FREAK STORM: Tornado causes chaos in Hamburg

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

This is freaky. In the 28 years I've lived there, I've not ever seen even so much as a tornado watch. Over the last few years, events of severely damaging straight line winds have been reported in the area where my family lives. Something I can't recall from the time growing up there. And now this. A fcuking tornado out of nowhere. This just ain't right.

Fortunately, the US administration keeps declaring that all is well with the environment and that we'll just keep on doing what we've been doing as it has obviously no effect on anything. Nor is there anything to worry about. The more extreme weather patterns, the disappearing ice caps, rising tempreatures and all that are just pure coincidences. No correlation there. That's really good to know 'cause one might start to worry just a tiny bit if we didn't have that assurance...

FREAK STORM

Tornado Causes Chaos in Hamburg

The northern German port of Hamburg is used to strong winds but this was different. A tornado blew over tall building cranes, trees and cars, tore off roofs, left 300,000 people without electricity and knocked out the railway system on Monday night. Two building crane operators died.

Tornados regularly hit the United States but remain unusual in the calmer climate of Europe. Residents of Hamburg, one of Germany's largest cities, got a crash course in the ferocity of such storms on Monday night when a freak tornado wreaked havoc, killing two people and leaving 300,000 without power during the night.

The tornado struck in the south of the city at around 7 p.m. and brought three tall building cranes crashing down, damaging houses and wrecking cars. Two of the cranes had still been manned by operators high up in their cabins and the men died in the fall.

The storm caused chaos in the city as lightning knocked out railway signal boxes and brought train traffic to a standstill. A corrugated iron roof torn off a dockside building severed a high voltage power line and short-circuited the electricity supply. The water supply to thousands of households was interrupted as the lightning stopped pumping systems.

Roofs were blown off and trees pulled out. Hundreds of police were drafted into the city to prevent looting. The mobile phone network also stopped working.

Power was restored to most areas on Tuesday morning as the clean-up began. "The situation is slowly returning to normal but an number of streets are still blocked," said a police spokeswoman.

Source

[MaryandMian 1]

Wow that is strange to hear of tornadoes there. I have to agree that the weather is changing all over the world and it greenhouse effect or global warming whatever has to be a factor. Look at the Gulf coast last few years, more floods and severe weather all over. Hope your family was safe during this time?

Mary

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Hope your family was safe during this time?

Yeah, thanks for asking. My family lives nowhere near Hamburg.

[Jasman0717 9]

Wow, maybe it's 'The Day After Tomorrow'

[Mand 1]

I definately agree that something is off-centre with the weather, but I am in two minds as to the cause. Sometimes I think global warming, and other times I think...Jeez, how big-headed are we to think that we can cause these changes. We're not that big in the whole scale of things. Maybe it's a natural cycle that occurs and it has to take it's course?

[MandR 0]

World weather has totaly changed over the past couple of years. And just to add insult to injury..... Hurricane season start in 2 months.

[germangel 0]

goodness, I did not hear about that. Germany has always been known for being rather save.

Does that mean I didn't have to move to Oklahoma to get to witness a Tornado??

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Does that mean I didn't have to move to Oklahoma to get to witness a Tornado??

I think the odds of actuallt witnessing a tornado are still much better in Oklahoma.

[MaryandMian 1]

Glad to hear the family was safe.

[almaty 19]

wow!!! i thought only north america ever had twisters...

[blackbettie 0]

I live in Hamburg and I kept thinking that the weather was really weird all day yesterday. Way warmer than the days before and kinda humid. Remember, just a few days before it was snowing and below 0 (Celsius).

The sky was dark way too early and there was thunder and lightning and rain and a little(!) storm too. I had no idea that just a few miles further south, in another part of town, a tornado was wreaking havoc. Freaky.

I was lucky to live in a part of Hamburg that the tornado did spare.

[faith 0]

I definately agree that something is off-centre with the weather, but I am in two minds as to the cause. Sometimes I think global warming, and other times I think...Jeez, how big-headed are we to think that we can cause these changes. We're not that big in the whole scale of things. Maybe it's a natural cycle that occurs and it has to take it's course?

actually, i've read and heard lots of things that have said just that. We are in a natural cycle where the weather is more extreme.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I definately agree that something is off-centre with the weather, but I am in two minds as to the cause. Sometimes I think global warming, and other times I think...Jeez, how big-headed are we to think that we can cause these changes. We're not that big in the whole scale of things. Maybe it's a natural cycle that occurs and it has to take it's course?

actually, i've read and heard lots of things that have said just that. We are in a natural cycle where the weather is more extreme.

Our contribution to Global Warming is pretty much scientific consensus these days. Not even the Bush administration denies that seriously anymore. The only ones still in denial are "scientists" of the same caliber as the ones that still deny the bad effects that smoking cigarettes has on a person's health. Is Global Warming the trigger for the ever more extreme weather patterns? If it isn't, it sure would seem to be one hell of a coincidence, no?

[Mand 1]

I'm just stuck in the middle here to be honest, on one hand; global warming and the current weather patterns make total sense. But, then I think that we are really putting the human race/ourselves on a pedestal by saying we have that much control and power over nature.

Consider how small human beings really are when you think of our place in the greater make-up of things. I'm usually pretty straight down the line and not into wishy-washy theories, but I really think there are other factors contributing to the severe weather occurances of late.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Consider how small human beings really are when you think of our place in the greater make-up of things.

Yeah, like a million tiny little termites that eat up a house in no time at all. Size don't always matter.