Storm Chasing: A Look Inside

Did you watch Storm Chasers? Rememer these guys trying to get inside a tornado? Well it's not all about capturing that award winning photo. The men and women who storm chase also assist their local police departments after the storm. Storm Chasers also assist with traffic control as well as help with search and rescue after severe weather outbreaks.

I have had the honor of meeting an actual storm chaser. His name is Chris Schild. He has been chasing for 14 years, and has provided assistance to local law enforcement officials all over the Southeast. Ever since he was a young man, he has always loved severe weather. He has seen it all from severe thunderstorms, severe flooding and tornados. During his span of chasing, he has traveled throughout the Southeast as well as in the Midwest which is known as Tornado Alley. In these 14 years he has traveled approximately half a million miles. He is also a Certified Storm Spotter trained through the National Weather Service

I know that most of my readers remember the deadly tornado outbreak that occured on April 27, 2011. Chris was one of the first to arrive to Ringgold Georgia right after an EF4 tornado ripped through this small town in North Georgia. He assisted the Georgia State Patrol and Catoosa County Sheriffs Department in search and rescue efforts as well as traffic control.

On April 28,2012 I had the opportunity to travel with Chris to the affected areas in Ringgold and Southern Tennessee. The damage a year later was devistating. While driving through these areas I asked him what made him want to storm chase and his response was

      "I've loved severe weather ever since I was a little kid. I would stand in the yard and was facinated with the lightning. I remember standing at the screen porch door with my face pressed against it during severe storms."

I also asked why he chases and his response was

      "I chase to help  those affected after severe weather. Its my misssion and goal to promote severe weather awareness and help individuals, communities and businesses understand the severity of these storms and how to better prepare for the worse that could happen"

I used to be scared to death of storms, but something that has helped me get through this was actally learning about how storms formed and what to look for. Chris helped me get certified as a storm spotter, and now I am a trained storm spotter through the National Weather Service! Thanks to him, I have a better understanding on how storms work and what to look for.

Chris has his own website at www.ChrisSchild.com. He also has a Facebook page which you can access here. Make sure that you check it out. He has all sorts of weather pictures and information for kids, as well as several videos showing his Storm Chase Vehicle! 

Thanks for reading and if you would like more information regarding what he does, you can e-mail him at chris@chrisschild.com.