Jim Reed: The Ultimate Storm Chaser
CBN.com Jim Reed was raised in Springfield, Illinois by his Mom. His fascination for the weather developed at an early age.
One particular storm he recalls took place when he was eight-years-old during Hurricane Camille. On a return trip home from a family vacation, he and his mother got caught in the storm. He remembers hearing the demonic jet engine sound of the wind all around them.
Camille was one of the strongest tropical cyclones to directly strike the United States in the twentieth century. The storm flattened most of Mississippi and many were killed. Jim and his mother survived.
A few years later, at the age of 11, Jim had another close encounter while attending a church camp at Lake Springfield Christian Assembly in Illinois. He remembers sitting by the camp fire when all of a sudden sirens began going off to warn the town of a tornado fast approaching. He once again heard the “jet engine” roar of the wind that he had experienced with his mother just a few years earlier.
As tree limbs, lawn furniture, and trash cans bounced and swirled, he and the other children sought refuge in a tornado shelter. After the stormed passed, Jim and his friends emerged unhurt, but both experiences left a lasting impression on Jim’s life. A few weeks later, he enrolled in an after school photography class.
He credits the Disney movie The Wild Country for fueling his passion for photography and weather. The movie had “the most chilling tornado sequence…I couldn’t get it out of my head,” remembers Jim. But, it wasn’t until 1992 when Jim moved to Wichita, Kansas that his career as a storm chaser took off.
“Over a fifteen year period, I logged more than a quarter million miles photographing storms to record the effects of global warming and America’s changing climate. I have experienced 329 storms, survived 15 hurricanes, and witnessed 42 tornadoes,” says Jim.
During that time he is happy to report that he has had only two “near death” experiences ... wiith Hurricane Charley being one of those experiences. While documenting the approaching hurricane, Jim and his friend went from 65 mile-an-hour winds to a sudden gust of 100 mile-an-hour winds. They were surrounded by flying debris (wood, glass, rubber, etc.). Then just as suddenly as the wind came, it subsided. Jim realized they were in the eye of Hurricane Charley. After frantically seeking help in an attempt to find shelter, they were finally rescued by Jim McDonald and his family who shared their makeshift tornado shelter until the storm passed. The passage of the eye of the storm had lasted no more than four long minutes and fifty seconds.
Another hurricane that Jim remembers made landfall in August 2005 ... Hurricane Katrina.
“The hurricane had pinned us inside the hotel for nearly nine hours. Mike and I had videotaped and photographed the full evolution of a major hurricane’s Category 5-size storm surge from close range. The work produced a feeling of pride and triumph until we climbed over mounds of debris and emerged outside,” recalls Jim.
As they surveyed the damage, they saw craters where forty-year-old trees had once stood and concrete slabs, where homes and businesses once stood. Katrina’s storm surge lifted and dropped huge barrages onto entire apartment complexes and homes. The structures were crushed and the people inside never stood a chance. After the hurricane subsided, it took Jim and his friend 24 hours to dig their way out of the neighborhood they were in when Katrina made landfall.
“It was days before I could sleep again,” says Jim. As a veteran storm chaser, Jim says he spends a lot more time praying in recent years. Aside from the excitement of being of the front lines of these storms - there is also a dark side. One of those being post-traumatic stress disorder. Jim says many storm chasers including himself struggle with this disorder after nearly being killed and by some of these powerful storms as well as experiencing the aftermath.
Based on Jim’s firsthand experiences with hundreds of storms and disasters, he offers the following recommendations:
- Buy a NOAA weather radio. The radio is available at most major retail stores that sell electronics, sporting goods, or marine accessories.
- Create a game plan. Have a plan in place for when severe weather approaches.
- Learn about weather.
- Avoid driving during adverse conditions. If you are caught on the highway during a severe weather event, take the nearest exit and seek safety in an indoor shelter.
- Be vigilant. Monitor the weather in your area on a daily basis. Keep your NOAA weather radio turned on!
