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Jordan Hartley
03-01-2007, 04:58 PM
13 people confirmed dead in the state of Alabama today, which makes the death toll today 14 people :( All 14 caught off their guard. I dont understand the day and age we live in. I know 8 deaths for sure didnt have to happen and you can take that for what its worth it might not be appropriate for a Now thread but those kids should NOT have been let out early like that... period. But then again I thought we could trust the public school system to make the right decisions in situations where children are in danger. Guess myself and the rest of us were wrong.

J Kinkaid
03-01-2007, 05:00 PM
I also don't understand how the 13 people in Bama died. They had at least 20 mins notice and sirens went off well in advance . This might be a post that should be moved to the lounge

Scott A. Kampas
03-01-2007, 05:01 PM
Or taken to a gym. Students were trapped there for hours, apparently. Gyms are absolutely not the place to go, that needs to be drilled in. So many times I hear about people sent to gyms.

Bobby Lang
03-01-2007, 05:03 PM
13 people confirmed dead in the state of Alabama today, which makes the death toll today 14 people :( All 14 caught off their guard. I dont understand the day and age we live in. I know 8 deaths for sure didnt have to happen and you can take that for what its worth it might not be appropriate for a Now thread but those kids should NOT have been let out early like that... period.

I heard 13 deaths also while listening to a radio station in Enterprise online. However, I thought I was hearing things :(. Another thing I heard online that was disturbing was one of the parents said she drove during the tornado to pick her kid up! While she was apparently not in the direct path of the tornado, the wind did manage to pick her car up off the ground. She should be thankful she wasn't one of those injured or even worse killed :(.

Justin Bailey
03-01-2007, 05:04 PM
13 people confirmed dead in the state of Alabama today, which makes the death toll today 14 people :( All 14 caught off their guard. I dont understand the day and age we live in. I know 8 deaths for sure didnt have to happen and you can take that for what its worth it might not be appropriate for a Now thread but those kids should NOT have been let out early like that... period.
you say they shouldn't have been let out. i say that the school officials should've been aware of the situation at hand today and should've ended classes earlier. but this is a now thread...not the place for a debate.

Jason A.C. Brock
03-01-2007, 05:05 PM
I heard a report from one of the local stations that some of the schools in Alabama were let out early at 12:30pm due to the threat for afternnoon storms....if so why wasnt this school done the same? I agreee with the gymnasium scenario....a few years back Holiday Texas gymnasium collapsed due to high winds.....someone is going to have some explaining to do for sure.

Dustin Wilcox
03-01-2007, 05:32 PM
I understand what your saying but one could also say that they are safer at the school then at home when their parents are still gone at work, many kids would be completely oblivious to the situation, at least at school they have adults monitoring the situation, well some seem to wonder if the adults were monitoring it, but I'm sure they were. Some things just happen. Tornadoes are powerful and unpredictable they have the power and ability to take lives even when one takes all precautions possible.

Jason A.C. Brock
03-01-2007, 06:33 PM
Actually what disturbs me more is that they were taken to the gym. I did hear another report however that many of those who where killed were actually in a hallway which would make much more sense as far as being a safe place.....of course when you have something as large as a school roof come crashing down it is hard to not have serious even deadly injuries.

cedwards
03-01-2007, 06:38 PM
This school had planned to let out early. The tornado hit about 20 minutes before they planned to let out.

You have to think of the logistics of letting kids out of school. It takes a while to get the buses there, then loaded, then where are the buses going to go? If they take the kids home on the normal rout, this could take even longer. They may be taking kids into the path of a tornado.

It is easy to say after the fact that the kids should have been let out, but the odds are, that they will probably be safer by staying in school and taking shelter. I am sure, when the school is rebuilt, that safe rooms will be implemented. Here in Shawnee, the middle school has reinforced rooms in the center of the building.

Chad Ringley
03-01-2007, 09:25 PM
Great news. ALA officials revise death toll...7 total and 5 at Enterprise High via CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/03/01/severe.weather/index.html

Brian Stertz
03-01-2007, 10:14 PM
Glad to hear that little bit "better" news..very odd they would feed the media such a high number, and then knock it back down considerably. Any tornado fatality is certainly a bad one, so when you consider a direct strike on a school and loss of life there, that leaves a huge mark on the Enterprise community. Any early guesses on intensity? I have not seen enough video yet that I can make a remark on that yet.

