Strib: Deadly tornado and its aftermath. From Paul Douglas‘ weather blog: “It was the worst metro tornado since 1981, maybe ’65. Half a mile wide, winds may have topped 125 mph.” He says without the 7-minute warning that was given, it could’ve been worse. (Joplin, MO, got nailed by the same system, that dropped 46 tornadoes across the Midwest.)
Red Cross: Provided shelter to 200 people overnight @ NE Mpls. Armory. (If you are concerned about friends and family on the North Side, call the Family Assistance Center at 651-268-8537.) The Salvation Army has also set up mobile kitchens in St. Louis Park, Fridley and the Northside.
e-democracy.org: Minneapolis community bulletin board reactions in the aftermath of the stormy weather, with input from city services and neighborhood groups.
PiPress: Storm photos gallery.
MyFox9: Rupert reports floats rumors of shootin’ and lootin’. (Minneapolis police @ 4 a.m., 5/23 had yet to report any shootin’ or lootin’.)
Update: The MPD emergency response plan for Monday, 5/23 [via Strib]. And the MPD emergency response policy manual.
May 23, 2011 at 8:33 am
Scary weather on Sunday. Mrs. Lungs just go out of the hospital and is moving slowly post-surgery. We spend much of the afternoon on first level to be close to the basement entrance.
May 23, 2011 at 8:44 am
heard the sirens, turned on the TV and they were reporting it about 1 mile NE of me…kinda crazy. In retrospect I suppose the correct order is: Hear sirens > go to basement > turn on TV/Radio.
May 23, 2011 at 9:11 am
of course the actual order is: people on twitter say sirens going off–> ask self “what sirens?”
May 23, 2011 at 9:14 am
Mercifully, the TV coverage I saw seemed to downplay the need for trained spotters. Summers past, I remember a very heavy emphasis on telling the viewers they are not worthy to declare “tornado” when a big, bad storm they should probably take shelter from is rolling through. I understand that they want people to understand what a meteorological tornado is, but it’s not very useful to the people hunkered down in a windowless room while their house is being shredded, or the folks watching at home, who are told not to believe their lying eyes. If it’s supposed to be educational, then tell us why we’re wrong, or just drop the subject.
Also, I hate hockey, but cheers to KARE11 for eventually figuring out they could run the NHL playoff game on a subchannel.
May 23, 2011 at 9:23 am
@champs: WCCO-TV appeared to emphasis “trained weather spotters” (and its law enforcement equivalent) in its tornado reporting Sunday. Also MPR.