Happy about Field problems & people management & severe weather @ Championship

[Grim Tuesday]

Originally Posted by steverk

My son was on the Eistein field when one of the mentors received a text that there was a tornado on the ground just a few blocks away. They and several other drive teams ran to the bathrooms for shelter.

Based on the reaction of the FIRST leadership and officials to their mad dash, I don't think FIRST was aware of or properly appreciated the severity of the situation.

I'm not sure exactly how the announcement of a shelter in place came to be. It was better than nothing, but if the tornado had hit the dome, sitting in my seat on the top deck would not have provided much protection.

In fairness to FIRST. I really don't think they knew the weather situation, and they were trying to deal with their single worst nightmare scenario on the field.

It was very, very stressful and emotional for them. I felt at the time, and still feel today, that they held up admirably well given the situation with the knowledge I believe they had.

I think we can all be thankful that the dome was not hit by a tornado. There could have been many, many severe casualties.

Imagine trying to evacuate the tens of thousands of kids, after they know about a tornado. It's likely that there would be more casualties from that than from any inclement weather. You also can't forget the idiots who would run to the windows to watch the tornado.