A couple of years up to 2011 persuaded many people that the threat brought about by tornadoes had come down. However, the above numbers had not exceeded in the United States for about fifty years. The Nation Weather Service in the United States came up with a countrywide coverage network of Doppler weather radars in the 1990s (Senesac, 2019). It gave warnings that provided enough time for families to take caution and shelter. The tornado outbreak that occurred on April 27 and 28 was one of the deadliest in America (Lengend813a, 2011). The event was catastrophic; however, the presence of the imagery looping played a crucial role in giving out data regarding the situation.
The tornado outbreak was destructive, and huge losses were recorded. There were more than 150 tornadoes, leading to at least 250 deaths recorded in six states (Lengend813a, 2011). Alabama was the most affected region, with sixty-eight tornadoes surveyed by National Weather Service (Lengend813a, 2011). After tornadoes severed major utility lines, the area experienced a power outage that lasted nearly a week. After the power was restored, SPORT team members provided satellite imagery to the National Weather Service, which assisted them in identifying the high-intensity tornado damage tracks.
Aerial imagery looping has the power to give out data more swiftly than the earth-orbiting satellite as it is not subjected to imaging time windows. It captured a couple of view angles of the same area as it covered a wide area. It helped to detect the event of the widespread acquisition of before and after-storm aerial imagery. This was made possible by using a Pictometry fleet. The imagery looping also showed increased efficiency in communicating tornado hazard information (Lengend813a, 2011). Furthermore, it has aided experts in determining its effects on the built environment at various spatial scales ranging from buildings and neighborhoods to entire paths. This imagery has a unique set of resolutions that have helped engineers and atmospheric scientists comprehend the tornado wind speed well.
The comparative coarse resolution data enabled the capturing of personal structures and trees. This imagery looping platform gave a higher spatial resolution for imagery. Furthermore, it required a specific task for data acquisition as well as advanced knowledge about the existence and location of tornado tracks. It gave some basic for many diverse studies about tornado effects in the harsh 2011 attack (Lengend813a, 2011). In a study of tornadoes’ near-ground wind fields, some experts used the image to analyze the patterns of falling trees. Moreover, it aided in determining the tornado’s intensity and the location of tornado wind fields based on the visually identified tree fall pattern in the region’s local forest areas.
In conclusion, society must constantly be reminded how nature can be violent and unforgiving. In 2011, tornadoes caused property damage and claimed more than five hundred lives. Efforts have been made to reduce casualties from frequent weaker tornadoes. However, the option still needs to be more attractive. This is because people are caught mostly in the path of violent tornadoes, the ones stuck in the United States. Moreover, the same applies to the intensity of damages, as reduction will not be economically attractive for the somewhat uncommon violent tornadoes. This tornado event led to the largest property loss compared to any other tornado season on record. It brought insurers concern about tornadoes as a possible catastrophic event.
References
Lengend813a. (2012). Late April tornado outbreak-April 27-April 28, 2011-goes satellite [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Senesac, E. (2019). The National Weather Service and the evolution of meteorological radar. National Weather Service Heritage. Web.