Tornadoes in the Midwest—in Nebraska and Iowa—have ravaged populated areas in the last couple days. Massive funnel clouds, sparking power lines, debris being sucked up and whirling around. One image even looked like a scene from The Wizard of Oz—part of a building ripped apart and pulled into the vortex like it was a piece of paper.
Pretty dramatic footage online, and the thing that sticks with me is the unaffective commentary of a couple of chasers, especially a woman who deadpans something like, “Looks like it was a nice house…” after her companion says, somewhat more excitedly, “It’s gonna hit that house!” These two were just out for a thrill, no apparent connection with emergency services, or any kind of advanced warning assist, seemingly detached from the misery being wrought in front and sometimes beside them.
For all I know, she might have been smoking a joint and drinking a beer, just out for a good time as all hell broke loose for the local residents unlucky enough to be caught in the path of this monster.
Contrast that footage with another guy who’s evoking Jesus’ name in every other breath, praying for protection for those in the path of the storm he’s covering, who even stops in the middle of the road to assist some shell-shocked guy who may have just driven through the thing, who goes back to this guy’s relatives’ place to check on them, while the storm is still raging close by, and discovers they took a direct hit but survived by hiding in their bathroom, which was now open to the sky, no remnant of a roof to be seen.
Holy shit. Pretty amazing footage, and not just of the storm.
3 Cents' 