Storm Chaser on Oklahoma Tornado: It Could Happen Here

A local storm chaser thinks there’s a lot Plainfield could learn about the Moore, Oklahoma tornado.

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Nearly 23 years after an F5 tornado tore through Plainfield, killing 29 people and leveling schools and homes, a similar storm devastated Moore, Oklahoma. The May 20 twister killed 24 people, including seven children at the Plaza Towers Elementary School.

This month, National Weather Service-trained storm chasers Peter Ciro and Brad Hruza, an Elburn resident, headed for Moore to drop off donations — and to document the damage.

Ciro, a Romeoville native, said the trip came after Hruza’s nieces, Payton and Kayleigh, began collecting school supplies for the hard-hit community in Moore.

“He asked me to help, and it kind of turned into more,” Ciro said. “I got tons of donations from people and it kind of snowballed from there.”

What he saw in Oklahoma brought him back to the devastating storm that hit Plainfield, Crest Hill and Joliet all those years ago. 

Read:

• 22 Years Later: Looking Back on the Plainfield Tornado
• 'The Right Thing to Do:' Plainfield Native Helps Oklahoma Tornado Victims 

“I remember seeming the carnage of the Plainfield tornado,” said Ciro. “I’ve been a storm chaser for a number of years. I’ve seen damage, but I’ve never seen anything as bad as what I just saw [in Moore]. These people lost everything.”

During the trip to Moore, Ciro said he and wife, Laurie, along with Hruza, were able to tour the site of Plaza Towers elementary. The experience moved him. 

“[The superintendent] let us walk the entire grounds,” he said. Nearby, they saw cars tossed like toys and homes leveled. “It was almost life-changing — knowing this whole neighborhood used to be houses, and now it’s nothing.”

A warning for Will County? 

Ciro, who also works as a photographer, said he wanted to document the tragic storm in the hopes of educating people.

“It’s not a matter of if a tornado is going to happen here,” he said. “It’s a matter of when.” 

Ciro said those who believe another massive tornado isn’t likely to strike Plainfield are wrong — and Moore is proof. 

“This is the third major tornado they’ve had since 1999,” he said, noting that a killer storm also hit in 2003. “So for people that say a tornado won’t hit the same place twice … they don’t get it.

“Every year, we report on [the Plainfield tornado] and tell people, ‘This is why we shouldn’t be complacent.’”

Role of spotters crucial in a storm

Ciro said trained storm chasers aren’t thrill-seekers or adrenaline junkies — they’re highly trained experts working to make help the NWS keep people safe when severe weather hits. When nasty weather is headed for an area, spotters are activated by the NWS to head out and keep an eye on the sky.

“I think most people out there don’t understand and think that storm chasers are just reckless … Me, personally, I stay far away from the storm,” Ciro said. “No one wants to see a tornado touch down in a town … Most of us are out there to get warnings to the National Weather Service so they can get the public to safety.”

Ciro said the role of spotters is key, since they are the ones who provide on-the-ground information to the National Weather Service.

“We are the eyes,” he said, “Radar can’t see the activity on the ground.” When a tornado touches down, it’s weather spotters who relay that information to the NWS, said Ciro, calling spotters “ground troops for the National Weather Service.”

During his trip to Oklahoma, Ciro also visited the site of the El Reno tornado, which killed veteran storm chasers Tim Samaras, son Paul Samaras and Carl Young. Ciro called their deaths a “freak situation,” saying the seasoned spotters were known as conscientious, cautious storm chasers.

“They were in a safe location, but the tornado turned,” Ciro said. “Seeing the damage left me speechless.”

During severe weather, Ciro said residents can follow spotters as they work at www.spotternetwork.org.

More help needed in OK

Ciro said he believes even more needs to be done to help residents of Moore, some of whom still lack essentials.

“Seeing the damage down there, even more is needed,” he said. “They need the essentials — clothing, food, toiletries.’

He and Hruza continue to collection donations of everything from food to clothing and toys. Shipping company DHL has also offered its help and will ship donations to Oklahoma for free, he said.

To make a donation, contact Ciro at petercirophotography@gmail.com or Hruza at twstr988@aol.com.

View Ciro’s photos of the Moore, OK, tornado damage on Facebook, or visit his website, www.petercirophotography.com.