Tornado slip thru the cracks?

[patric]

Just read the article in the Tulsa Fish Wrapper. It will be interesting to see what the real engineers find when they inspect the building. I can see with the way that building was built (no real interior offices so to speak) that a lot of the businesses in the upper floors would be a total loss because of wind and rain from the shattered windows. I guess the thing that gets me is that I know building engineering has changed since this build was built in the late 70's especially with better understanding storm forces, and I know the building is designed to have some flex to it, but if it was only 130 MPH winds (tornadic or straight) it almost sounds like the building was designed just to meet code. Just my own thoughts, not a tin foil hat rant.

My take on the Tulsa Whirled and other media reports is that the building was designed to twist up to a certain point.  If that point was exceeded...
The theory was the elevator shaft was exposed to excess dynamic pressure and the skin ripped open as a result.

In home and small business constriction its usually a garage door that is the Achilles Heel, or debris breaching a large window that allows pressure to suddenly build up and the structure pops like a balloon.  

[swake]

Slightly off topic, the one building downtown that I used to hate delivering to, can't remember what it was but it's ONE Gas now, the upper floors have accordion like expansion panels in the hallways, and on windy days you could hear the panels creek as the building moved.

First Place Tower, I used to work in that building. It's really two buildings, a 41 story tower and a 19 story original building. There's a rubber gasket between the two buildings so they can sway separately in the wind. It was kind of wild to stand with one foot in each building during storms when I worked on the 14th floor.

[patric]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/weather/the-science-wasn-t-there-an-in-depth-look-into/article_84e84e1a-cda0-5137-a0dd-8ae2b3cfe6e9.html

[Markk]

It's been a week; there is no secret why the sirens weren't sounded in Tulsa---they wouldn't have made any difference, because by the time they would have sounded, the tornado was no longer in Tulsa.

Can we start talking now about whether there is better radar technology out there that the NWS should be using?  'cause beating this dead horse has become very tiresome.

[patric]

It's been a week; there is no secret why the sirens weren't sounded in Tulsa---they wouldn't have made any difference, because by the time they would have sounded, the tornado was no longer in Tulsa.

Can we start talking now about whether there is better radar technology out there that the NWS should be using?  'cause beating this dead horse has become very tiresome.

MEMO: If you are going to disguise ads as news at least get the facts right:



Storm Shelter Gives Tulsa Family Peace Of Mind After Close Call
By: Brian Dorman, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma - With severe weather season on the way, now is the time to have a tornado shelter installed.
Shelter companies say once we start seeing tornadoes on the ground, it's tough to keep up with the demand.
News On 6 caught up with a Tulsa family who experienced that problem first hand.
Bryant Tyler and his wife called to have a storm shelter installed last summer but in the thick of storm season, it was so busy that they didn't get one in time.
"The tornado that hit in August on 41st Street did quite a bit of damage to some businesses it was actually less than a mile south of us," said Tyler. 
With the sirens blaring, Bryant and his pregnant wife Maizie ran for the bathroom.

...

http://www.newson6.com/story/37746637/storm-shelter-gives-tulsa-family-peace-of-mind-after-close-call

[TeeDub]

Their timeline is also off...  5-6 months pregnant in August, but yet baby doesn't come until February.   That's a long time to percolate.

[patric]

Their timeline is also off...  5-6 months pregnant in August, but yet baby doesn't come until February.   That's a long time to percolate.

{rapidly dismissing the mental image that conjured}

So are these actors?

[patric]

KJRH thinks this was a tornado last night.  Me thinks they need to proofread their website.



https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/possible-small-tornado-hits-midtown-tulsa

The lightning bolt is a nice touch.  Good Phillys here, BTW.

[heironymouspasparagus]

KJRH thinks this was a tornado last night.  Me thinks they need to proofread their website.


https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/possible-small-tornado-hits-midtown-tulsa

The lightning bolt is a nice touch.  Good Phillys here, BTW.

Funny - missing a roof?  Here it is...!

[patric]

• Some residents reported hearing a warning siren in the 71st Street and Riverside Drive area shortly before the storms arrived. City spokeswoman Michelle Brooks said the city does not have a siren at 71st and Riverside, "but we are examining the sirens in the area since we heard that report as well. Our emergency management agency reached out to the local fire and police stations in that area last night and they advised they never heard a siren. We are checking the sirens in the area as a precaution."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/weather/tulsans-deal-with-shattered-windshields-toppled-billboards-as-storm-cleanup/article_18341648-b2e3-5861-b2ac-1d916a9e7242.html

When you stand at 71st & Riverside you can see a tornado siren right on the other side of the bridge, but unless its a ghost siren it doesnt activate itself.
Maybe the siren at the refinery?

[Red Arrow]

When you stand at 71st & Riverside you can see a tornado siren right on the other side of the bridge, but unless its a ghost siren it doesnt activate itself.

The river is an acoustic boundary to the powers that be.  A siren on the west side of the river cannot be heard on the east side of the river.

[patric]

The river is an acoustic boundary to the powers that be.  A siren on the west side of the river cannot be heard on the east side of the river.

Like the same way an outdoor light "covers 3000 feet" yet magically stops at the property line?  People actually believe that.

The city admitted that some "systems" were hacked without going into detail.  Would not be surprised if there were a ST*U order from DHS.
Fine, just give me my own Cold-War-non-digital Thunderbolt 1000 and we'll call it even

[patric]

Monday marks one year since an EF2 tornado touched down in midtown Tulsa and left a path of destruction along a busy section of 41st Street.

Map:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=17XOFju_b0dzJR07qmfTy5yRNhAM

[AngieB]

Am I crazy or did I not see a post here yesterday saying that Remington Tower had been sold for some $3+ million and the new owners were putting in another million to fix it? I swear it was here... Was it bunk?

I did not see a single news outlet say anything about the building other than plans for it were unknown and they were still working with the insurance company on a settlement.

[patric]

Am I crazy or did I not see a post here yesterday saying that Remington Tower had been sold for some $3+ million and the new owners were putting in another million to fix it? I swear it was here... Was it bunk?

Rupe Helmer Group purchased the tower for $3.75 million in 2013. It was built in 1983.

https://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/why-is-the-remington-tower-not-repaired-a-year-after/article_6d4c6938-c398-5d3e-9fce-db1b205c9a98.html