Chad’s “Twisted” Obsession Part Two!

I am sitting at my computer this morning and looking through Facebook.  And everyone is fired up about our HIGH risk of severe weather today.  Computer models that look this serious have made us expect the worst.  And, yes, make no mistake.  There is a serious threat of tornadoes today . . . including powerful, long-track storms that could stay on the ground for miles and miles.  We had a similar situation brewing last spring and I shared this . . . Normal people hear this kind of news and immediately start thinking about their safety plans.  The main question . . . if the sirens sound, where am I headed?  The basement?  The neighbor's cellar?  The interior-most room of the house?  But not me.  I know where I'll be headed.  I'm going to be outside right in the middle of the storm.

One of my favorite shows on television is the Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers.  Reed Timer (pictured below) has the COOLEST job in the world.  He literally chases tornadoes in his S.R.V. (Storm Research Vehicle) called THE DOMINATOR!  And what makes The Dominator so awesome is that he can park the thing right in the path of a tornado, deploy its anchors and stakes into the ground and truly ride out the storm.  THAT IS MY DREAM!!

Well, guess what?  I get Facebook alerts from Reed Timmer and he is up and it this morning.  And, pardon the pun, he ain't in Kansas anymore.  He's headed to our next neck of the woods.  The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore is already here.  In fact, he was spotted last night in Lexington.  The big boys have come to town folks.  And that means serious business.

(Photo courtesy of The Discovery Channel's Official Website)

Look!  I understand how destructive this force of nature can be and I am certainly not discounting that.  In my professional radio career, I have covered several twisters.  They are ferocious funnels of annihilation that can be woefully destructive and deadly.  What happened in Harrisburg Wednesday was terrible.  In fact, I received a call in the studio Thursday morning from my friend Debbie Anderson, who told me that her niece's boyfriend was actually at that Illinois Wal-Mart when than EF-4 tornado slammed through it.  This guy remembers being in his truck . . . and that's about it.  Now, he's in a St. Louis hospital with a broken neck and back and a plate in his head.  These types of storms are ferocious and don't give a damn who's standing in their way.

But, all that said, there is something about them that completely fascinates me.  Many of my friends are terrified of tornadoes and I understand why.  They hear the sirens and immediately hit the deck.  But not me.  I'm drawn to them for some reason.  Something in me feeds the urge to stand and face the storm.

When a tornado blew through downtown Owensboro a couple of years ago, I literally stood in my front yard and watched the tornado demolish buildings and blow transformers just a few blocks away (7 blocks to be exact).  Moments later, I was on the scene, cell phone in hand, walking through debris and devastation to get a first-hand look at nature's fury.  I did the same thing back in 2000 when a tornado ripped through town.  I was there . . . broadcasting from inside a house that had been completely blown off its foundation.  There's something about "the storm" that compels me to be a part of it.

So, this morning, I sit here at my computer and in the studio . . . waiting for what Storm Chaser Reed Timmer says will be a "historic tornado outbreak."    I have a feeling that, by day's end, Wayne Hart and the Eyewitness News team and I will be best friends.  This afternoon I will most definitely have my eyes to sky.  And, I know, that if the sirens sound, I'm going to be right there in the path of the storm, trying to catch a glimpse of one of Mother Nature's most fascinating creations.

I get it.  This may sound ridiculous to some of you because we all know how trecherous tornadoes can be.  After all, in the last ten years, we have had some terrible outbreaks here in the tri-state.  In fact, Wednesdays was CRAZY!  I want to remind everyone that was February 29th!!  And today (yep, just two days later), the threat, a truly viable threat, returns.  Most of you will be alert and ready to seek shelter if the weather turns severe.  But, if you're like me (and it's probably not wise to be so), you'll be riveted by nature's display of power and sharing my "twisted" obsession.