Bill Hark
03-01-2007, 10:35 PM
For those who haven't seen the tornado video, see this link. The video segment shows damage (especially flipped cars), then some recovery and it ends with the tornado video. This is the same not so good video shown on CNN and TWC with the tornado mostly blocked by buildings. There is also a still of the tornado.
http://www.dothanfirst.com/

Nice still of the wedge tornado near Enterprise.
http://go.wsfa.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_Tornado_pic_large.jpg


Damage video
http://www.nbc15online.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=231917

Bill Hark

APritchard
03-01-2007, 11:01 PM
It is easy to say after the fact that the kids should have been let out, but the odds are, that they will probably be safer by staying in school and taking shelter. I am sure, when the school is rebuilt, that safe rooms will be implemented. Here in Shawnee, the middle school has reinforced rooms in the center of the building.

Exactly. Why send them out if they are already indoors and "safe"? I can think of at least two instances when I was in elementary school where we were kept almost an hour after our normal dismissal time because tornadoes were spotted in the area.

If you dismiss them, think about what you are doing. A handful of kids are walking down the streets to their house, another group is on school busses, some are waiting for parents to pick them up, while a few may be home in time. All the rest are doing the above situation while a tornado comes sweeping through the town. You might as well keep them all indoors in one place, but do something smart with them.

Jordan Hartley
03-01-2007, 11:12 PM
Eyewitness reports talk of seeing multiple tornadoes as it struck the school(Multiple Vortex stage.) So did the tornado fall apart (which is what it would of had to do) right after it hit Enterprise to miss Fort Rucker completley? Shortly after the tornado struck Enterprise SPC issued a MD on that storm talking about a long tracking devestating tornado that was still on the ground yet no reports of damage. There is a huge media black out right now about Fort Rucker which if u look on a map had to of taken a hit. I do know that Cnn had a reporter there doing a story on the helicopter pilots who are trained there. He did a live report from Fort Rucker around 1pm. 20 minutes later the storm passed right over the base. The rotation never decreased as far as I could tell as the storm moved out of Enterprise. The storm passed right over Fort Rucker. Did the tornado go from the multi-vortex stage to falling appart in 5-7 miles, then reforming again after the storm passed over the base? I want to know if the tornado fell apart after it hit Enterprise which it would of had to do in order to completley miss the base. There is a total media black out about Fort Rucker right now.

Brett Adair
03-01-2007, 11:18 PM
A friend of mine that works at a station tells me that we have multiple vortex video coming very soon. He says it was multi-vortex and violent. Looks like we may get an EF-4 or 3 rating judging the damage.

Justin E. Reed
03-02-2007, 12:05 AM
Prior to the tornado, we had been receiving data from the observers at Ft. Rucker. After 1300, no reports and I don't believe one hasn't been reported since, so either they have no power, or the ASOS isn't there anymore. The mlitary would be tight lipped at this time to release any major damage reports, plus FT. Rucker is a rather large base and most of it is nothing but woods and wiregrass prairie. So, I'm betting it did move upon the base grounds, but likely lifted at some point on base. Daebris was reported "raining" down in Ozark, at the other end of Ft. Rucker from Enterprise.

Jordan Hartley
03-02-2007, 12:33 AM
Here's another reason why I think they would keep the lid on reporting if any damage did take place. Ft. Rucker is where they train all the helicopter pilots in the US Army. We are in fact in a time of war and if any damage was done to the base the lid would be closed shut on any reports of damage from the base. At 1300 Cnn was doing a live report from Ft. Rucker with the sirens going off in the distance right before Enterprise got hit.

Brian Emfinger
03-02-2007, 05:23 AM
dont know if anyones linked this yet - from youtube claiming to be enterprise tornado:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVd0uOqd3F8

Paul Knightley
03-02-2007, 05:32 AM
dont know if anyones linked this yet - from youtube claiming to be enterprise tornado:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVd0uOqd3F8

Could be - be warned though, some strong language.

Mark Manchester
03-02-2007, 08:46 AM
I saw an interview with an administrator with the Enterprise School District on ABC last night and their thinking was it would be safer to keep the kids in school then have hundreds of kids out on busses and others just running loose. Not taking sides either way, but that was straight from the horses mouth.

