Best Wishes Oklahoma

Dear Oklahoma,

We are so, so sorry. The tragedy in Moore, Oklahoma and surrounding area today, May 20th 2013 affects us all and our deepest and our most sincere condolences go out to you and your families and friends who are suffering in a way we cannot imagine.


Please know, that this small group of people who read this short letter, will feel the utmost sense of empathy for you and your families. May the National Guard arrive swiftly and God’s speed to your community.


This is horrible news. It warrants a moment of silence from anyone…anywhere.


Our condolences,

The Animaaal Family / The Dark Souls Wiki Family

Well that's depressing.

I took off my sig and avatar for my moment of silence.

I saw what happened to that town, basically, it got wiped off the face of the Earth. Utterly shocking.

It's probably going to be a bad season. The weather, at least where I am, has been pretty extreme all year. When we've had snow it's been an impressive amount. When it's rained it's been a lot of rain. Extreme hot and cold temperatures. Hasn't just been mild at all. We had an 80 degree day in April, which is pretty much unheard of

I saw this already. Such a horrible thing indeed.

Sorry that I'm going to sound an @sshole for saying this and please forgive me for my ignorance because I don't know how communities deal with this, but isn't it about time hurricane proof buildings and structures should be the only things being built and used in these prone areas? I mean if this happens around the same period every year then surely you should do what is necessary to reduce the damage as much as possible. I honestly get tired of hearing stories like this when all I can think of is that people and governments could reduce their risk by taking their safety more seriously.

If I'm being really ignorant here then please enlighten me on why crap like this keeps on happening.

Steve, the biggest barrier would be money. They'd need an astronomical amount to make everything safe. We've had tornadoes in NY and they can knock trees down and pull a few roofs off without a lot of trouble.

That being said, my brother took me around Oklahoma City after a bad stretch when he was living there. What they have makes our little twisters seem like a joke. Where we had trees knocked down, they got trees twisted apart. Where we lost a roof here and there or a cow moved to a new location, they lost entire structures. And not trailers, well built, solid houses.

None of this is saying they can't make buildings that are safe but there's way too many people who can barely afford a trailer (I know it's cliche but they're terrible for weather concerns) let alone a tornado proof house.

Many communities have areas where people can go to be safe but tornadoes are highly unpredictable.

So the only solutions are either everyone gets an expensive home (can't happen) or any time there's even a hint of bad weather, everyone runs to the nearest safe location (also pretty much not feasible).

Finally, there's always going to be extreme versions of already extreme weather. Yeah, they might be able to better prepare for most tornadoes, but some are just gonna be hell on wheels no matter what. Like where I live, every building should be able to hold a lot of snow on the roof but that doesn't stop the occasional blizzard from wrecking things.

Honestly, I don't know what to say, apart from this was a tragedy that the world did not need. As the title says, best wishes Oklahoma, even though I am not in the country this happened in, I still feel this was just not right to happen.

@skarekrow13

Right if I had a position of power, what I would do is get funding from central government and also introduce some kind of local hurricane tax that would be used to government fund hurricane proof buildings. I would make it a priority that all schools and hospitals would be dealt with first by knocking them down (obviously not all at once) and building their replacements. I would then have hurricane proof shelters built for those that lose their homes so the vulnerable are off the streets. I would then have a law passed stating that all buildings and structures from now must be hurricane proof and that all these building are to have areas for cars to go so they don't get blown away. Anyone can apply for government funding to build their home cheaper and a pledge from the government to build at least 200 homes a year (for a limited time) and give to the people as social homes. I would also help fund charities that would help out with people that have lost their homes so they can get back on their feet. By the time the old houses are replaced and teared down (because I would set a time for it to be illegal to build or live in one), government funding for new builds would be stopped as well as the tax. Also I would make it law that all home owners to have hurricane insurance with it now being affordable due to low damage.

I know what you're saying that not everyone can afford it and would require a huge amount of money and time but once everything is sorted the cost of damage would be very low and most likely people won't die unless they're being stupid. Yeah it does sound like wishful thinking but I'd rather get something setup like this than just put up with the high risk.

@steve - You would never get elected in Oklahoma if you came pushing that platform.

steveswede wrote:@skarekrow13

Right if I had a position of power, what I would do is get funding from central government and also introduce some kind of local hurricane tax that would be used to government fund hurricane proof buildings. I would make it a priority that all schools and hospitals would be dealt with first by knocking them down (obviously not all at once) and building their replacements. I would then have hurricane proof shelters built for those that lose their homes so the vulnerable are off the streets. I would then have a law passed stating that all buildings and structures from now must be hurricane proof and that all these building are to have areas for cars to go so they don't get blown away. Anyone can apply for government funding to build their home cheaper and a pledge from the government to build at least 200 homes a year (for a limited time) and give to the people as social homes. I would also help fund charities that would help out with people that have lost their homes so they can get back on their feet. By the time the old houses are replaced and teared down (because I would set a time for it to be illegal to build or live in one), government funding for new builds would be stopped as well as the tax. Also I would make it law that all home owners to have hurricane insurance with it now being affordable due to low damage.

I know what you're saying that not everyone can afford it and would require a huge amount of money and time but once everything is sorted the cost of damage would be very low and most likely people won't die unless they're being stupid. Yeah it does sound like wishful thinking but I'd rather get something setup like this than just put up with the high risk.

The biggest hurdle to this is a majority (yes, majority) of people call this kind of action 'socialism'... and socialism is always bad mmmkay...

(not what I would say BTW, just the common argument from the peanut gallary)

I'm not for socialism because I know it's seriously flawed but I do believe there should be some form of basic socialism so people are not trapped at the bottom. Living in the UK, we have a decent balance of both but it's mainly a capitalist system. Providing you don't have stupid people in power spending recklessly and setting up inefficient systems like pointless quangos it can really work.

steveswede wrote:I'm not for socialism because I know it's seriously flawed but I do believe there should be some form of basic socialism so people are not trapped at the bottom. Living in the UK, we have a decent balance of both but it's mainly a capitalist system. Providing you don't have stupid people in power spending recklessly and setting up inefficient systems like pointless quangos it can really work.

Unfortunately, that half of the population I was talking about thinks the UK is socialist...

***Update

The total fatality count is at 91, which includes 20 children as of today.

May God ease the bereaved, and give the community a sense of hope in their darkest hour.

Here's praying for you in Oklahoma,

The Animaaal Family and Friends.