Chasing the Wind

News. Faith. Nonsense.

Tornado Warning

This is on the front page of the Houston Chronicle this morning: Thousands could die if a giant tornado ever hits Houston

Well, sure. Thousands could also die if Houston was hit by a giant meteor, destroyed by a natural gas explosion, or overrun by mutant man-eating fungus. Why is this front-page news? Have they run out of real scare-mongering stories, so now they’re just making up hypothetical ones?

You have to get to the 6th paragraph before they acknowledge that this is unlikely to happen:

“These are indeed unlikely events,” said Joshua Wurman, president of the Center for Severe Weather Research in Boulder, Colo., and lead author of a recent article in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society on the tornado modeling.

“But I think, given the consequences, it’s prudent for emergency managers to think about what they would do if such a thing happened.”

Such a thing has never happened in Houston. But if it did, it could become the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike Texas, perhaps even eclipsing the 8,000 dead from the Galveston Hurricane of 1900.

I don’t think it’s right that they should focus on hypothetical killer tornadoes. Wouldn’t you rather see hypothetical stories about mutant man-eating fungi destroying Houston? If you were going to make up a story about how thousands of people in your town could die so you could put it on the front page of your hometown newspaper, what story would you make up?

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Michael

Follower of Jesus, conservative, freedom-loving patriot.

8 responses to “Tornado Warning”

  1. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    “Best of the Web” from OpinionJournal also made fun of this article today:

    “Thousands Could Die if a Giant Tornado Ever Hits Houston”–headline, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 20

    They Could Die Even if It Never Does

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  2. Jo Avatar
    Jo

    I’m thinking Giant Squid.

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  3. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    We might have to truck the giant squid in, being a little far from the coast. Perhaps we can imagine Giant Squid can kill thousands in Galveston and put it on the front page, and go with the closely related Giant Slug to destroy Houston.

    Or were you thinking Giant Squid for lunch?

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  4. Jo Avatar
    Jo

    I’m thinking ship channel!!

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  5. Stephen Avatar
    Stephen

    Nothing could kill that many people in my town, there is not that many people. 🙂

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  6. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Here’s somethin scary. New Zealand fishermen catch world’s largest squid

    WELLINGTON (AFP) – A New Zealand fishing boat has landed what is believed to be a world record squid weighing an estimated 450 kilograms (990 pounds).

    The gigantic sea creature is about 10 metres (33 feet) long and about 150 kilograms heavier than the next biggest specimen ever found.

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  7. Jo Avatar
    Jo

    And you thought I was joking!

    Like

    Reply
  8. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    What *else* could go wrong? I’m afraid to ask. 😯

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About Me

Michael, a sinner saved by grace, sharing what the good Lord has shared with me.

Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, said, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

If you’re not living for the glory of God, then what you’re doing is meaningless, no matter what it is. Living for God gives life meaning, and enjoying a “chasing after the wind” is a gift from God. I’m doing what I can to enjoy this gift daily.

Got questions? I’m not surprised. If you have any questions about Chasing the Wind, you can email me at chasingthewind@outlook.com.

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