The Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado Tragedy of 1999: the day that changed everything
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.พ. 2022
- Hey guys!! FIRSTLY, I want to say I’m so sorry for the awful audio quality in this video. I filmed it twice to get it right and tried to make it the best I could. I will fix it for next time. Also, thank you so much for 500 subs! I am so thankful for every single one of you and your kind comments sharing your experiences with me. I love making these videos and I’m so grateful to have people who enjoy watching- even if it was just a few of you.
For next week, I am planning a different kind of video. A more fun one that’s less heavy and doesn’t deal with fatalities. I think changing it up every once in a while will be fun.
As always, links to tornado shelter preparedness: DO YOU KNOW YOUR PLAN??
Tornado Preparedness: [www.ready.gov/tornadoes?gclid...](www.ready.gov/tornadoes?gclid...)
[Weather.gov](Weather.gov) Overpass Safety Briefing: [www.weather.gov/oun/safety-ov...](www.weather.gov/oun/safety-ov...)
[www.weather.gov/oun/events-19...](www.weather.gov/oun/events-19...)
MUSIC:
The Part Where They Love Each Other (String Quartet) by Stephen Keech: J7E3R6PNXXMU1RMI
Bamburgh by Stephen Keech: HIVHJH9IZNU5BYMP
Dark Night by Cody Martin: LXPXEDXTCFKR7DVC
Crooked Man by Wicked Cinema: 5UWYO6JTVI97IEPZ
Forsaken Ritual by Cody Martin: KZ46RMOOGHH5U4MP
Cloud City by Neon Beach: YNXDE7QINPF6D9OP - บันเทิง
My cousin survived this tornado. He’s disabled and couldn’t get to his bathroom. His caregiver carried him in there. Both survived with minor injuries. I thank God they survived and were ok.
Glad he was able to walk away from this.
Awwww omg, thats a good caregiver!!!!!
@@Bravo-Too-Much Are you making fun of the fact that he can't walk, or genuinely sending your well wishes?
@@st0rmyeyesI think that they were being genuine. But that’s just my interpretation.
This is the best ever documentary of this tornado. Most other TH-camr’s tell the story from a sensational viewpoint. Your compassion for the victims is evident by the hurt in your eyes. These are natural events with enormous physical and physiological tragedy. You are a wonderful story teller, excellent video editor and beautiful young lady. I wish you the best of health, happiness and success!
I absolutely agree! I also like how she humanizes those who died so that they aren’t relegated to mere statistics.
So true, I love Carly ❤️
I am a Missouri gal, and back in the 60’s & 70’s, we were taught to shelter under overpasses. But it makes perfect sense why this is an insane option!
There are 2 types of overpasses. One like the now infamous one where the weather guys took shelter and road out the storm. and the one in this particular story. The difference is one had girders to shelter between which protected the victims and the one in this story didn't and left the victims exposed.
@@heiditatman5055the weather guys is actually Reed Timmer and his team, a very well known and respected storm chaser. That was his first chase if I remember correctly and the power and devastation this tornado caused motivated him to chase tornados to get more information to help save lives. His goal was to give people more time to seek shelter.
I lived in Missouri in the mid to late 90s, and we were still being taught to shelter in overpasses. I believe that changed after the Bridge Creek-Moore tornado.
@@americanfairyWow. I remembered in the late 1990s not to go under bridge. Maybe it was cultural?
It still something they were telling people to do in the 90s. If you watch the news streams from that day they were even telling people if they were on the highway to shelter under an overpass.
Gary Englands voice shaking during the broadcast gets me every time🥺
Can’t get through these videos without crying. The devastation is almost unimaginable.
Just a perfect example of a mother's love. Her baby's life meant more to her than her own life. Bless her for being such a wonderful mom.
I understand that it's not safe to shelter in an underpass in a tornado, but equally understand the panic that sets in and the need to have some type of cover. I'd be terrified to go to a ditch or something..
This is a topic that upsets me terribly bc everyone preaches on it so much. We get it. Overpasses are bad. They tighten and focus the wind. But I WILL NOT leave an overpass to lie in a *DITCH!* These extremely powerful tornadoes scour the ground, even to over 12 inches! IF I had to choose between ditch and overpass, I would try to somehow secure myself up under the overpass.
Omg! I remember the clip of the officer with the baby. He just happened to find her laying in the mud. The fact that she lived through that must have been so terrifying and confusing, but also an absolute blessing at the same time. My heart!!!
The way she touched his chest...she knew there was comfort behind his thick protective gear.
I remember her name was Aaliyah! Sweet girl I hope she’s had a great life since
@@BLUJAI100 She has! I remember seeing a clip of her saying she would like to be a storm chaser.
Aleah Crago (the name of the baby) is now all grown up and wants to become a storm chaser as well as a part time meteorologist. Aleah explained that the May 3rd, 1999 tornado should have killed her but for some inexplicable reason she survived. I hope that Aleah is able to successfully score an internship under Mike Morgan; the chief meteorologist for Oklahoma City's NBC affiliate KFOR Channel 4 and becomes a storm chaser with my personal favorite storm chasing team: Basehunters. Basehunters is a storm chasing team from Norman, Oklahoma and is composed of four extremely nice young men named Scott Peake, Colt Forney, Isaac Pato, and Kevin Rolfs along with Kevin's dad Harland Rolfs. They helped out with rescue efforts in Joplin, Missouri following the monstrous EF-5 tornado that hit Joplin on May 22nd, 2011. Scott, Colt, and Isaac rescued a woman who was trapped in her house and used a door as a stretcher to load the woman into the back of a pick-up truck and get her to a hospital. Kevin and his dad helped a man who was holding his infant son. The man explained that his son was bleeding badly from a severe cut on his head and asked Kevin and his dad if they could take him to the hospital. When they crested the hill that hid St. John's Regional Medical Center from their view they saw something that they couldn't believe: St. John's Regional Medical Center looked like it was bombed. Kevin described having a feeling of utter helplessness seeing the hospital in its ruined state.
