Introduction
to the book
Under the Whirlwind
This book is a labour of love by a couple whose lives have been bound together by a shared passion for the sky. Together we have travelled many miles, photographing, writing and speaking about the exquisite beauty and variety that inspires our work. We have chased clouds; we have chased rainbows. We have chased snowsqualls and fog. And, of course, we have chased one of nature’s greatest furies– the tornado. In chaser’s parlance, we have caught a couple of dozen in our time. But it would be truer to say that we have been captured– by their power and beauty.
In the many years that we have chased tornadoes we have had one enduring regret. We could not take the time to stop and help people with the devastation that confronted them. We were able to stop long enough to offer a hug or call for help when we were the first on the scene; but our work, photographing and documenting severe weather, demanded that we stay with the storm as it continued its rampage.
We comforted ourselves with the knowledge that good written and photographic documentation of storms was helping to advance scientific understanding of tornadoes, and this would help us all anticipate and respond to tornadic storms in the future. But we wished we could do something more.
This book is that something more.
In the cold April of 1996, when we were making preparations for our annual departure for the Mecca of chasers– North America’s “tornado alley$rdquo;– we were caught off guard by two tornadoes that ripped through Southern Ontario, with snow still on the ground. One of them first touched down 5 km (3 miles) from our home, but where were we? Making one last visit to our family in Toronto before taking off to chase tornadoes in Texas!
Once we recovered from our initial numbing depression (for having missed a tornado so close to home), we realized that this was a rare opportunity to help people learn from an in-depth look at what it is like to go through a tornado. It was a chance to give people “everything they needed to know about tornadoes, but didn’t know who to ask.$rdquo;
We wanted to use a detailed recounting of what our neighbours had gone through to focus attention on what everybody needs to know.
So we started with the story– A tale of two twisters (Chapter one). We interviewed more than 500 people to discover what they had experienced, what confused or surprised them, and what went right or wrong before, during and after the tornadoes.
We knew that the best way to give people early warning of dangerous weather was to develop their weather smarts, so we decided to include a well-illustrated guide to the stormy sky in the book (Reading the stormy sky, Chapter two). It is overflowing with tips, explanations and illustrations that will help you engage in the joys of skywatching and, at the same time, be better prepared to recognize when the weather may pose a threat.
And then, of course, we had to give tornadoes their due, so we walk you through the maze of what is and isn’t known about them in Anatomy of a tornado (Chapter three). Recently, there has been a North America-wide frenzy of popular interest in tornadoes and tornado chasing, but it seemed to us that much of what was being said just added to the confusion and misinformation that already abounded. We wanted to do justice to what is known about tornadoes, but we didn’t want to drown people in all the scientific if’s, and’s and but’s. So we tried to make our explanations as clear and simple as possible without misleading the reader (as simplified explanations often do). We trust that our scientific colleagues will forgive us a few distinctly unscientific metaphors we used to accomplish this.
We knew from our interviews that people were being given conflicting messages as to where to go and what to do to protect themselves from an approaching tornado, so in Don’t just stand there! (Chapter four) we have brought together the best current advice, along with some background on why it is preferable to some of the tips you may have heard in the past.
But the need for clarification and information does not end with the tornado. For friends and neighbours, the tornado experience often starts with the devastation it leaves behind. Thousands of people may show up on the scene, anxious to know how they can help. But the victims are too shocked, too devastated, to know where to begin. In Chapter five, Coming to the rescue, we use the experience of April 20th to make suggestions as to what is and isn’t helpful in the aftermath of a tornado.
Long after the surge of community support has subsided, the victims of a tornado are still struggling with a seemingly endless barrage of details and decisions, all of which must be handled while they are on an emotional rollercoaster. Rebuilding lives and spirits (Chapter six) looks at important factors that may help them with their struggles: co-ordinating the process; repairing and rebuilding; dealing with insurance; stress and grief responses; and how to get outside help. If it helps even one tornado victim in the future we will feel gratified.
And we wanted to help parents and children work through their fears and emotional stresses– not only those children whose homes have been hit by tornadoes, but also the many others who are terrified every time the sky darkens or the wind picks up. Helping kids cope (Chapter seven) gives suggestions based on the stories and experiences of teachers, parents and children, and helps adults understand how their responses and reactions to weather can provide reassurance and comfort to children.
Although devastating tornadoes are much less common in Southern Ontario than in Texas or Oklahoma, it is becoming clear that, even in Ontario, there are preferred areas for tornado development. What are the risks? (Chapter eight) takes a look at when and where tornadoes are most likely to happen in North America, recognizing that the odds of being hit are very low, no matter where you are. This is followed by a brief look at how you can renovate or build your home to withstand the winds; and we top off the book with a quick look back at some of the tips that can help you take control of your responses to the weather. We can’t control it; we can’t change it; but we can prepare for it.
The book ends with an Afterword that looks at how tornadoes inspire a sense of community that is rare in these days of harried disconnection from our surroundings. We hope that our brief exploration of how people come together in disaster will inspire you to discover ways of sparking a more lasting, day-to-day sense of community where you live.
The information in this book is brought to life through the real experiences of the many victims, witnesses and helpers we interviewed. Since we had quotes from so many sources, we felt it would be unwieldy and disruptive to the reader to attribute those that were chosen to reflect a common experience. (We have attributed the quotes in Chapter one (the story) and in a few other specific instances.) We hope the reader and our interviewees will excuse us this departure from normal practice. All of the interviewees are listed at the end of the book (page 223).
We have been inspired and humbled by the courage and love we have encountered in the many people we interviewed for this book. To all of them we extend our heartfelt gratitude and prayers for a well and happily lived life.
Thank you,
Arjen and Jerrine Verkaik
Elmwood, Ontario, Canada