The Joplin tornado event is mesmerizing not for awe inspiring videos of the funnel cloud itself. We’ve seen plenty of those over the past several years from storm chasing thrill seekers who set up their cameras way too close for comfort.
No, the videos from Joplin that I find most interesting have very little visual impact. The one posted previously demonstrated what happens when 19 strangers are caught in an emergency situation and have no place to go but a refrigerator to ride out winds that stripped the bark from trees.
The video posted below is from the emergency services recordings starting with the updates and warnings issued by the National Weather Service and then coordinated by the police, firefighters and other emergency responders with the emergency services command center. Amazing.
This is why we pay taxes. Deficit hawks and union busting Republican governors should take note.
Filed under: General | Tagged: emergency services, Joplin, taxes, tornado |
The Confluence 
Wow, so calm and cool. Even the people right on the scene didn’t sound panicked or rattled.
They had the National Weather Service, ambulances, firetrucks, trained emergency response teams, a coordination center and assistance sent from surrounding areas.
Just like there are supposedly no atheists in foxholes, there are no Libertarians in a disaster area.
Just like there are supposedly no atheists in foxholes, there are no Libertarians in a disaster area
got that right…nor should there be. I remember after Katrina, such units came from around the country in order to help , but were turned away ….seen as threats to the private contracts bonanza?
When the ’94 Repugs came in one of thier bright Deficit cutting ideas was to get rid of the US weather service. The weather from TV news was deemed enough…numb nuts didn’t realize that the US weather service was WHERE TV got its weather reports from .
help
Exactly — and the US Weather Service gets a lot of its information from weather satellites — which the GOP do not want:
http://climateprogress.org/2011/05/23/gop-cut-crucial-weather-satellites-with-fierce-hurricane-season-looming/
And:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=as-big-hurricane-season-looms-noaa-chief-calls-satellite-cuts-disaster
djmm