By admin 
BLUE RAPIDS, Kan. (KWCH) – Severe weather season is bringing an influx of storm chasers in Kansas.
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Recently, the Kansas town of Blue Rapids was hit by a tornado, and it had a small dispute with storm chasers trying to capture it.
The tornado that hit Blue Rapids was an EF1. The emergency department said over 500 storm chasers were in town on the day the tornado hit.
“I’ve never, ever, ever seen anything like that in my life, and I said this – I hope I never do again. It was just chaotic,” said Bill Schwindamann, the emergency management director for Marshall County.
The emergency department said the staff was trying to keep the community safe and closed down some roads. The situation got tense, with some storm chasers still trying to go through the closures and ignoring emergency responders.
“We welcome them, don’t get me wrong. We are not trying to run anybody out, but we just want you to obey and understand. Have some common courtesy,” Schwindamann said. “Our first responders are not trying to get to a tornado scene to photograph it ahead of you. That is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is making sure our people and our county are safe. That is what we were trying to do.”
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Storm chasers say that the community has grown a lot during the last few years, with movies and even social media pushing that interest.
“There is just a lot of content out there on storms and tornadoes, and yes, it generates clicks, it generates money for people, so is that a factor? Probably,” said Rodney Price, a 12 News meteorologist and storm chaser.
Price hopes that as severe weather continues, people who are storm chasing can be safe on the roads for themselves and for others.
“My hope is that everybody tries to do it as safely as they can. Again, that is practicing defensive driving skills, making sure you have situational awareness, so you are looking down the road for hazards that may be coming in front of you,” Price said.
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