I have been following the discussion about the recent tragedy at the Indiana State Fair (five people died when an outdoor stage collapsed), and I am just shaking my head. Those five deaths were so needless.
It was not a "fluke" thunderstorm that brought that stage down, no matter what anyone says. The National Weather Service had been predicting severe storms for that Saturday several days in advance. The area was under a severe thunderstorm watch most of the afternoon, then upgraded to a warning just before the concert was supposed to start. These were not "pop-up" storms that developed out of nowhere. There were at least three well-developed systems that came through the Great Lakes region on Saturday. The one that killed the fairgoers was the last and most severe of the three. The Weather Service had been tracking these storms on radar. So it was not like nobody knew that this was coming.
So why was anybody setting things up on a metal stage when they could see and hear the on-coming storm? There's been a lot of controversy and finger-pointing. The band members of Sugarland say they feel terrible about the tragedy but where were they in the minutes prior to the stage collapse? Backstage. Please do not tell me that they were unaware of what was going on with the weather. Why wasn't the concert called off? I know there is a tradition that the show must go on, but sometimes traditions ought to be dispensed with. I say that it is not only poor judgement on the part of the fair management, but also the band. To insist (or at least not stop) that their crew go out and set up under such conditions is irresponsible.
The audience, too, also shares part of the responsibility. With all that has happened recently with violent storms, please, please, please do not tell me there are people so oblivious that they do not recognize the oncoming signs of serious severe weather? That they think themselves immune to the consequences of not paying attention? They say the warning wasn't given early enough. They say they weren't warned about the possibility of a gust front. Hey, wake up, this is the Midwest, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are a reality (especially in Indiana which is not as protected by the Great Lakes), and you need to know these things for your own survival. Mother Nature does not know anything about mercy. Mercy is a human construction. You ignore these things at your own peril. Five people did, and they are now dead. They did not have to die. All it took is a little paying attention to what was going on around. If the sky is black, if the clouds look like a cliff, or a curtain or a fat segmented caterpillar/worm, it means heavy weather is on its way. Take cover! If people can learn all kinds of useless trivia then they can learn the signs of the sky. But no, people had to have their cameras out because we can put this on-line and be famous.
When I was growing up, there were no severe thunderstorm or tornado watches or warnings. In fact, it is hard to believe that weather forecasters were discouraged from even saying the word tornado. This changed after the April 11, 1965 tornado outbreak (also known as the Palm Sunday 1965 outbreak). I have memories of Palm Sunday '65 that won't ever go away. Right after that the Weather Service started issuing watches and warnings. And for a while the death toll from these storms went down. Now it is going back up again even though we have technology that can pinpoint to the block where the storm is headed. I say the reason is because people have gotten careless. All those tornado chase videos make it sound like it is a harmless game. Well, you watch, some day a bunch of people will get killed during a chase. Any severe thunderstorm deserves respect. If you don't, you will pay.
This bothers me, because I am afraid that nothing lasting will be learned from this tragedy. There will be much wringing of hands and fingerpointing and maybe even a lawsuit or two, but--outdoor concerts will still be set up in the teeth of a thunderstorm, and it will happen again and again.
It was not a "fluke" thunderstorm that brought that stage down, no matter what anyone says. The National Weather Service had been predicting severe storms for that Saturday several days in advance. The area was under a severe thunderstorm watch most of the afternoon, then upgraded to a warning just before the concert was supposed to start. These were not "pop-up" storms that developed out of nowhere. There were at least three well-developed systems that came through the Great Lakes region on Saturday. The one that killed the fairgoers was the last and most severe of the three. The Weather Service had been tracking these storms on radar. So it was not like nobody knew that this was coming.
So why was anybody setting things up on a metal stage when they could see and hear the on-coming storm? There's been a lot of controversy and finger-pointing. The band members of Sugarland say they feel terrible about the tragedy but where were they in the minutes prior to the stage collapse? Backstage. Please do not tell me that they were unaware of what was going on with the weather. Why wasn't the concert called off? I know there is a tradition that the show must go on, but sometimes traditions ought to be dispensed with. I say that it is not only poor judgement on the part of the fair management, but also the band. To insist (or at least not stop) that their crew go out and set up under such conditions is irresponsible.
The audience, too, also shares part of the responsibility. With all that has happened recently with violent storms, please, please, please do not tell me there are people so oblivious that they do not recognize the oncoming signs of serious severe weather? That they think themselves immune to the consequences of not paying attention? They say the warning wasn't given early enough. They say they weren't warned about the possibility of a gust front. Hey, wake up, this is the Midwest, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are a reality (especially in Indiana which is not as protected by the Great Lakes), and you need to know these things for your own survival. Mother Nature does not know anything about mercy. Mercy is a human construction. You ignore these things at your own peril. Five people did, and they are now dead. They did not have to die. All it took is a little paying attention to what was going on around. If the sky is black, if the clouds look like a cliff, or a curtain or a fat segmented caterpillar/worm, it means heavy weather is on its way. Take cover! If people can learn all kinds of useless trivia then they can learn the signs of the sky. But no, people had to have their cameras out because we can put this on-line and be famous.
When I was growing up, there were no severe thunderstorm or tornado watches or warnings. In fact, it is hard to believe that weather forecasters were discouraged from even saying the word tornado. This changed after the April 11, 1965 tornado outbreak (also known as the Palm Sunday 1965 outbreak). I have memories of Palm Sunday '65 that won't ever go away. Right after that the Weather Service started issuing watches and warnings. And for a while the death toll from these storms went down. Now it is going back up again even though we have technology that can pinpoint to the block where the storm is headed. I say the reason is because people have gotten careless. All those tornado chase videos make it sound like it is a harmless game. Well, you watch, some day a bunch of people will get killed during a chase. Any severe thunderstorm deserves respect. If you don't, you will pay.
This bothers me, because I am afraid that nothing lasting will be learned from this tragedy. There will be much wringing of hands and fingerpointing and maybe even a lawsuit or two, but--outdoor concerts will still be set up in the teeth of a thunderstorm, and it will happen again and again.