Mark Farnik
03-02-2007, 09:03 AM
Some sad news out of Enterprise... they found the bodies of three more teens in the rubble of Enterprise High School overnight, raising the death toll at the school to eight and the overall death toll in Enterprise to eleven.
Also nine people were killed by the tornadoes in Georgia overnight. The current overall death toll for the outbreak stands at 21, but I fear this number may continue to rise as search and rescue operations are still underway in Georgia, and many people were critically injured by these storms. The final death toll when all is said and done will likely be over two dozen. :(:(

Kevin Bowman
03-02-2007, 09:35 AM
I saw an interview with an administrator with the Enterprise School District on ABC last night and their thinking was it would be safer to keep the kids in school then have hundreds of kids out on busses and others just running loose. Not taking sides either way, but that was straight from the horses mouth.

The Belvidere tornado is a perfect example of why they made the right choice

that tornado
F4
struck as kids were being let out of school
many were in school buses waiting to go home outside the high school
12 of 16 school buses were overturned or thrown
24 dead

HAltschule
03-02-2007, 11:46 AM
Where did your F4 rating come from?

Mike Davis
03-02-2007, 11:48 AM
Minor damage to several mobile homes and one large building rolled at Ratliff Road/Thomas Creek in Callahan, FL. I am 8 miles from it, Vchased it, and received 7 photos laptopped from scene to study. With the NWS TOR Warn, and radar indicating a TVS with 41 k/s, the photos seem to confirm an F0.

Morgan Palmer
03-02-2007, 11:53 AM
The following was sent to WSFA in Montogomery.

Subject: Enterprise tornado pictures
My wife and I were driving down the road in Enterprise today when the
tornado that hit Enterprise crossed the road in front of us. We later went
back and found out that the twister crossed 0.4 miles in front of us.

We had to stop in the road, do a U-turn and run for our lives. I hope you
like the pictures.

This thing was huge!!! Look at the diameter of the base!!!

Barry Mott
Dothan, Alabama

Brett Adair
03-02-2007, 12:48 PM
I do believe that is Enterprise, Alabama. I have been there many times and it looks alot like the area.

Kevin Bowman
03-02-2007, 03:17 PM
Where did your F4 rating come from?

Numerous sources have that tornado rated at a F4, this isint the tornado from yesterday

Alex Lamers
03-02-2007, 03:45 PM
I don't believe the Enterprise, AL tornado has been assigned even a preliminary rating yet. It's all speculation by the media types, including TWC.

Looking at the Enterprise damage photos, it's very difficult to discern. There are quite a few aerial photos and an aerial video of the damage but they are pretty zoomed out so it is hard to tell what the damage is like in those photos. Hardwood trees in some pictures near the school appear to be debarked and stripped of pretty much everything. In fact the tornado was probably loaded with a lot of debris because in some areas trees are mowed down pretty close to the ground too. Per the EF Scale DI-27 this would correspond to an expected windspeed of 143mph with an upper bound of 167mph. This would put it squarely in the EF3 range. I couldn't get a good enough picture of the most severe home damage to see how bad it is, and besides the survey team will need to examine the construction of the building.

So, based on what I can figure it would be an EF3 with possibly a higher rating depending on home damage and what exactly it did to the school. The pictures from the school show that most of the lower walls remain in tact which probably wouldn't figure to be an EF4 damage indicator, unless I'm reading the chart wrong.

AJL

Jeff Snyder
03-02-2007, 04:40 PM
Damage assessments from BMX NWSFO (summarized):
DALLAS COUNTY (RATED AN EF1):
Width: 450 yards
Length: 12.1 miles
Max winds: 105 mph

JEFFERSON COUNTY (RATED AN EF1):
Width: 400 yards
Length: 1 mile
Max winds: 100 mph

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY (RATED AN EF0):
Width: 50 yards
Length: 0.25 miles
Max winds: 80 mph

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY (RATED AN EF1):
Width: 100 yards
Length: 1.5 miles
Max winds: 105 mph

FAYETTE COUNTY (RATED AN EF0):
Width: 50 yards
Length: 0.25 miles
Max winds: 65 mph

FAYETTE COUNTY (RATED AN EF1):
Width: 150 yards
Length: 1 mile
Max winds: 90 mph

WINSTON COUNTY (RATED AN EF1):
Width: 100 yards
Length: 1.5 miles
Max winds: 100 mph

--> http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBMX/0703022221.nous44.html

All winds are ESTIMATED, obviously.

