  For some reason, some residents thought it was a good idea to run by road, like people do on the coast when a hurricane is coming.  This made things worse for the chasers, creating a traffic jam situation that doesn't normally occur in a storm.  In reality, a car is about one of the worst places to be in a tornado.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: WeatherWitness on June 01, 2013, 07:12:44 PM
There were tornado evacuees ([url]http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/31/us/severe-weather[/url]) on the highways along with the chasers.  For some reason, some residents thought it was a good idea to run by road, like people do on the coast when a hurricane is coming.  This made things worse for the chasers, creating a traffic jam situation that doesn't normally occur in a storm.  In reality, a car is about one of the worst places to be in a tornado.


I was told that certain local media in OKC actually advised people to try to leave the town.  I do not know what they were thinking.  This is not a freaking hurricane!  This is a tornado!  When a tornado is threatening your area, you need to be underground or in a safe place, not trying to escape from it or outrun it.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: toxictwister00 on June 01, 2013, 07:15:42 PM
The local media in OKC better thank their lucky stars they're weren't massive fatalities because of that dumb advice.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Localonthe8s on June 01, 2013, 07:15:45 PM
There were tornado evacuees ([url]http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/31/us/severe-weather[/url]) on the highways along with the chasers.  For some reason, some residents thought it was a good idea to run by road, like people do on the coast when a hurricane is coming.  This made things worse for the chasers, creating a traffic jam situation that doesn't normally occur in a storm.  In reality, a car is about one of the worst places to be in a tornado.


I was told that certain local media in OKC actually advised people to try to leave the town.  I do not know what they were thinking.  This is not a freaking hurricane!  This is a tornado!  When a tornado is threatening your area, you need to be underground or in a safe place, not trying to escape from it or outrun it.

Is that why so many people were on the road? That is just terrible, trying to outrun a tornado is NEVER a wise idea because you may know which direction the tornado is headed for.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Metarvo on June 01, 2013, 07:20:19 PM
The local media in OKC better thank their lucky stars they're weren't massive fatalities because of that dumb advice.

This almost makes TWC not seem that bad anymore in comparison (as long as they don't do longform).  One wonders how any of the OKC channels involved in this failure can brag on their weather coverage after this.  I never thought I would say this, but even longform would have been less harmful than that kind of advice.  At least tornado-related longform provides common-sense advice.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: TWCC_DJK5555 on June 01, 2013, 08:38:39 PM
Thank God Mike and his crew are OK.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Trevor on June 01, 2013, 08:49:04 PM
KFOR's meteorologist Mike Morgan is an idiot in all sense of the words. His often overdramatic use of words scare viewers, and he actually told people to specifically get on the interstate and go south (where the next tornado hit).
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: gt1racerlHDl on June 02, 2013, 10:35:38 AM
Mike Bettes Full Interview on The Weather Channel  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gl3SvBf9E4#)
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: IceManNYR on June 02, 2013, 12:14:08 PM
Mike's crew is very fortunate as TWC is reporting 3 chasers did not survive the  El Reno, OK tornado.
http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/tim-samaras-dead-oklahoma-tornado-kills-storm-chaser-son-paul-samaras-and-crew-member-carl-young (http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/tim-samaras-dead-oklahoma-tornado-kills-storm-chaser-son-paul-samaras-and-crew-member-carl-young)
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: ap215 on June 02, 2013, 08:15:59 PM
I'm glad Mike & his crew are ok my deepest sympathies go out to the samaras family and the young family.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: phw115wvwx on June 04, 2013, 03:02:04 PM
Mike is now a survivor of a historic tornado.  The NWS has upgraded that tornado to EF-5 with measured mobile radar winds of 296 mph and a width of 2.6 miles at its widest point, which is a new record for US tornadoes.  The Norman, OK office published this graphic of the torando's path that I attached to this post, and I can unravel what happened to those storm chasers.  They all started south of where the tornado formed and thought they were safe, but it then intensified, widened, and suddenly moved southeastward to catch them.

Unfortunately, the turn later to the north as it reached its maximum intensity also trapped more storm chasers where the deaths of three of them occurred, which are the first known deaths of any storm chasers in recorded history.  This ought to be a huge wake-up call to everyone who dares to even try to chase a storm. Those who survived this historic tornado, including TWC's crew, should really think twice now.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Localonthe8s on June 04, 2013, 07:30:05 PM
Mike is now a survivor of a historic tornado.  The NWS has upgraded that tornado to EF-5 with measured mobile radar winds of 296 mph and a width of 2.6 miles at its widest point, which is a new record for US tornadoes.  The Norman, OK office published this graphic of the torando's path that I attached to this post, and I can unravel what happened to those storm chasers.  They all started south of where the tornado formed and thought they were safe, but it then intensified, widened, and suddenly moved southeastward to catch them.

Unfortunately, the turn later to the north as it reached its maximum intensity also trapped more storm chasers where the deaths of three of them occurred, which are the first known deaths of any storm chasers in recorded history.  This ought to be a huge wake-up call to everyone who dares to even try to chase a storm. Those who survived this historic tornado, including TWC's crew, should really think twice now.
Unbelievable. The death toll also rose to 18 from the tornado directly, making it the second deadliest tornado this year.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Lightning on June 04, 2013, 09:50:14 PM
I am glad Mike and the others chasers who were in the car survived. They could have been killed! :(
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: Lightning on June 04, 2013, 09:52:42 PM
Those who survived this historic tornado, including TWC's crew, should really think twice now.
I think I heard Mike Bettus say that he was considering not going on the tornado hunt next year.
Title: Re: Mike Bettes in Tornado Accident
Post by: TWCC_DJK5555 on June 05, 2013, 09:01:11 PM
Mike's crew is very fortunate as TWC is reporting 3 chasers did not survive the  El Reno, OK tornado.
[url]http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/tim-samaras-dead-oklahoma-tornado-kills-storm-chaser-son-paul-samaras-and-crew-member-carl-young[/url] ([url]http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/tim-samaras-dead-oklahoma-tornado-kills-storm-chaser-son-paul-samaras-and-crew-member-carl-young[/url])


Samaras was very experienced as a chaser.  I remember him on "Storm Chasers" on Discovery.  Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

There are too many amateur chasers (people who know very little about tornadoes) out there.  Hopefully now they realize THIS IS NOT A GAME.