Southwest City, Missouri tornado: May 22, 2011

Storm chaser Chad Cowan documented this strong tornado that affected Southwest City, MO on May 22, 2011 -- this was the same day as the devastating Joplin, MO EF-5. As the tornado approached town, Chad's main focus shifted from photography to alerting authorities, as no sirens were going off and residents were in danger of being caught off guard by this destructive tornado. According to the NWS, Tulsa, "Two double-wide manufactured homes were destroyed, a permanent home was severely damaged, barns and outbuildings were destroyed, a number of other homes were damaged, many hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted, and many power poles were snapped."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• tornado
• missouri
• may 22
• 2011
• southwest
• city
• footage
• siren
• EF-3
• storm
• chaser
• video

[TheTubesocks11]

cant beleave it took that long to get the fucking siren on

[Monoceros7777]

The people on the 911 call are F*CKING IDIOTS!!! "I see a tornado on the west northwest side of town"

Dispatcher: "Can you see the tornado?"

Storm Chaser"YES! I can hear I'm a mile away, you need to turn on the sirens"

Disp"Can you see the tornado?"

[laszlov2]

@MIKON8ERISBACK They need to make fucking brick or concrete houses with tornado shelters! Not those wooden shaggs .

[farjadc]

mamamia here we go again

[Renfurrer]

I'm sure you saved alot of lives that day by calling that tornado in. It's just too bad that the people on the 911 line had to be told there was a tornado. Maybe they'll do the job better now, thanks to you.

[MIKON8ERISBACK]

@adulby Yeah. I know. I just think that basements or specially engineered "tornado safe rooms" should be standard and mandated by building codes for new or renovated homes. It's just one of those necessities that both government and building developers should be willing to provide.

[adulby]

@MIKON8ERISBACK so people who can barely afford homes now will never be able to because houses will have to cost more because of the basement? Your willing to do that just in the freak case a violent tornado hits that home. If people want fortified homes they will buy them. People who buy homes without basements do so so they can get them at a cheaper price.

[MattBNSF1991]

Amazing footage, and you really did a great thing by doing that, but I did chuckle when you said west northwest of Southwest City.

[alscort93]

@RuthieAnde43 This tornado was 3 miles north of Southwest City, it ripped through a bunch of Farmland.

[14kaps]

fuckk!!!!911 can seriously be the stupidest people ever

[RuthieAnde43]

I applaud Mr Cowan for alerting the authorities, he saved hundreds of lives and deserves a medal for this heroic act