@@michaellovely6601they did a documentary about basehunters and the Joplin tornado! Wow what a bunch of amazing guys!
Being born and raised in Texas, I was taught at a young age to not ever go to an underpass as protection from a tornado. Find a ditch and lie flat and pray. My brother narrowly escaped this tornado when he lived in Moore. Very tragic.
was that "young age" before may 3rd 1999? because i never remember hearing anyone saying it was bad before this event.
@@jibodagrey6500I saw footage of a man and his family, in the ‘90s, trying to take shelter like that. They survived, but he had his neck broken and easily could’ve died.
No proof-zero, that overpasses are more dangerous than being exposed in the open ( in a ditch )
Actually FSU did a study on this subject and disproved this overpass being dangerous narrative-but people are ignorant believe everything they hear instead of doing research.
@@jibodagrey6500Andover1991 there’s footage of people taking shelter under an overpass. For them, it wasn’t at f5 strength where this one was!
@@jibodagrey6500I vaguely remembered tornado safety in government school in the late 1990s not to go under a bridge. I was surprised people did that. I was always told to lie in a ditch and not go under a bridge.
When I first heard the story of Kathleen and her family I cried so hard. The fear and uncertainty that she must have had during the tornado - and the realization when she had to let go to give her son a chance at surviving - must have been soul shattering. She died alone and unsure if her son and husband would have even survived. Definitely the saddest tornado story and no one can change me mind
Learning about the story of Kathleen Walton and her son Levi broke my heart. I wonder what Levi has been doing with his life since this day.
I always feel that in those situations the person dies in peace. I don't think you have the ability to think so much in such little time and extreme circumstances. She probably saw it as holding on is life, letting go is death. So she chose death so her son would live. Maybe I'm just naive but I really believe that. And sometimes just knowing there are people like her who are willing to give everything up for their loved ones, I'm glad such people exist, even if I'm saddened by her death at the same time.
The reality is that, to someone, *EVERY* tornado fatality is just as sad as this- far more so, to the victims’ families personally.
I’m really hoping that Scott and Levi are still in contact. Scott felt responsible for the death of Kathleen and at least wanted temporary custody of Levi while custody was figured out. The only thing I could find out is Levi wrestled in high school and Scott went to see his matches all the time. This tornado was horrible and changed so much for the way people react to a tornado.
I am kind of confused as to what happened. I thought she was holding her son who was obviously too small to hold on by himself. Then it’s said that they can’t both hold on and she lets go. But how does a child that small hold on my himself and keep from being blown away in 300mph winds that caused a grown man to be shook like a rag doll?
The hook echo for this storm is just incredible. One of the scariest things I've ever seen on a radar.
It’s like the most precise hook echo I’ve ever seen on a storm.
There were 3 supercells following each other that day in Oklahoma, that all looked almost the same, in a triangle formation with the Moore Supercell being the biggest and leading point in the triangle. At one point all 3 of the Supercells had hook echos on the radar with tornados on the ground. It was like there was tornados everywhere and all headed in the same direction right at Oklahoma City. The clouds towering up in the air like humongous plates stacked on top of each other were the most ominous thing I've ever seen, and cloud to cloud lightning every split second was crazy..It was scary as heck that day in Oklahoma City. I lived there fortunately on the NW side of OKC, but worked with a lot of people from Moore.
My parents were too chill about tornadoes and storms. During warnings they refused to go to the shelter, told me I was being hysterical, would drive in dangerous weather, would drive through flooding that went halfway up the windows of our minivan, and they’d tell me to shut it if I cried or said to stop. I loved storms. I’m autistic. They disliked how often I spoke about tornadoes and I can’t help but think their recklessness about storms was in part due to how annoyed they were with my interest in storms, and that I was too dramatic. I once asked during a bout of bad weather where I was put into the car during a tornado warning, what we would do if we got stuck out on the road during a tornado. They said of course go under an overpass. I always told them that was dangerous, and of course they wouldn’t listen. Not sure what I would have done as a child if that ever happened. It’s not like I could do much to save my life if a parent made a decision like that despite my pleas. I knew at a very young age how to tell the direction of a tornado. Perhaps if we got out of the car outside of the overpass, and the tornado wasn’t directly upon us, I could try to run away from the path of the tornado. But that’s not a good idea either. Even at home, I’d have to drag my parents out of bed during tornado warnings, and they more often then not yelled at me and ignored me. I remember as a kid sitting in the shelter in tears wondering if my parents were ever going to be very unlucky one day, and I’d be the only one in the shelter.
I'm not trying to diss your parents but holy crap, that is terrible. I'm 36 but as a child, I was always looking for tornadoes even though I lived in Ohio and Kentucky (I've seen 4 since 2013 here though) and couldn't imagine treating my kids fears like that. My son is 15 and my daughter 4 and I'm very aware of the weather here (we do get bad weather with occasional rotations) and make sure they feel safe. Along with their other fears, irrational or not. I'd certainly never put them in harms way and drive on a flooded road and not take shelter when warnings are issued. That sounds absolutely terrifying. They're supposed to make you feel safe in a crisis, not have more anxiety. One thing is for sure, you learned from it and sounds like you won't be like them in that regard.
I'm sorry, but your parents are toxic AF.
Yappin
I didn’t know sheltering under the overpass was unsafe until watching your video today….thank you for sharing this knowledge….
They didn’t know either until this tornado. B4 this tornado, the experts encouraged people to do it
There may be no safe place depending on your location.
My grandma always told me overpasses were a terrible place to shelter from tornadoes. I'm glad she warned me. I live in Norman now but was in southern Moore when this happened.
When I was in grade school in the mid to late 90s, we were actually told that we SHOULD shelter in overpasses! I don't remember which documentary it was, but it acknowledged that overpasses used to be encouraged until the Moore incident happened. I tell everyone I can to avoid them and shelter in ditches, because the misconception is still strong (I'm in northern Illinois).
