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PitcherOK Storm Damage

The storms in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas this weekend brought nothing like the devestation that Typhoon Nargis brought to Burma. Being landlocked helped. Most of Burma’s death and damage was due to the storm-surge following the winds. But death came to the mid-west as well: 22 dead in 3 states.

Stunned survivors picked through the little that was left of their communities Sunday after tornadoes tore across the Plains and South, killing at least 22 people in three states and leaving behind a trail of destruction and stories of loss.

At least 15 people died in southwestern Missouri. In the fading mining town of Picher, Okla., at least six people were killed, and at least one person died in storms in Georgia.

Susan Roberts, 61, stared at the smashed remains of her classic 1985 Cadillac sitting on her living room floor — the only thing left of her Seneca home. A woman who had apparently sought shelter in the car died there, she said.

22 Dead

And what of the pattern of storms? Is this normal? In a word, No. There have been 905 counted tornadoes by May 11, a number not usually reached until late July. What I haven’t found is any comparison of average, or peak, intensities — that is energy released, year by year. WUnderground is one place to go if you’re watching the weather for indications of climate change.