This evening was orientation, led by Silver Lining Tours' co-owner Roger Hill, who has been verified by the Guinness Book of World Records as having seen more tornadoes than any other human being. His presentation was jam-packed with helpful information such as what to expect and how to properly behave around developing severe weather. He also included a Meteorology 101 briefing, which verified some of the concepts I thought Iknew
There are three different types of days to anticipate on a tour- red is a chase day, denoting the probability of active situations, yellow is for days that have a likelihood of severe weather (and can progress into a chase day) and green is for non-active days. Adventures such as sight-seeing, trips to New Mexico, and...bowling? are options for those days. I'm glad I took a semester of bowling at UVM!
It was a pleasure to meet the group I'll be travelling with for the next week, especially Lisa and Sara, whom I had connected with previously via Facebook. Now it's off to bed- I'm told we may drive as much as 500 miles tomorrow.
Good night, OKC! Tomorrow we ride...I mean...drive.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
The Saga Begins!
Good afternoon from sunny, breezy Oklahoma City! I can tell that I'm really here because the hotel has severe weather directions in three different places...
My flight in was uneventful, except for one thing- somehow the wonderful flight attendant on United #4652 has become my first pledge for the Portlight Strategies fundraising campaign, which officially begins today! This gentleman (whose name I unfortunately forgot in the hustle of travel) mentioned that his next leg takes him to Houston, where he has family. Coincidentally Shari Myers, Portlight's operations director, has been deployed to support disaster relief efforts in the wake of the recent flooding that has occurred there.
I hope you'll take just a couple of moments to become one of the first donors on this campaign. More about Portlight:
In the last decade, Portlight has provided disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Gustav, Isaac, and Irene, as well as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2011 Japan tsunami, the Joplin (Missouri) and Birmingham (Alabama) tornadoes, and many other smaller, but still devastating events in the United States. Immediately after Superstorm Sandy struck coastal New Jersey and the boroughs of New York City, Portlight began what would become our longest-ever relief and recovery effort, lasting nearly two years. More recently, we have responded to subsequent catastrophic events, including the Moore (Oklahoma) tornados in 2013, and 2014’s tornado swarms in the Midwest and the South, and last year’s devastating Butte and Valley wildfires in Northern California, and catastrophic 1000-year flood event in South Carolina, where Portlight is headquartered.
Orientation for the chase trip is scheduled for 6p.m., more about that later this evening!
My flight in was uneventful, except for one thing- somehow the wonderful flight attendant on United #4652 has become my first pledge for the Portlight Strategies fundraising campaign, which officially begins today! This gentleman (whose name I unfortunately forgot in the hustle of travel) mentioned that his next leg takes him to Houston, where he has family. Coincidentally Shari Myers, Portlight's operations director, has been deployed to support disaster relief efforts in the wake of the recent flooding that has occurred there.
I hope you'll take just a couple of moments to become one of the first donors on this campaign. More about Portlight:
In the last decade, Portlight has provided disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Gustav, Isaac, and Irene, as well as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2011 Japan tsunami, the Joplin (Missouri) and Birmingham (Alabama) tornadoes, and many other smaller, but still devastating events in the United States. Immediately after Superstorm Sandy struck coastal New Jersey and the boroughs of New York City, Portlight began what would become our longest-ever relief and recovery effort, lasting nearly two years. More recently, we have responded to subsequent catastrophic events, including the Moore (Oklahoma) tornados in 2013, and 2014’s tornado swarms in the Midwest and the South, and last year’s devastating Butte and Valley wildfires in Northern California, and catastrophic 1000-year flood event in South Carolina, where Portlight is headquartered.
Orientation for the chase trip is scheduled for 6p.m., more about that later this evening!
Saturday, April 23, 2016
The Final Countdown
There is now officially ONE WEEK left to go before I embark upon my trip with Silver Lining Tours. I've started planning what to pack based on the information packet SLT sent, and one of my tripmates was kind enough to provide additional advice. In a sweet gesture last week my grandfather gave me a plush neck pillow after asking "why do you want to do this dangerous thing?" My wonderful mother, on the other hand, has started singing "blue skies shining on me," I think she might be a little concerned.
It's not [only] about the thrill of the chase, this is the chance to make a childhood dream of mine come true. Technically speaking, the opportunity to learn more about severe weather from live meteorologists who aren't on TV is something that I'm really looking forward to; usually the forecasting steps are only glossed over or hinted at on the storm chasing shows. To go more in-depth from a scientific perspective will be a great educational experience, and I anticipate sitting in on the morning forecast meetings with unbridled enthusiasm.
SLT is already conducting their first trip of the season, and the forecast models are predicting an active couple of days. I can't wait to see pictures from the storms they pursue. I'm thinking of this forecast for stormy weather as a possible preview of things to come.
The thing that will most give this trip meaning for me- beyond the fulfillment of a lifelong dream- is the fundraising aspect. I have a background in nonprofit management, with a focus in donor management and development. I'm thrilled to stretch the wings of this skill set by using my trip as an opportunity to do good for those who are impacted by natural disasters such as the very storms I may be chasing.
As a decade-long follower of Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog, I first learned about the organization I'm going to campaign for as Dr. Masters showcased their mission of training communities in disaster preparedness and assisting those with disabilities in the wake of these events. Portlight Strategies has supported disaster relief endeavors since 1997, and I hope that between my friends, family, and the internet we can lend a hand to this worthy cause. The campaign is set to begin on or around my departure date, April 30. I'm on such tenterhooks- one week until I endeavor to make the acquaintance of Oklahoma City!
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