The Andover Kansas tornado I believe it was. A group filming saw it coming and hid under the over pass, watched it go by, and amazingly survived. The video doesn't promote hiding under one but somehow encourages it. I agree, the winds certainly can pull one out but never being in the situation with a tornado bearing down on me, I'm pretty sure my mind would want to just find shelter in any possible way.
@@jf4god10 Specifically that was a TV news crew from the NBC station in Wichita, Kansas.
Same when I grew up that’s what we were told and I’m 36
Yes! So many tornado myths still persist. I’m around the same age and during tornado drills in Ohio they would have us open the windows before sheltering, because of the old pressure myth.
In fact, I was talking to my dad a few months ago and found out that he still believed the SW corner of a building was the safest place to be in a tornado.
@@jf4god10 it weak at the time so they didn't get the worst it had to offer
I lived through bridge creek, it's one of my earliest memories and is so vivid for me despite being so young- I was a toddler so I remember not understanding what was happening just being very scared because all the adults were scared and screaming and then seeing everything destroyed and so many dead animals everywhere. Had it not been for the fact that my mom suddenly decided to visit my aunt on the way home we would have drove right into it, remembered my aunt and cousins screaming when they seen us relieved we were alive telling us there were "tornadoes everywhere".
It has taken me years to get over the trauma surrounding it, use to grab my dog and sleep walk to my bathroom as a kid during loud thunderstorms and only put together in the last few years that it was PTSD- now I study weather and having knowledge on what creates tornadoes is a comfort to me.
As a mom of a little boy, nothing will ever haunt me more than Kathleen giving her life for Levi. God bless her.
I knew that overpasses were dangerous. One of my close friends is a storm chaser and I have chased with him before. (We chased the 2013 Moore tornado). He’s told me in no uncertain terms that when I am chasing with him that we will not ever even consider sheltering under an overpass under any circumstances.
Thank you so much for sharing that! And wow, what a prolific tornado to have chased. I can only imagine the adrenaline and terror watching that thing go through Moore
Excellent video! A little known side story is the Mulhall Tornado from the same outbreak that happened north of OKC around 9:30pm. It destroyed 80 percent of the structures in Mulhall while the main circulation was a mile away. The DOW measured the field of tornadic winds at 4 miles in diameter! So it was likely twice the size of the 2013 El Reno storm but it didn’t get credit as the largest ever.
Thank you so much for telling me this, I heard this mentioned and I could not for the life of me find what tornado they were referring to! Gonna look it up now 👀
Well that's the argument people make however the damage path was only a mile wide and a tornado is always measured on its damage path same was it is rated on it's damage El Reno Tornado had a damage path of 2.6 miles there for giving it the largest tornado ever documented if we were to go by radar measurements like you then El Reno should have kept it's EF5 Rating since it had wind speeds of 302 mph instead since it was the tornados sub vortexs that were damaging buildings it earned a EF3 Rating because Sub vortexs are usually EF3s especially in a EF5 tornado
Looking this up, that's super fascinating, thank you for sharing friend
The first responder footage was so heartbreaking. I knew not to get into an overpass, I think it was local meteorologist who had said it while reporting on severe weather in our area
When I started this video I just knew you'd feature clips from that episode of Paramedics. So I wanted to wait to mention it until I knew for sure. But yeah, that episode is probably the most graphic, terrifying, and emotionally impactful in the way it sorta stays with you. I recall seeing it as a kid closer to when this tornado happened, but I came upon a re-upload here on YT a few years ago and...wow. I wasn't prepared. I want to emphasize to anyone who's curious about looking this particular episode up-be mindful. I'm not one to heed viewer discretion most of the time but this episode is truly disturbing in many instances. You see death, you see people literally dying. You see a single paramedic on scene in one triage location in Bridge Creek (IIRC it's like a church or some structure like it) who's trying to manage all the severely/fatally injured people being consistently brought to him, one after another. You see him having to go through that training they utilize in triage mass casualty events where it has to be decided rapidly where to put resources based on who's got more of a survival chance. And it's literally this ONE paramedic for hours. Truly brutal. You see him assess victims as too far gone for any hope of being saved in the environment they're all in.
While this is going on at the Bridge Creek triage, another Paramedic is doing triage off the side of the road a few miles away. She's also being brought critically injured people and is having to decide who to send on ambulances first since there aren't nearly enough available for everyone like there'd be normally. You also see her arranging hospital rides via pickup trucks by good samaritans wanting to help. I hope that both of these paramedics received plenty of counseling cause the PTSD must be gut wrenching. I also hope they were recognized within their profession for going above and beyond. IIRC the next day, the Bridge Creek paramedic goes back to the scene of destruction to sift through the rubble of one family's home in search of a purse and a few other essentials. The family who lived there had several fatalities within the home. They were with their daughter who was hospitalized and in a coma, making the mother hesitant to leave. So the paramedic offers to go search for her. He doesn't find the purse but does find items that he guesses are probably sentimental and brings them to back to the hospital. It was a gut-wrenching watch but you also see the true beauty in humanity as well.
Yup, saw that episode too, one of the scenes that struck me as well was when that single paramedic at that bridge creek gym (that they was using to heal the fatally injured ) he was bought the body of a female with a severe head injury to the back of her head, only to find out upon further examination that she was already gone and had just died, and because they couldnt spare the resources , they had to let her go. I'm so glad the good samaritans also helped that paramedic lady too ! . R.i.p to the victims and positive vibes to all and the rest.
Is this the same Steve Finley that became a DO and is practicing in OK City?
