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| Storm chasers among dead in Oklahoma tornadoes | Storm chasers among dead in Oklahoma tornadoes |
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| Three storm chasers, who made it their business to stalk deadly tornadoes across the Great Plains in order to record and study them, were among 10 people who died as a result of tornadoes in the Oklahoma city area on Friday, it has emerged. | Three storm chasers, who made it their business to stalk deadly tornadoes across the Great Plains in order to record and study them, were among 10 people who died as a result of tornadoes in the Oklahoma city area on Friday, it has emerged. |
| Tim Samaras, 54, was killed along with his 24-year-old son Paul and their companion Carl Young. They were near El Reno when they were hit by a tornado of force EF3 with winds of up to 165mph. | Tim Samaras, 54, was killed along with his 24-year-old son Paul and their companion Carl Young. They were near El Reno when they were hit by a tornado of force EF3 with winds of up to 165mph. |
| Tim Samaras was one of the most knowledgeable and highly respected of the band of storm chasers who cross the Great Plains every tornado season. His bravery and skills were particularly admired because he managed to get scientific recording equipment into some of the most violent twisters, in an effort to increase understanding about them and thus reduce their devastating effect. | Tim Samaras was one of the most knowledgeable and highly respected of the band of storm chasers who cross the Great Plains every tornado season. His bravery and skills were particularly admired because he managed to get scientific recording equipment into some of the most violent twisters, in an effort to increase understanding about them and thus reduce their devastating effect. |
| In an interview with National Geographic last month, he said he had become obsessed with tornadoes as a child, while watching the film The Wizard of Oz. "I vowed to myself, 'I'm going to see that tornado one day.' Tornadoes have pretty much become a focus of my life," he said. | In an interview with National Geographic last month, he said he had become obsessed with tornadoes as a child, while watching the film The Wizard of Oz. "I vowed to myself, 'I'm going to see that tornado one day.' Tornadoes have pretty much become a focus of my life," he said. |
| Samaras, who had appeared regularly on the Storm Chasers show on the Discovery Channel, said he wanted to understand why some thunderstorms generated twisters while others didn't. That might in turn help to modify building design to reduce casualties. | Samaras, who had appeared regularly on the Storm Chasers show on the Discovery Channel, said he wanted to understand why some thunderstorms generated twisters while others didn't. That might in turn help to modify building design to reduce casualties. |
| He described the impact of being close to a powerful tornado. "It's one of those incredible, fleeting moments that sometimes you have to take a couple of seconds to take in. The sounds are different. If the tornado is in an open field, it sounds like a waterfall. If it's in a populated area, it becomes more of a thundering sound." | He described the impact of being close to a powerful tornado. "It's one of those incredible, fleeting moments that sometimes you have to take a couple of seconds to take in. The sounds are different. If the tornado is in an open field, it sounds like a waterfall. If it's in a populated area, it becomes more of a thundering sound." |
| Chris West, the undersheriff in Canadian County where the tornado struck, said of the storm chasers: "They put themselves in harm's way so that they can educate the public about the destructive power of these storms." | Chris West, the undersheriff in Canadian County where the tornado struck, said of the storm chasers: "They put themselves in harm's way so that they can educate the public about the destructive power of these storms." |
| Another storm chaser, Tony Laubach, who had worked alongside Samaras for several years, told Reuters: "Tim Samaras was the best there was and he was the last person you would think this would happen to. It's going to bring everybody down to earth. A lot of chasing has been getting very, very careless, and Tim is not a careless person. He is as nimble and skilled as he could be." | Another storm chaser, Tony Laubach, who had worked alongside Samaras for several years, told Reuters: "Tim Samaras was the best there was and he was the last person you would think this would happen to. It's going to bring everybody down to earth. A lot of chasing has been getting very, very careless, and Tim is not a careless person. He is as nimble and skilled as he could be." |
| Samaras lived in Colorado, where he ran a severe weather recording company called Twistex. He specialized in collecting measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure and wind-speed in thunderstorms, in the hope of predicting twisters and increasing the time in which members of the public could be alerted. | Samaras lived in Colorado, where he ran a severe weather recording company called Twistex. He specialized in collecting measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure and wind-speed in thunderstorms, in the hope of predicting twisters and increasing the time in which members of the public could be alerted. |
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