Should Government be responsible for forecasting Tornado - Research Paper Example

Should Government be responsible for forecasting Tornado? A tornado is a column of massive air that is violent thatoccurs in contact with both the earth surface and the cumulonimbus cloud. At some rare areas, it is in contact with the base of a cumulus cloud. Sometimes the tornadoes are also called the twisters or the cyclones due to their viral manner. However, the term cyclone is used in wider terms in meteorology to mean a closed low pressure circulation. These tornadoes appear in different shapes and sizes depending on the magnitude but mostly they appear in the form of visible condensation funnel. The narrow end always touches the earth surface while the wider end touches the cumulonimbus clouds. Tornadoes can have a maximum wind speed of about 483km/h and a minimum wind speed of 177km/h (Byars and Doron 23). Tornadoes are too dangerous, and they cause damages and they can lead to death. It is unfortunate that no one except the weather forecasters and other organizations know when a tornado will come. If it comes with people not knowing and not taking the precautions, many people will have to count their losses including property damages and even loss of lives. With this in mind forecasting is necessary for such situations. An organization should forecast and see what is to come like for some few weeks so as to let people know when and where the tornado will appear. This will help citizens take precautions and defend themselves against the tornado (Weems 21). But the question arises stating: should the government be responsible for tornado forecasting? There is no other country that is subjected to tornadoes other than the United States of America. This is because of the clash between arctic winds and tropical winds that happen in the Midwestern states. Due to this many Americans have lost their lives including loved ones as a result of unpreparedness. There has been an argument as to whether the government should be responsible for forecasting and giving warnings about tornadoes. But there are several facts that counter the possibility of the government taking up the responsibility. There are other organizations such as National Weather Service and National Severe Storm Laboratory that are also able to give predictions on matters about tornadoes and the precautions. In 1870, the government of the United States took over the responsibility of predicting and forecasting about the tornadoes. Additionally, the government also gave information to the public concerning the tornadoes and hence warned the public to prepare for them. This responsibility was then given to the United States Army Signal Corps, which they issued probabilities and or severe local storms instead of tornadoes. Reason for this is that the United States Army Signal Corps feared that the forecast of a tornado would strike a specific area or town thus cause panic in the area. As a result, more than 100 individuals lost their lives due to unpreparedness. The fear by the United States Army Signal Corps caused a lot for the individual in the United States (Winston 433). The idea that the government feared that forecasting will cause panic among individuals in the state then rules out the government for taking up such responsibility. This is referred to the 1870 tornado that happened and killed 100 unprepared individuals in the United States. The government had taken over the responsibility but instead of warning the individuals about the coming tornado, they withheld information. This was after a statement that the warning would strike a particular area and cause panic amongst the individuals in the state. On the other hand, they are to be blamed for the killings in the United States. People would not have been dead if the government took full responsibility and warned the individuals about the tornado and hence give them strategies on how to prepare for the tornado (Choy and Scott 345). The National Weather Service is another organization that has made considerable efforts in dealing with the issue of tornadoes, but to no avail. The National Weather Service took full responsibility for forecasting and warning the public about tornadoes and give strategies on defense mechanisms. This was after the government failed to control over the tornadoes and manage the number of killings by the tornadoes. Since 1896, the National Weather Service has taken the responsibility or predicting and giving warnings concerning the tornadoes. But, unfortunately, the National Weather Service only gave information about local thunderstorms. As a result of this, a tornado occurred in the year 1951 that killed more than 230 individuals in the United States. This made the National Weather Service initiate other programs. Since 1953, the National Weather Service started giving direct warnings about coming of tornadoes. This information came after they had predicted, and they were sure of the place and time of when the tornado will occur. It started using tornado warning systems to create awareness to the public and hence make them prepare for a tornado. As a result of this, the National Weather Service managed to reduce the number of killings from 230 to less than 100 individuals in the United States. In the year 1962, the number of individuals who had died as a result of tornadoes was reduced to around 62 individuals which was a great drop as compared to the other years. For once, the issue of tornado was fully accounted for with the National Weather Service (Watts 445). During the World War II, the Midwestern production plants and the army bases were highly destructed as a result of tornadoes. As a result of this, the National Weather Service started to join hands with the army to build a tornado watcher network. The organization also co-operated with the volunteers who phoned the station and reported about the funnel clouds seen. After that the individuals in charge would phone or radio towns, airfields and factories to warn about tornado. Later in the year 1973, the National Weather Service started using scientific instruments to give chase on the tornadoes and give information. This actually helped the National Weather Service in making better predictions on the tornado size, magnitude and the exact date and time as when a tornado will happen. At this moment, the National Weather Service was the organization that was convenient in dealing with tornado predictions. Recently, National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) has been of great importance thus it has taken over the responsibility of dealing with prediction on tornadoes. The National Severe Storms Laboratory in conjunction with the University of Oklahoma has issued information about tornadoes which is used to fight and defend people against tornadoes. The National Severe Storms Laboratory sends out a team of researchers that investigates, analyzes and present information about the tornadoes. Additionally, the team locates and intercepts the twisters and keeps in touch with the main station through radio calls and phones. They cars or vehicle are installed with high technology equipments such as computer-controlled electronic systems. To add on, the organization has place measures on intercepting the twisters (Fishman and Robert 204). Firstly the organization drooped a 400- barrel known as Totable Tornado Observatory (TOTO) that monitored the wind speed of the twister, as well as its direction, atmospheric pressure and temperature. Unfortunately, the barrel was blown out when the tornado reached 150 miles. As a result, the organization organized for a dropper radar unit with a range of 3 to 5 miles. This equipment can detect an immature tornado, and thus necessary action is taken into place. This new technique started to work as from the year 1987, and the number of deaths resulting from the tornadoes has been reduced to less than 30 people. This then makes this organization fit for the responsibility for predicting and giving warnings on tornadoes. Since the organization has equipments that can detect a tornado before it matures, then necessary action can be taken in to place and no more harm can be expected (Bradford 230). Should the government be responsible for forecasting Tornado? With the information and facts given, the government is no efficient for forecasting a tornado. The government should concentrate on financing and giving support to the National Severe Storms Laboratory. This comes from the report on how the government dealt with the issue of tornado in the year 1870. There were more deaths when the government was in control than when the National Severe Storms Laboratory is in control. The National Severe Storms Laboratory has tried to manage and reduce the number of deaths to less than 30 through intercepting the tornadoes and dealing with them accordingly. Additionally, the organization gives lots of information concerning tornadoes. So the government should not take the responsibility of forecasting tornado. Works cited Bradford, Marlene. Scanning the skies: a history of tornado forecasting. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001. Print. Byars, Betsy Cromer, and Doron Ami. Tornado. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Print. Choy, Barry K., and Scott M. Spratt. A WSR-88D approach to waterspout forecasting. Fort Worth, Tex.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, Scientific Services Division, Southern Region, 1994. Print. Fishman, Jack, and Robert Kalish. The weather revolution: innovations and imminent breakthroughs in accurate forecasting. New York: Plenum Press, 1994. Print. Watts, Alan. Instant storm forecasting. London: Adlard Coles Nautical, 2009. Print. Weems, John Edward. The tornado. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1991. Print. Winston, Jay S.. Forecasting tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Weather Bureau, 1956. Print. Read More