I remember this day vividly. I live in VA, and was watching the news when the coverage of the Moore tornado came on. I knew history was in the making, so I pulled out a VHS tape, and recorded the broadcast. I was so heartbroken, and still am, about what the people of Bridge Creek and Moore went through on that terrible day. I will never forget Gary England’s plea to get below ground to safe your life, and those of your loved ones. I’ve been an avid weather watcher for decades, and this is one day I will never forget. I learned not to shelter under overpasses due to other tornado videos I’ve watched. I thoroughly enjoy your videos, and love how you present the subject matter at hand. You do a fabulous job!
I always thought seeking shelter under a bridge could be a viable alternative if I were on the freeway during a tornado. The ditch thing just never made any sense to me. After watching James Spann for two years., And particularly after viewing this touching heart wrenching Video you made he wouldn’t catch me under one of those things. Thanks for all you do. I’m learning a lot about meteorology from listening to you. I’m 73 living in Ohio. I take care of my handicapped sister who is 62. I have my ready bag And the only thing I need yet is helmets for the two of us. Thanks again.
Make sure you can get bicycle helmets for yourself and your sister. If your sister doesn't have a go-bag of her own; get one made for her.
I just loved how calming and sweetly paramedic Jana Hardy talked to her patients. You did a good video. The audio was fine to me. I didn't know hiding under an underpass was dangerous until after the this tornado, but I did hear when I was younger that they were dangerous if the tornado winds were very strong-higher than, at the time, an F-1.
I can't imagine the amount of trauma Jana Hardy and the many other police officers, firefighters and paramedics in the Oklahoma City metro area felt following the May 3, 1999 tornado.
She really was amazing. I can only imagine how bearing witness to something like that can stick with a person. But what a rock she was for everyone who needed her that day. It's people like her who keep me from losing hope in humanity.
I have been awaiting this one!!! Thank you so much.
Gary England is a legend in OKC, and the whole US. Him and James Spann are my all time favorite “Weather Men”. You, have become my all time favorite TH-cam tornado channel.
Mr. Spann is a Legend! The way he was on Air during the Outbreak was something. He saved thousands of lives but he’s hard on himself for the fatalities he wished he could save.
England and Spann are heroes. They saved hundreds, even thousands of lives, during some of the most historic tornado outbreaks.
I was a senior at Bridge Creek when this happened. So crazy to see it all again. It’s hard to describe to people just how crazy the destruction was so thanks for making this video.
Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t imagine how scary that must have been, what an experience.
I've lived in OK my whole life. Growing up, they always told us in school and on TV not to stay in our cars but to get to an overpass or ditch. I remember that because of this tornado, they changed what they had been teaching kids in school. However, I still think older people would believe overpasses are safe. I've heard about people being sucked out but not so much about the injuries.
This tornado happened during my Sophomore year of college. I was in Ada at the time and didn't have a TV or radio in my room. I called home to Prucell after 8 (off peak hours on my cell phone, lol) and mom was totally freaking out. What really gets me is even though we get a lot of tornadoes, I had never heard of one doing this much damage because they don't usually hit such populated areas. Then, to hit again in 2013 on exactly the same path. (I lived within walking distance of Plaza Towers Elementary during that one. We were extremely lucky that we had no damage and weren't home at the time.)
Great video covering this tragedy. I was at work when this tornado hit. I could not drive through the debris path, so I left my truck on the far side of the path and picked my way through the debris to get home to my family. We were all safe and spared by about 8 blocks. A lot of the photos of destruction you showed here were from the neighborhood next to mine. Several hours later, I went to bring my truck home, and ended up spending five hours helping search for people among the debris. We found several survivors who had been trapped in rubble for five or six hours when they were found. All had to go to the ER, and the injuries were horrific. I've never seen anything like that, before or since. I had a clear view from some 5 miles away as the tornado passed near the airport where I worked. I could hear the howling roar clearly from that far away and watched helplessly as it tracked towards home where my family was. Phone service got cut off, and I had no idea if my wife and kids were safe as I rushed to get home. As I got to the debris path, the sight of the utter destruction was so overwhelming. There were slabs swept clean, there were piles of all kinds of bit of homes and poeple's lives, just everywhere. There were patches of dirt where every blade of grass had been sucked out of the ground. There was a concrete inground pool that had been lifted about 18"out of the ground with most of the water gone from it. A house foundation was upside down. Twigs and timy slivers of wood were imbedded into utility poles so deeply they couldn't be removed. Splintered 2 by 4s were jabbed into the ground or through walls like spears. Mud covered everything. Power lines lay all over the debris. We heard the next day that papers from Moore had been found as far away as Iowa.
I will never forget the sound it made, its unimaginable size, the terror it caused, the utter devastation it left in its wake, the lives lost, as the sheer violence this moster unleashed that day. Every time a tornado watch happens where I live, the haunting memories of that dreadful day surface again. Two days ago, on Saturday, Apr 27, 2024, they flooded in again as another tornado outbreak hit Oklahoma. Fortunately, this one was not as bad as May 3, 1999, but sadly, several lives were cut short Saturday. These events hit hard. But I am so grateful for allwho work to educate and protect lives for when inevitably, a tornado threatens. My heartfelt thanks go out to you all.
Absolutely brilliant Carley. Yours is one of the few channels that as soon as you post a video I put aside what I'm doing and watch it start to finish. You have a unique way of presenting the facts without losing sight of the actual tragedy. I wish I could do more than 1 like on your videos, they're fantastic.
Thank you so much Dave! The comment means a lot ☺️
Thirsty much bro?
@@TheUnknownDungeon Id assume it's not. Het video's are good, so I'd say around the same thing.
THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION: Will you go to Heaven when you die? Have you lied, stolen, used God’s name in vain, or lusted (which Jesus said was adultery, Matthew. 5:28)? If so, God sees you as a liar, thief, blasphemer, and adulterer at heart. If you die in your sins, you will end up in a terrible place called Hell. But there's good news. Though we broke God's Law, Jesus paid the fine by dying on the cross: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John. 3:16). Then Jesus rose from the dead and was seen by hundreds of eyewitnesses. He fulfilled all the prophecies of the promised Savior. Please, today, repent and trust Jesus, and God will forgive you and grant you the gift of eternal life (Ephesians. 2:8,9). Then, to show your gratitude, read the Bible daily and obey it, join a Christian church, and be baptized. Visit NeedGod.com and LivingWaters.comm
@@carlyannawx Do you think there's a afterlife?