Justin E. Reed
03-02-2007, 05:08 PM
They found my uncle Chip in Ozark, he's fine. His house suffered damage from the circulation apssing directly overhead. He found insulation, metal, and a cancelled check from Enterprise. It all traveled about 20 miles in the circulation, fairly good distance. His damage was probably from the RFD. I will go thru there on my way home at the end of March and try and post pictures on here at a later date.

Alex Lamers
03-02-2007, 06:03 PM
Just posted on WSFA website (Montgomery, AL):

ENTERPRISE, Ala., March 1, 2007 -- Bob Goree of the National Weather Service says preliminary indications are that the tornado that ravished the Enterprise area was an EF Scale 3 tornado.

"Today we see the intensity of the damage. Now, we're not quite ready to put the new enhanced Fujita Scale value on this. We can tell you the preliminary finding is, it will be at least an EF scale 3. It may become that officially. We're getting some engineering help to hopefully finalize that intensity tomorrow."

Sounds like pretty much what I was expecting. Very nasty tornado indeed. Unfortunate situation at the school, and obviously we're all pulling for the residents of Enterprise and the surrounding area!

It will be interesting to see if they up that at all for the final rating.

AJL

Justin E. Reed
03-02-2007, 06:06 PM
Looking at the radar loop closely, I see why Ozark was spared the worst. The wedge and hook occluded over Ft. Rucker, then rapidly redeveloped over north Ozark. Had this not occluded, I'm highly sure that Ozark would have seen as much, if not more damage because it probably would have gotten stronger. This is an excellent version of a Great Plains type storm in the south.

Sam Shamburger
03-02-2007, 06:11 PM
Here's some preliminary damage summaries from WFO Peachtree City GA (with updates to come), WFO Columbia SC, and WFO Jacksonville FL. Note the Americus GA tornado:


WFO PEACHTREE CITY GA

TORNADO 1 - STEWART COUNTY
LOCATION: NEAR RICHLAND
RATED: EF1
LENGTH: APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 200 YARDS

TORNADO 2 - TAYLOR COUNTY
LOCATION: 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF POTTERVILLE TO 6 MILES WEST OF FORT VALLEY
RATED: EF2
LENGTH: APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1/4 MILE
FATALITIES: 1

TORNADO 3 - CRAWFORD COUNTY
LOCATION: APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES EAST OF KNOXVILLE
RATED: EF3
LENGTH: APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1/4 MILE
INJURIES: 9

TORNADO 4 - MUSCOGEE COUNTY
LOCATION: NORTH SIDE OF COLUMBUS
RATED: EF2
LENGTH: 7 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 300 YARDS

TORNADO 5 - WEBSTER/SUMTER/MACON COUNTIES
LOCATION: FROM CHAMBLISS TO ABOUT 17 MILES NORTHEAST OF AMERICUS
RATED: EF3
LENGTH: APPROXIMATELY 38 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1 MILE
FATALITIES: 2
INJURIES: AT LEAST 3

TORNADO 6 - JONES COUNTY
LOCATION: FROM 5 MILES SOUTH OF GRAY TO ONE MILE SOUTH OF JAMES
RATED: EF1
LENGTH: 3 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 150 YARDS

TORNADO 7 - WARREN COUNTY
LOCATION: FROM 5 MILES EAST OF WARRENTON TO 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF THOMSON
RATED: EF2
LENGTH: 15 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1/4 MILE
INJURIES: 3

TORNADO 8 - BIBB COUNTY
LOCATION: NEAR ZEBULON ROAD AND INTERSTATE 475
RATED: EF0
LENGTH: 500 YARDS
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 100 YARDS


WFO COLUMBIA SC

TORNADO 1 - MCDUFFIE COUNTY
LOCATION: ENTERED MCDUFFIE COUNTY NEAR US HWY 278 AND TRAVELLED NE THROUGH THOMSON AND DISSIPATED IN EXTREME NE MCDUFFIE COUNTY
RATED: EF2
LENGTH: 10 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1/4 MILE


WFO JACKSONVILLE FL

TORNADO 1 - NASSAU COUNTY
LOCATION: 3 SSE OF CALLAHAN FL
RATED: EF0
LENGTH: 1/4 MILE
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 100 YARDS

SteveCarter
03-02-2007, 06:12 PM
Most schools DID let the students out early. I was in the Tuscaloosa, AL area around 1PM, and schools were already closed. I'm not taking either side, but what happens to the kids AFTER school is closed? Some parents can't leave work, and kids have a tendancy to run loose when school os closed. The reason for the gym, is to keep all the students in one place so they can be easily accounted for. (NOT a good choice) Also, a LARGE number of students around enterprise live in mobile homes, which could be even worse than the gym. All in all, IMO, schools should have stayed open, BUT only if they have a GOOD place for the students to seek shelter. A gym is horrible. If they close the schools, then they need to call the NWS to see where the closest storms are, and then they need to notify every students parent/guardian before they let them go.

