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University Daily Kansan, June 25, 1981
Twister model aids forecast
By JILL M. YATES Staff Reporter
In the wake of last weekend's severe weather, officials said that the public should be aware of warning signs and safety procedures for similar situations in the future.
A model of certain weather conditions, typical of the formation of tornadoes, may be helpful in recognizing and preparing for coming storms, said Bill Henry, meteorologist and instructor at the National Weather Service Training Center in Kansas City, Mo.
THE NATIONAL Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla. studies the characteristics of torrential rain that developed the model, Henry said.
"Common changes in weather conditions include a sudden stillness in the air and often a greenish tint to the sky," he said.
According to the model, tornadoes usually move from the southwest to the northeast at 30 to 40 mph. Henry said.
As a tornado approaches, there will be strong, usually gusting winds, he said.
Then, what is called a "shelf cloud" will appear dark on the horizon, and approach rapidly.
Henry said. This "shelf" is an area of heavy to moderate rain.
As the rain moves to the east, the south-central portion of the storm will produce hail, but it is in the north that most severe storms that tornadoes occur. Henry said.
HENRY SAID that a tornado was usually associated with what was called a "wall cloud," or a massive cloud base in the large cloud structure.
"It is in the southwest corner of this cloud base, in an area one to three miles in diameter, that tornados form," Henry said.
Tornadoes usually move in a clockwise direction, extending down from this portion of the cloud base. Henry said.
"Sometimes the cloud base appears in the shape of a flattened cone and others look like the bottom of a pan," he said.
Henry also said that these stages are usually preceded by heavy rain and hail.
After recognizing the signs of an approaching tornado, proper shelter should be taken for different situations.
IN A HOUSE or building without a basement, suitable shelter in an adjacent building should be taken if possible. Henry said.
the building on the lowest level is the safest part, Henry said.
"An inferior bathroom without windows does provide a little more protection because it is small and fracturably stronger," Henry said.
Otherwise, the interior portion of
Another idea for protection is getting under a couch or other heavy piece of furniture, he said.
Outside, the most protection can be found under a stairwell, or in a culvert or ditch, Henry said.
Doors and windows should be avoided, he said.
"Flying debris is the greatest hazard."
If in a vehicle, one should never attempt to outrun a tornado, Henry said.
"Go in a direction that is at a right angle away from the path of the tornado. If the tornado is moving west to east, so south," he said.
Henry said that automobiles were not a good form of protection, however, and one should never stay inside a parked car.
MOBILE HOMES and trailers should also be evacuated, he said.
"While most new mobile home and trailer parks have shelter areas, all of them should provide some sort of protection against tornadoes and other storms," Henry said.
By DAVE McQUEEN Staff Reporter
Official defends sirens' timing
Wiring sirens in the Lawrence area were sounded the moment last Friday's tornado was sighted, not several minutes later, as had been earlier reported, according to Phil Leonard, emergency preparedness director. *Emergency Preparedness Director.*
Leonard called the tornado that killed one person and injured 33 others, "freaky" because it developed so rapidly.
Reports that the sirens weren't sounded until several minutes after the tornado was sighted were the result of confusion on Leonard's part, he said.
"It formed right over our heads," Leonard said. "The weather bureau didn't even see it until after it dropped out of the clouds."
LEONARD SAID he activated the sirens immediately after a spotter reported the storm, which he said was the normal policy.
At the time of the sighting, Leonard said, he was " confronted with a roomful of reporters" asking for the exact time the tornado touched down. He said he wasn't sure at the time, so he told them 7:30 p.m. According to the National Weather Service Office in Topeka, the storm struck at 7:39 p.m.
the tornado sirens, Leonard said, are sounded only when a tornado has been sighted and confirmed on the ground. They weren't sounded for every warning.
"WE HAVE MANY warnings," he said. "If you blew it every time we had a warning, we'd be blowing it so much that no one would notice."
When a tornado is sighted, a long tone is sounded over the sirens, Leonard said. This signal is also used for other disasters such as a flood, a hazardous waste spill, or anything else that requires the evacuation of a large area.
Another signal, a warbling tone, is sounded in the event of an enemy attack.
DESPITE THE SUDENESS OF the tornado, Leonard said, everyone was warned early enough to find shelter before it hit.
Libraries gain funding
An additional $90,000 in acquisitions funds to KU libraries assures that no periodical subscriptions will be canceled during the 1982 fiscal year, according to Clint Howard, acquisitions librarian.
The University allocated money in an attempt to offset the loss of purchasing power caused by inflation.
"The people in the trailer court had enough time to go to their bunkers," he said.
During the 1980 fiscal year bibliographers, conferring with faculty members, canceled 800 periodical subscriptions and purchased 1,500 fewer books.
"NOT PURCHASING BOOKS seems less dramatic than canceling subscriptions," Howard said, "but once a book is purchased, it is a permanent addition to the collection. Most newspapers are not kept, unless we purchase microfilm versions, and thus they are not adding to our collection."
SEMI-ANNUAL WOMEN'S SHOE SALE
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Although it will not reverse the cancellation trend, the additional University funding has solved the
A 5.5 percent increase allowed by the Kansas Legislature for operating costs provides only $38,500 over base budget figures. KU libraries requested $265,000 in funding with the 194 percent increase during 1981 in periodical subscription rices.
problem of further cancellations for the next fiscal year.
THE **$93,500** ALLOWED by the legislature combined with the additional **$90,000** from the University gives the libraries **$183,500**.
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Faculty concern and public reaction to the possible deterioration of KU libraries has been widespread.
Faculty members circulated a petition stating their concern regarding the future deterioration of library books and periodical acquisitions.
Several editorials stating concern with the future quality of KU Libraries and higher education in general have been published in Kansas City newspapers.
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