I’m stoked you started this channel. Your videos show way more than I’ve been able to piece together from other documentaries. You do a great job presenting the information. I’m glad I subscribed!
Thank you so much!
@@carlyannawx anytime!
The Andover Kansas tornado was a good example of not to take cover under an overpass. You are doin a great job going over the tornados. I truly enjoy your videos.
As someone who lived in Bridge Creek when this took place, I just have to say that I really appreciate how you reacted to this and discussed it all respectfully and intelligently.
I learned a lot watching The Weather Channel as a kid, that's where I remember learning not to shelter under an overpass. I was always fascinated/scared by the Storm Stories show as well. Great video Carly!
I have been through some pretty awesome (and awful at the same time) storms throughout my life - born in Oklahoma, lived there til I was 7 and then grew up in Dallas and am now in Denver. May 3rd is the only time my dad ever had a manager that forced him to leave work early to “make sure his wife and kid are safe”. Thankfully The Noble/South Norman area were safe that day. I had tornados hit near my town in Texas but it was never anything scary like they had in the OKC area.
The tornado passed by his work by a few blocks. It was only a couple blocks down that everything was completely destroyed.
Were you in Dallas in 2015? An EF-4 hit our area in December that year
Sorry for additional comment but I also want to mention that when driving, the blinding rain from a severe thunderstorm forces you to naturally slow down, pull over, and stop. If you add hail, very large hail, to this, you naturally look for overhead protection. Then you would see other taillights and an overpass and herd mentality takes over and you join the crowd gathered there. It’s a primal safety in numbers thing. It would be only a very short time that if the tornado was coming directly for you with that storm, that you find yourself having to ride it out under that overpass. So it can be a situation where the immediate issues you are dealing with one after the other, walk you into an even worse situation. Even if you know overpasses are bad during a tornado.
You present information in a compassionate manner while not becoming dramatically emotional. I’m very impressed with your skill. Also, I learned from TWC about highway underpasses being death traps during tornadoes. I’m definitely going to investigate more of your videos. Thank you for professionalism.
My daughter and I love your work. She says your voice is soothing and it is! The way you described the tragic death of Kathleen was bone chilling. We love your videos not only for the superb content but also because of the personal touch you put on each and every one. Thank you so much for all you do and we can't wait for your next masterpiece!
P.S. - Tell Blaze hi for us!
Wikipedia has May 3, 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore, Oklahoma tornado as fastest ever recorded. Do not get confused, it's not the fastest twisting tornado ever, just the fastest recorded by Doppler on Wheels (DOW) and less than 1% of all tornadoes ever recorded has had their speed measured by Dow because it's almost impossible to accomplish.
Imagine driving a huge Doppler truck right next to an F/EF5 tornado going through traffic, cornfields, creeks, trees, rivers, fences, buildings, etc. Besides it's not accurate, hence the +22 / -22 mph variable added to all measured DOW readings. Also, was the Bridge Creek-Moore reading 200 feet high into the tornado or was it measured at ground level?
"Tornado winds rapidly decrease near the ground due to friction. So having measured tornado winds several hundred feet above ground does not guarantee that we know what the speeds are at roof-top level. Survey team does not take into account radar-estimated-winds into the equation" - NOAA
There is currently no way of knowing the true wind speeds of any tornado. The most accurate way is to survey ground/aerial damage then stamp an EF0 1 2 3 4 5 label on it. Bridge Creek-Moore vs Double Creek-Jarrell, all the evidence is there to witness and there is no comparison. Double Creek Estates is the worst localized damage in Tornado History.
Although that's true, they put this down to the fact the tornado was moving very slow, still probably one of the strongest tornadoes ever
There is some question on that one due to findings of the jerrel structures were built incorrectly. The houses were not bolted to the foundations, they cut corners. They went ahead and still gave it a f5.
Jerrel stands differently as it was a weird tornado.
@@seniordavidmanderson9232 what important to understand about the jerrel tornado it basically halted for 3 minutes over that subdivision.
The thing about Moore 1999 ef5, it also granulated debris.
Both these storms imho are the worst. Worst isn't always the data but impact. Jerrel is worst because it sat over those homes for 3 minutes 250 or 300 mph winds are irrelevant at those timeframes.
What you didn't mention about the jerrel tornado that might make it stronger was the air friction burns on the bodies.
The structure issue was also in Moore and Joplin.
@@BladeValant546 Smithville damage was even worse than Bridge Creek and kinda comparable to Jarrell. With a forward speed of 70mph!
@@MeesterJ Smithville was the one with ground scoring or 2 feet right?
I live in new Zealand, we very rarely get tornadoes, I learned not to shelter in overpasses from a tv show, I think it was myth busters or a show similar when I was about 8 or so and my brain stored the info ever since. Thank you for a well presented video, it's interesting to hear your thoughts and learn more about these extreme weather events.
Carly, your content is up there with Reed Timmer and Pecos Hank. I lived a couple of these tornadoes youve went through. 99' was one of the worst days of my life. This video made me tear up a couple times. Thank you for what you do, as I'm an up and coming Meteorologist, and chaser. I love your videos. I plan to sit and watch the rest of your content.
This is a massive compliment and I agree!!
Better than Reed..he just yells at his partners for hours.
@@grvolans right! It is annoying and not informative lol. And that laugh! I avoid his videos as much as possible or mute it
At 57 and having grown up in North Texas, I'm the perfect age to really appreciate the career arc of Gary England. Lord, the lives that man has saved! He's a god among men. When Gary England says "get underground," you start banging on neighbors' doors if you don't have a shelter of your own!
