Tornados 

By Dalton Meeker.

Devistation

For this months' piece, I'd like to focus on something that is been ravaging the country for the past few months that has devastated thousands of people and their communities: 

Coronavirus......ahh, nope

Racism......that's a good answer, but not this time

Misinformation......no

Tornados......there we go. We're going to talk about tornadoes, big swirly windy funnels that go whoosh whoosh. Tornadoes are never an enjoyable experience. They may look cool, but you do not want to get in their way. Now, it may see mundane to talk about something that no human being can control. Which to a degree is completely correct? Tornadoes are a unique weather pattern that can cause imminent destruction wherever they go. Because of their immense destruction, including 2 people were killed and dozens of structures destroyed just last week in Louisiana, and the last of media coverage and federal legislation on safety, it seems that it would be good to talk about them: exactly what they are, why they are so damaging, what the government can do it about.

What is a Tornado & History 

So, let us begin. A tornado is a spinning tower of air touching the physical ground on the bottom and a cumulonimbus cloud in the air. Also called a cyclone or a twister, they are most of the timeless or around 110 miles per hour. For most tornadoes, they usually dissipate within a few minutes of their formation, but some very much don't. The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 that hit Missouri and Illinois lasted for roughly 4 hours and traveled 219 miles on the ground with 695 people dead. In 1974, a group of tornadoes called the "Super Outbreak" blasted Kentucky and Indiana killing 330 people with 148 tornadoes in an 18-hour period. And the worst tornado in world recorded history was back in 1989 in Bangladesh which took nearly 1,300 lives. The cause for all this death isn't the actual wind itself, it is the destruction of property that either directly impacts people or hits them in a weak spot, killing them. If a tornado hits a farm, and there is a farmer and his friend in there. The tornado would pick the planks up from the ground, and if they don't find shelter, they have a chance of either being hit or even impaled by all of those spinning wood planks that are violently and hurriedly spinning around at a high velocity. 

Now, the United States has the most tornadoes of any country on the planet except for the western side of the country, because the Rocky Mountains block circulating wind from collectivizing into a tornado in places like California or Nevada. But the rest of the country isn't so lucky. Oklahoma, Kansas, and northern Texas get the vast bulk of tornadoes, hence that area's name: Tornado Alley. In 2013, an EF5 tornado hit the town of Moore in Oklahoma, devastating it and killing 24 people. That sentence contains something that needs clarification, what does EF mean? Tornadoes are classified into the F tier and EF tier. Standing for the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita respectively, they are ranked by level of severity from F0, F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, EF1, EF2, EF3, EF4, and the extremely horrifying EF5. Fujita stands for Ted Fujita, a scientist who came up with this classification scale in 1971. Now, let's talk about the government's response

Government Response 

 Unsurprisingly, there really hasn't been any federal bills passed. The National Weather Service offers warnings and tips, but there is no mandate in place for housing foundations to have basements or tornado shelters which is frankly, unforgivable. Sen. Charles Ernest Grassley (R) Iowa introduced the TORNADO Act to combat misinformation and awareness of where tornadoes are, which is definitely a start but is not nearly enough. What needs to happen is that when tornadoes inevitably happen, there has to be a stimulus for those affected. Those who lost everything, obviously without a say, should absolutely be given a check or reimbursement for all the taxes they've paid or if they don't insurance to cover the costs. 

Look, it's probably pretty low that this will happen because the people who are running our government are old and foolish. Biden is 79, Mitch McConnell is 80, Nancy Pelosi is 82, and the other goofs like Schumer, Barrasso, Hoyer, and Nat. Weather Service Head, Louis Uccellini are 71, 69, 82, and 72 respectively. Ted Cruz is 51, but we still should get rid of him anyway. Charles Grassley is 88 and we should not be having 88-year-olds coming up with actually good legislation that people who are 48 should be coming up with. 88-year-olds belong at bingo tables, Aldis, and IHOP, not at the center of American democracy. As for what homeowners can do for themselves, they can start for petitioning Congress to stand up and act for them. I recommend that if you have the luxury of moving your job and livelihood, you don't consider that option. I know a lot of people don't have that opportunity, so that's why I would advocate for universal homeowners' insurance to cover the costs of these devastating storms. 

The answer isn't simple, but it has got be addressed properly and efficiently, and quickly, because people are suffering, and the lack of support is only increasing the damage, and that, frankly, is a travesty.

Thank you for reading and I will be back next month.