Justin E. Reed
03-02-2007, 06:21 PM
Overall, it was a mass confusion with tornado warning after warning. My cousin attends Enterprise H.S. Most of those in the gym, were just getting ready to head to their cars, NOONE IS ALLOWED TO BE IN THE GYM with a tornado warning, but with a large student population, it is hard for the administrators and teachers to heard up the students, it's like a giant cow herding. We may never know the full story of wtf went on in E.H.S., but with this tornado being personal, I know a little more, the media will constantly conflict the reports, we saw it with the death toll roller coaster, they shouldn't be allowed to say any numbered figure, just a number of fatalities. My cousins truck was found 2 blocks NE of the school, and his truck is a Dodge 2500 Diesel, that's alot of weight to go flying or rolling. E.H.S. is a very loarge campus, it's more spread out than your avg. high school, so it was basically organized chaos just before it hit.

---------

Coffe County was under almost continuous tornado warnings for 2 hours, prior to the tornado strike. A school, is one giant span roof, just with walls, and that roof can only take such a wind load, even with walls to support and divide. Some of the school, is actually relatively new I think if I remember right, is not even 10 years old, but overall is 50 years old.Regardless of design, 150+mph is a lot of wind load for any building of any design. They were going to release students at 100pm, but then came a different storm, one just north of the cell that would eventually ravage Enterprise. Then, the southern storm developed one intense circulation, one of the most intense in NWS TLH CWA history. Overall tragedy, but like it has been said, thank the good Lord that they were delaying the release until 130, because I can't imagine the death tole had they released at 100.

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

Video of the tornado slamming into Enterprise High School. Awesome multiple votex tornado, transitioning into a wedge. Best video I think you'll be able to find. Also, look at the RFD punching in, picks up and tosses a trampoline as well. Now we get to put a good face with this a hole.

Fox Affiliate Birmingham, Alabama
http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=2550942&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Sam Shamburger
03-02-2007, 07:11 PM
That's an awesome video find, with a great shot of the RFD to boot.

By the way, in the first few opening frames, there appears to be a second tornado on the left side of the screen.

Justin E. Reed
03-02-2007, 10:05 PM
If you close enough, you can see debris at cloud base, and debris rising vertically, and at a very high rate of speed. This is w/o a doubt a violent EF3, possibly an EF4. The Americus tornado is probably this widest one of the outbreak, but possibly not the strongest. Also, people need to stop ridiculing E.H.S. it could have been much worse. 3 constant hours under a tornado warning, this part of SE Alabama is so used to warnings, this just happened to be the one that REALLY DID happen.

Jeff Snyder
03-02-2007, 10:45 PM
Per a new LSR, the Enterprise tornado has been rated EF3:


0210 PM TORNADO ENTERPRISE 31.31N 85.85W
03/01/2007 F3 COFFEE AL NWS STORM SURVEY

*** 9 FATAL *** 8 KILLED IN SCHOOL WHEN CONCRETE WALL
COLLAPSED IN HALLWAY. TORNADO PATH APPROX. 200 YARDS WIDE
AND 10 MILES LONG. INFO BASED ON STORM SURVEY BY WCM ON
3/2/07.


--> http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KTAE/0703030227.nwus52.html

Dustin Wilcox
03-03-2007, 07:51 PM
Not for the weak at heart, but this is a well constructed tribute to those who lost their lives at the school in Enterprise. It also serves well as a somber reminder of the other side of the storms that often is forgotten while witnessing their beauty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81tK7IEIDPQ

Brian Stertz
03-06-2007, 12:55 PM
I know the Enterprise tornadoes have been getting all the pub...but the Echo and Americus tornadoes were pretty nasty too. Has anybody seen any specific details on the rating of the Echo AL tornado? I saw the Americus one got EF3 rating over the weekend.