Especially if he has a red sparkly tie on
Your a girl after my own heart I’m deathly afraid of tornadoes ( thanks to the 85 tornado in my hometown of Niles Oh ) but I can’t stop watching everything I can about them I’ve been like this since I was 7 when that F5 hit so close to home so thank you 😊❤️
thats deep bro
@@patriciaarchambault7314 😂😂haha yes it was
Born and raised in Kansas here. Not hiding under an overpass was something we were taught in elementary school- it was apart of our tornado drills when we talked about the tornado safety. The local meteorologists here are also very good at giving those warnings during their storm coverage, too.
Growing up six miles from the Iowa border inMN. We were on the North edge of Tornado Ally.
In our basement was a reinforced room with heavy locking door in a corner of the basement. It was a Tornado shelter that doubled as a storage room. Only once did we ever need to go in it.
But a blessing to have 🙏🏼
The way you detail these tragic events is just stunning! I have been looking at weather for many years, but I use it in writing as a villain you cannot defeat, only survive. Listening to your videos inspires me to do a story that is based on tornados.
How's the story going?
Will NEVER forget this one. I was onboard Tinker AFB in OKC (Stationed there with VQ-3 USN) in base housing, no cellar and under a mattress. Lucky it hit Sooner road and shifted left avoiding our on base housing; but severely damaged the Navy barracks and the horse stables. Dead horse carcasses everywhere. This thing was a monster and what it did still boggles my mind to this day. When Gary England started freaking out, that bumped the fear factor 10 fold. For the next 48 hours my wife and I were in Search and Rescue teams in Midwest City, that neighborhood was decimated. I witnessed things that completely defied the law of physics as I thought I knew it. Two story houses where the second story was gone, kitchen cabinets with the doors removed but the dishes perfectly stacked. I saw things that if I had not seen them with my own eyes I am not sure I would have believed someone else's story about it. Another unique fact, at the time the Fujita scale for F-5 was 319 MPH at the top end. Scientist clocked this tornado at over 320 making it an impossible F-6. For what ever reason, the final tally of wind was 319, the top end of the F-5 spectrum. Thank you Carly Anna for the great video. Liked and subscribed. :)
I grew up in Goshen Indiana. About 5 miles from where the famous twin tornado picture was taken. Life long interest in tornadoes. Even have a "finger of god" tornado tattoo... You do an amazing job on these videos. Your respect for victims and low key presentation are why you're one of the best. Thank you for the hard work you do, putting these videos together!
My dad never went to high school. He was a farm boy who had barely any education.
He is the one who told me that underpasses were dangerous. He said lay flat in ditches or tie yourself to something if you can.
Carly killing it as usual, here's hoping your channel blows up even more! Still don't believe that you only have 500 ish subs!
It's probably the sound level inconsistencies. It's difficult to focus and still jump up because the volume blows you out of your chair.
Incredible work Carly, as always. Thanks for telling these tragic stories to spread weather awareness. You are so talented!
i’ve been obsessed with tornadoes and severe weather since i was a child in the 90s and have been watching videos on youtube about them for years.. i have no idea how i just only found your channel today!! you are amazing and do such a thorough job with every video. so glad i found your channel!♥️
I love how complete you are in your recount of the event. Instant sub for any weather nerd
I've been fascinated with tornados my entire life (32y/o) and have watched dozens of documentaries, weather channel programs, etc on them, yet only found out about the danger of sheltering under overpasses when I discovered your channel this week.
Same bro same im 32 as well grew up in Oklahoma tornadoes are so fascinating
Always excited to see a new video. In the all through the 90’s I toured playing with my rock and roll band of now 30 years. Living in Maine we would always run from the early spring snow by booking the Southeast. Seen plenty of tornadoes!
I knew it was a bad place from watching tornado videos. I can understand why people might think all the concrete might be more protection than being in the open ditch. However, watching your video and others can help spread the word. Thank you for all the information ❤️
I just discovered your channel. I am also a weather enthusiast who has been affected by many tornadoes over my life from growing up in Kansas, so I very much appreciate the respectful tone of your video. I can tell you're passionate about the subject! You're probably already planning a video on this one, but a video about the May 22nd, 2011 Joplin tornado would be something worth talking about for sure. It was the costliest tornado in US history. I look forward to what comes next from you!
Until watching a Ryan Hall, Yall livestream, I didn’t know overpasses were dangerous. It makes sense hearing it now, but the severity of the injuries there (if you were lucky enough to survive) is something I never considered. Thanks for making these videos. I feel incredibly blessed to never have been impacted by a tornado, and better prepared from watching weather content. A side of TH-cam I didn’t know existed, but am extremely grateful for.
Driving up the interstate here in the atlanta area, there are a few shallow ditches covered in concrete for water run off. Pondering what I would do if a tornado was coming at me, there really don’t seem to be any good options. I can see why people would seek shelter under overpasses if they were unaware of the dangers. It’s also dangerous because there are trees on each side of the interstate, so you wouldn’t be able to see a tornado until it was too late (if someone was listening to music instead of listening to weather coverage for example), especially if rain wrapped.
Your presentation of the facts was so articulate and respectful. Well done ma’am, this isn’t an easy story to recall but you present it with grace and respect. Well done
Wonderfully done. Photos were stunning. It isn't easy to take a tragic event and brilliantly mold it into a heart warming and compassionate story as you did. Thank for sharing, Can't wait to see your next one!
I’ve been a weather nerd since I was 5. Watched countless videos. Somehow just found your channel. Your breakdowns are by far the best on TH-cam. I’ll be goin down this rabbit hole for a while.
I love this! I am so glad I found your channel!
Terrific job Carly. This was without a doubt a terrible tragedy. I was in a F4 tornado when I was a child. I will never forget it. It struck at eleven o’clock at night which was even more scary. Thank goodness my family and I survived. I have all the respect in the world for tornadoes. When they tell you to get down, you better do it.
