The News On 6 Weather Warn Team met with students and community members during a Sept. 8 presentation at Rogers State University to kick off the Pryor campus’ 911 Week designed to emphasize campus and community safety.
Meteorologists Travis Meyer and Stacia Knight were joined by storm chasers Darren Stephens and Von Castor as the group discussed weather-related safety, including precautions to take during the two of the most common sources of weather fatalities: lightning and drowning.
The two takeaways in those situations are, “Don’t be tall; get small” when lightning might be imminent, and “Turn around; don’t drown” when drivers come across flooded roadways.
Lightning strikes cause more fatalities than tornadoes do, Meyer said, because they can strike when the storm appears to be miles away. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that there are not easy methods for detecting when and how lightning will strike. One common indicator of a pending lightning strike is hair standing on end either on a person’s head, neck or arms. If that happens, a person has at most a 10- to 15-second window to either run into a building or squat low to make themselves the smallest possible target. The best defense for lightning is to stay inside when lightning is in the area, he said.
Drowning also is among the most common weather-related fatalities, often when drivers take their vehicles into roadways where they can’t see the road due to rushing water. It doesn’t take much water to sweep a car from the road, or drivers can’t tell if the road has been washed out ahead.
Meyer said while tornadoes have a reputation for being among nature’s most deadly forces, tornadoes aren’t even among the top three causes of weather fatalities. Heat, hurricanes and flooding each are responsible for more deaths on average than tornadoes, he said.
As part of the presentation, KOTV storm chasers Darren Stephens and Von Castor shared their experiences tracking major weather events, including tornadoes. Castor noted that it’s important to have multiple sets of eyes looking at incoming storms, because different vantages can provide important observations on a storm’s path or intensity. He gave the example of the March tornado that hit near Sand Springs. While they watched Stephens’ video of that storm clearly showing a wall cloud gathering over the area, Castor said he was unable to see the rotation from his vantage point only a few miles away.
While increased weather data and computer modeling have helped advance meteorology, Meyer said there still needs to be an element of personal interpretation, which is why weather forecasts haven’t reached 100 percent accuracy.
Following the presentation, the News On 6 weather team took a group photo with students from Chouteau High School who attended the event.
The presentation kicked off the second annual RSU Pryor 911 Week, each day of which focuses on a different safety-related topic. Activities are planned around the week of Sept. 11 because the 9/11 date corresponds with the emergency telephone number used nationwide. Each day of 911 Week features a specific theme focused on emergency preparedness.
In addition to the presentation from Meyer and Knight at noon, Tuesday’s Weather Preparedness Day included campus tornado drills at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Other activities for 911 week include Fire Preparedness Day with the Pryor Fire Department on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Thursday, Sept. 10, will cover Medical Emergency Preparedness Day with RSU Emergency Medical Services students participating in a campus triage drill at 9 a.m. MESTA will be on hand for the drill, with LifeFlight scheduled to land one of its helicopters in the parking lot at the same time. At 10 a.m., there will be a presentation on medical emergencies in the RSU Pryor Auditorium. A free CPR/AED training session will be held at 2:30 p.m., but advance registration for that session is required.
For more information, contact RSU Pryor Campus Director Sherry Alexander at [email protected] or 918-825-6117.