Justin E. Reed
03-06-2007, 03:12 PM
From seeing the damage photos of the Americus tornado, it deserves a higher rating. In Wevster Co. in shredded tree bark, left only the foundation of a well constructed home, and THE BIGGIE, stripped 2 yr old pavement of the road. I've never heard of a tornado in GA doing that. This tornado is easily and EF4 in Webster Co. , thank the good Lord it weakened before it hit Americus. Someone needs to send out some people from NWS OKC/ Norman to view this and give it a REAL rating.

Jeff Snyder
03-06-2007, 04:52 PM
From seeing the damage photos of the Americus tornado, it deserves a higher rating. In Wevster Co. in shredded tree bark, left only the foundation of a well constructed home, and THE BIGGIE, stripped 2 yr old pavement of the road. I've never heard of a tornado in GA doing that. This tornado is easily and EF4 in Webster Co. , thank the good Lord it weakened before it hit Americus. Someone needs to send out some people from NWS OKC/ Norman to view this and give it a REAL rating.

I assume you actually went to the house to examine how well it was built, right? I'm not saying the assessment was correct, but, before you lambast it, I certainly hope you visited the significant damage location to examine the damage first-hand. Wiping a poorly-built and poorly-anchored house to the foundation doesn't necessarily require EF4 or EF5 winds. "Foundation-wiping" damage has been observed with F1-F2 tornadoes (see La Plata, MD, tornado damage, some of which was originally rated F5, only to be downgraded to F1-F2 -- the houses were "sliders").

Tony Lyza
03-06-2007, 07:12 PM
I assume you actually went to the house to examine how well it was built, right? I'm not saying the assessment was correct, but, before you lambast it, I certainly hope you visited the significant damage location to examine the damage first-hand. Wiping a poorly-built and poorly-anchored house to the foundation doesn't necessarily require EF4 or EF5 winds. "Foundation-wiping" damage has been observed with F1-F2 tornadoes (see La Plata, MD, tornado damage, some of which was originally rated F5, only to be downgraded to F1-F2 -- the houses were "sliders").
Perry Williams posted pics of the site in W/C. From the best I could tell, it appeared as though there was little or no anchoring of the house to the slab. In addition, the road scouring really isn't that impressive. It's been observed in F2 damage (Jarrell), and F3 damage (Dimmitt). IMO, its being in GA doesn't make it anymore impressive than if it were in TX or OK. I believe that the EF3 rating was completely appropriate.

Evan Bookbinder
03-06-2007, 10:02 PM
From seeing the damage photos of the Americus tornado, it deserves a higher rating. In Wevster Co. in shredded tree bark, left only the foundation of a well constructed home, and THE BIGGIE, stripped 2 yr old pavement of the road. I've never heard of a tornado in GA doing that. This tornado is easily and EF4 in Webster Co. , thank the good Lord it weakened before it hit Americus. Someone needs to send out some people from NWS OKC/ Norman to view this and give it a REAL rating.

As a point of clarification Justin, there actually are experts from Norman (and other locations) on site as part of the assessment -- comprised of meteorologists, wind engineers, and other fields. Having just surveyed an EF4 here, based on the photo evidence I saw, I would have a hard time arguing with the rating that was assigned down there.

With respect to road scouring, I think the greater consensus is that this is not caused directly by tornado winds (remember that the wind speed must approach 0 at the immediate ground), but rather by debris being scraped along the road surface at high velocity. Knowing the pot holes I drive through here in KC every day, asphalt is pretty easy to break apart as compared to say concrete surfaces which have a more uniform and harder consistency. As Tony stated, it's been observed in strong tornadoes and equally not observed in violent tornadoes. With respect to the home, the big part of the new EF scale is to take into account the quality of construction, and I echo Tony comments there as well.

As a point of training for EMs and other interested parties, I think you'll begin to see more and more documentation from these big events that reflect the reasoning and analysis behind the ratings.

Just my 2 cents,
Evan

Defacto Disclaimer: These are my opinions and may not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Justin E. Reed
03-07-2007, 07:07 PM
This is another video find I located by google search. I thought the find I had of the Enterprise tornado was crazy, this is outta control. This is several cameras at the hospital in Americus, Ga.

Fox 5 Atlanta, Georgia

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=250504D9C9BDDDDB007B392CA21C1D00 ?contentId=2588234&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1