Never seen you or your content before now. I'm glad I clicked for sure. Excellent job explaining certain things. I'm so curious and intrigued by all different types of weather. You used a few different terms/words that if never heard of which I really appreciate because it means I get to learn something new when I look it up!
I'll definitely be watching more from you!
I lived in Custer county and was just a little kid when this happened but I remember the aftermath and how the entire state was affected by this tornado outbreak. Kids in Oklahoma receive a lot of education on how to respond in a weather emergency. I remember after this how much they stressed not to climb under the overpass. At the time I had no idea about the specific fatalities. I’ll never forget the devastation and trauma that followed the 2013 Moore tornado. There aren’t even words, it was just awful.
I knew about overpasses being bad because as a child/middle schooler I was reading books about tornadoes for assignments while everyone else read fiction books, I remember being in middle school in 2004 and reading about the most dangerous tornadoes in history and the 1999 Moore tornado was top of the list, and the book specifically mentioned with diagrams why overpasses were bad and showed pictures of some of the things in this video.
Very well done. To answer your question, yes i know, and have for years that over passes were not good places to shelter in a tornado. I learned this from the weather channel.
I just found your channel and wanted to say thank you! Your content is very easy to understand and well put together. With tornadoes becoming a new hyperfixation of mine, your content is at the top of the list 😊
I have always assumed the overpass was incredibly dangerous,
We were always taught to get into the lowest depression possible if stuck in open ground
I was sucked out of the front door at about 3 years old as I watched a tornado pass.
I just landed in the front yard thankfully
I already knew not to hide under an overpass. I think I learned by watching a video about the Witchita Falls, TX tornado from the 70's. The video was shown to everyone that went to the FAA Academy in OKC. I saw it in 1990. My cousin was in (and survived) this storm. Her house did not and her neighborhood made the Time magazine fold out of this destruction. The last thing she remembers hearing before it hit was Gary England saying "If you are in the path and not underground, you will not survive."
I learned about the dangers of sheltering under a highway overpass from my weather radio, when a tornado warning is issued it mentions to not seek shelter there.
Love your delivery & uncomplicated due diligence share THANK YOU
seeing the footage of the twins is just stunning. this storm was something else. my heart is with the people of moore-some have survived the horror of this storm and the moore 2013 tornado, and that’s incredible.
keep up the good work! i love watching your docs.
Another great video. Please keep 'em coming!
People have been taking shelter underneath overpasses during tornadoes for many years (I have seen one video in which there is a brief shot of cars parking under an overpass during the Wichita Falls tornado of 1979, and this was also done in Topeka KS during the big tornado there on June 8, 1966), but it really didn't take hold with the public until that famous video from the Andover KS outbreak of 1991 when several storm chasers instructed a family to climb up the embankment and hide between the girders of the overpass as a tornado passed nearby. The people in that video were lucky because the tornado didn't pass close enough. The people taking shelter in the Bridge Creek-Moore tornado were not as lucky.
Have a great weekend and looking forward to your next video!
Thank you so much! And yes I’m so glad you mentioned the Andover tornado! Someone else mentioned it and I though.. you know what that makes sense. That video was so popular it honestly could’ve contributed to why people thought it was okay. Very interesting stuff
This is an excellent video. I appreciate how you focused on the dangers of going under an overpass. I wonder how much the film Twister contributed to people thinking that was safe?
It's such an interesting topic, and that's a really really good point. It seems nobody really even knew how dangerous it was until this event and even now I'm not sure it's common knowledge that overpasses are unsafe. I really hope that changes in the future!
And yes I knew about the dangers of sheltering under an overpass-
Heard it from James Spann
p
That plus the earlier video of people sheltering under an overpass as a little F0/F1 tornado passes over. An F5 is a different beast.
If you was stuck like some was where would you have ran to? I don't know where I heard it but I can recall hearing if your on the road get to bridge underpass and ditches if you are stuck in a tornado and that you want to get at the top in-between the concrete walls where homeless people sleep in that pocket. I had to do this once luckily I didn't get hit by a tornado.
I'm still watching all your videos thanks again for your work!!
This is an amazing channel!!! Thank you so much for these videos.
Have any plans to cover Joplin's EF5? I've always found footage of that tornado terrifying. Great work. Subscribed.
I heard there’s not much footage because of how quickly it formed and destroyed the town
Good news: Carly did a video that profiled the Joplin, Missouri tornado on May 22, 2011.
As a kid I've always been interested in weather history, and I learned pretty early on that sheltering under an overpass is extremely dangerous. Whenever I've talked with someone who still believes that it's a good shelter (luckily few people), I make sure to educate them on what happened on May 3rd.
I was 27 years old when this tornado happened. I live just west of Tulsa Oklahoma, and this was insane! This storm weakend a lot befor it got to my area, but still spawned a smaller tornado about 10 miles southeast of where I was. I remember the air being so charged with energy. Ill never forget that day.
Very well Done Carly! I am sorry how this made you emotional. I was crying with you.
I learned about the overpass issues sometime in the 90’s. It was probably after May 3rd, but I don’t remember where I heard it from. I know the 1991 Andover tornado outbreak in Kansas is what made the use of overpasses as shelter popular.
Thank you so so much for sharing that!! I also for some reason can't remember where I heard it either, but I agree I think seeing other people under the overpass creates a pack mentality where suddenly everybody is doing it as well
Impressive job on all these videos, keep 'em coming!
Thank you for covering these events in so much detail. Tornadoes terrify and fascinate me. I'm from northern middle Tennessee and have had several close calls. The one that scared me the most was when I was skipping school on the May 18th 1995 outbreak and a tornado touched down right across the street. It was about 150 feet from the house and thankfully very brief. The sound made my hair stand up. It left a big spiral in the field about 30 feet behind our mailbox.. I got busted for ditching school when I called my Dad at work because I was freaking out about the close call. Several stores near rivergate mall were damaged by one of the tornadoes that day. I really appreciate how thoroughly you cover these events, especially the way it effects the people. I look forward to seeing more of your videos. Thank you.
