Everyone has at least heard about extreme weather, but few actually experience it firsthand. At the University of Maine at Presque Isle, two teachers have experienced two of the most dangerous weather phenomena. Ted Shapiro and Dr. J have personal experience with hurricanes and tornadoes, respectively. Their accounts will give an interesting look at the phenomena and also give us some information that we might not have known.
Ted Shapiro experienced a hurricane firsthand before becoming the local weatherman. When he was younger, Ted actually chased at least two hurricanes and he described (to the best of his ability) the experience. Ted said “Hurricane Fran, 1996 in Wilmington, N.C. Winds gusting 120 miles per hour.” When asked what he was doing there, Ted replied “I was in somebody’s house to chase the hurricane.” He couldn’t remember his friend’s name. This is a firsthand account of the winds that can be caused by an average hurricane and they can be higher. One hundred and twenty mph is fast enough to launch straw into a tree: literally into a tree.
Dr. J used to live in an area with many tornadoes per year. They had special sirens that went off if a tornado was starting to form. This means everyone needs to take shelter immediately. Tornado Alley is the nickname for the section of the USA with the most tornadoes per year. This includes most of the Midwest States. When asked what the most intense weather she had experienced, Dr. J. said, “The most intense weather experience was when I lived in Illinois. We had tornado sirens installed all over because it was in Tornado Alley. Several times while we lived there, the sirens went off. The sky would go this awful color– yellow-green– it was very different. We would take shelter and we never had a direct hit, but tornadoes would touch down around us.”
Underground places (basements and storm cellars) are the safest places in a tornado. The area under an overpass is the worst because it is a vacuum that somehow intensifies the winds of a tornado.
Just because these two survived the storms, doesn’t mean you would. They are ultimately unpredictable in the amount of devastation they can cause. Always pay attention to the weather reports and evacuate if necessary. While a hurricane is almost always able to be tracked before it reaches land, tornadoes can happen without prior warning. If you don’t heed the advice of the weather service, you may lose your life.