This is brilliant work. Love the editing too.
Also love your work on Ryan Hall Y’all. Keep it up!
Great video! As a matter of constructive criticism, it would be awesome to have some map overlays when you discuss areas of damage so that there's a little more perspective as to where these points are within the greater context of the tornado's track. I know you're already pouring a ton of time into doing the research (which you did very well) and putting the clips together, so it's just a suggestion. That said, great work! I look forward to watching more of these!
This is excellent feedback!! I can absolutely see what I can do about that- I love the idea! Visual representation is best
Hi Carly! My name is Stuart Earnest and I was under the bridge at I35 and Shields when we got hit by the tornado. One lady from Marlo Oklahoma was killed.
Wow, Stuart thank you for sharing that and I am so sorry you had to go through that. I cannot imagine the kind of trauma and fear associated with that. I am glad you’re here to tell the tale
@@carlyannawx it was a RUSH LIKE NO OTHER I HAVE EXPERIENCED! I drove down to Moore to see it
Also the May20,2013 came through my neighborhood in Moore (PlazaTowers) I lived 5 blocks north of PlazaTower Elementary School where the 7 children were killed. My neighbors son was one of the children.
@Oklahoma boy I'm sorry to hear about your home but I'm happy to hear that you and your family survived.
I'm really enjoying your vids. Thank you so much for putting them together.
Thanks for all your work in covering this tornado, it's so scary & sad. I did know about overpasses from hearing it on the weather channel & Reed Timmer stating it. I like in your videos that you add the human aspect of the disaster & are educating people.
Well done video on one of the most amazing tornadoes in US history. One small correction though: The picture you show when you’re talking about Kathleen and Levi being under the overpass is not them. That is a picture of Kara and Jordan Wiese of Bridge Creek subdivision Southern Hills. The Tornado slammed into their home at F5 strength, killing Kara but only slightly injuring Jordan.
I’m not big on correcting things… but your videos are good and I thought that you’d want to know.
Keep up the good work.
Wow, no that’s huge. Thank you so much for pointing that out and it’s so weird because I believe I found it from a source I often use for research so I’m gonna need to reconsider that! Thank you!
The lady killed was Mrs.Walton
I grew up in the deep south as a kid, and I remember one evening I was walking home with my dad and we had really bad weather coming and it was super windy (it was severe thunderstorms miles away, and we were under a tornado watch but I didn't know this at the time bc I was a kid). We were walking across a flat field and you can see these storm clouds coming and the air was really hot and heavy, and I must have been between the ages of 5 and 7. My dad told me, and I never forgot this even tho he just said it so casually, but he just told me if I were to ever see a tornado and I wasn't home, I had to find a ditch. If there's no ditch, do whatever I can do get myself into a low spot in the ground, keep myself low to the ground as much as possible and hang onto something. Ditches, bathtubs, and basements. Nothing else.
If I were 5 or 6 when he told me this, it would have been before this tornado happened.
I just love how well your videos are put together! Been a great day binging them all lol! Thank you so much for your kind and awesome inside look into these devastating events. Keep up the great work! Love your kitty in the background btw 🙂
I have been viewing your videos for some time; they are amazing! Best to you and please keep them coming!
Growing up in tornado alley, in the 90s I swear everyone thought it was common knowledge at that time that overpasses were safe to shelter in. It wasn't until the last few years that I learned the opposite was true. I'm not too sure how I learned they were unsafe.
Perfect. Just got my work done, lunch and tornadoes 👍
EDIT: I knew about overpasses and I'm sure I learned it from videos like this one. No idea when.
Thanks for the feedback, I'm so curious. To be honest, I don't even know when I learned about it either lmao
I came across your videos while searching other tornado videos,and yours by far are absolutely amazing. You have such good documentation and video coverage. I’m so glad I subscribed to your channel.
I first heard about the dangers of sheltering in an overpass at an assembly in middle school. The Indianapolis NWS helped a lot of central IN schools hold tornado safety training assemblies after the outbreak most notorious for hitting Henryville. I learned a ton of other super important things too, like how to choose a shelter room if you don't have a basement or storm shelter (most don't here), to have closed shoes ready to wear during a watch, how to improvise extra protection with helmets/bedding/mattresses, how to read a warning bulletin, making emergency plans/kits, etc. Of course, the overpass lesson is heavily reinforced whenever I watch The Weather Channel!
Yes, I knew that sheltering beneath an overpass is extremely dangerous. I learned this from any number of documentaries on TH-cam.
Same here.
…ok?
TH-cam didn't exist then.....
As a strom chaser that is from Moore Oklahoma and have been a victim of an F4 in 1998 and this F5 in 1999 then again being a victim twice in 03 by 2 monster F4s and then an EF5 in 2013 that's kinda the hardest part about strom chasing is you could be chasing a tornado as it is destroying your house and your neighborhood Side note the Mulhall Tornado some make an argument of it being the largest Tornado ever but the tornado only had a damage path of a mile wide Rader back then wasn't as accurate as we had in 2013 and El Reno not only was 2.6 miles wide on radar but also a damage path of 2.6 miles wide which earned it's record of world's widest
There was an EF4 tornado which struck Moore in 2010.
Excellent! So well done, thank you so much!
I'm so glad I found your site! I am so impressed with your knowledge and ability to communicate information! Thank you!
Actually, I learned that overpasses were dangerous by watching an older documentary about this storm. I've been interested in weather since I was probably about eight or nine and I stumbled upon lots of good TH-cam documentaries around age 10/11. I remember the particular story about the boy's mum being killed was really upsetting and made me realize just how real these situations can be.