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THE BATTALION
7A
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
evastating tornado facts
/ASHINGTON (AP)
Secretap,
•hat he J ■ I,,
ouldendsj ^ W ‘, t t - •
n ,, Tonuidoes concentrate vicious
winds, up to 300 mph, focusing
their twisting forces on small
itnSB s where the y can destr °y
, ri el s ::: evlrything in their path.
orsusimB 1 ™ 1 P ower was evident
Sunday when a series of storms
struck from Missouri to
half-
rch ofitie
exile or
link it
he near
latest lira
. tanks ari
Maryland, claiming a
dozen lives and ruining homes
and businesses.
■As many as 1,000 tornadoes
occur each year in the United
States, yet each is uniquely dan
gerous and frightening when it
arrives, moving quickly and
often accompanied by rain, hail,
ih. the Jthunder and lightning,
luaners J!i Unllke hurricanes, usually
.jou . ■arted days before they threaten,
, re the stonns that spawn tornadoes
iks an; can eru P t rapidly.
triers a ^ ew decades a £°' tor -
nado warnings did not go out
until a twister was on the
ground, but thanks to radar and
satellites, the conditions that
create these storms now can be
better monitored. Last year the
National Weather Service deliv
ered warnings, on average, 11.5
minutes before a tornado struck.
■In the storm that claimed
three lives in Maryland, for
[ example, warning of a severe
storm with possible tornado was
an, the so issued at 6:45 p.m. It was
o the We upgraded to a tornado warning
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at 7:02 p.m. Approximately
eight minutes later the tornado
hit La Plata and 39 minutes later
it reached Calvert County.
The Maryland tornado was
listed at F5 on the Fujita scale
for twisters, with winds of
more than 260 mph, making it
the strongest tornado on record
in the state. It was at first rated
an F4 but was upgraded after
meteorologists surveyed dam
age on the ground, according to
Susan Weaver of the National
Weather Service. The scale
goes from F0 to F5.
No state is exempt from tor
nadoes; Missouri and Illinois
each average 26 twisters annu
ally. In a normal year, Kentucky
faces nine tornadoes, and there
are four in Maryland.
Little seemed normal to
those experiencing the storms,
which formed along a massive
front moving from west to east
across the country, mixing
warm and cool, wet and dry air
and stirring up a witches' brew
of winds.
“They appear to have been fair
ly prolific producers of tornadoes,”
said Harold Brooks, a research
meteorologist at the government's
National Severe Storms
Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma.
See Tornado on page 8A
Spring storm leaves widespread damage
Lines of tornado bearing thunderstorms swept across the Midwest
and East on Sunday, causing at least six deaths. The storms were
created by pockets of warm air rising through cooler air.
On Sunday, the jet
stream pushed cold air
over warm humid air.
How a tornado forms
In a tornado
producing
storm, wind
direction
changes with
altitude
while
speeds
increase,
causing the
entire system Tornado
to rotate in a
mesocyclone.
The more buoyant warm air causes
instability when it rises through cool air.
The warm air
then cools,
releasing
moisture as
clouds and
thunderstorms.
1 J States with heavy damage
At the back end of the storm,
falling precipitation
forms a downdraft
adjacent to the
updraft. The
downdraft
retains the
circular
momentum of
the
mesocyclone
but is molded
into a tight spiral
as it brushes
against the
updraft, creating a
tornado.
Mesocyclone
Warm,
SOURCES: Associated Press; AccuWeather;
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dan DeLorenzo, Hassan Hodges/AP
Prescription drugs easier to buy
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ft WASHINGTON (AP) — Ask a doctor
for a prescription drug you saw advertised
on TV, and 69 percent of the time you will
go home with it.
I That is what the Food and Drug
Administration discovered in a survey that
illustrates how big a role advertising plays
in the doctor’s office.
I Is that necessarily bad? Critics bemoan
the findings, while proponents say drug ads
help more sick people find treatment — but
e FDA still is struggling to uncover the
true public health impact of the nation’s
arrage of drug commercials.
The question is: Are people getting
drugs that actually aren't appropriate?”
Says FDA drug chief Dr. Janet Woodcock.
I She does not yet know. But the FDA
now is studying why doctors prescribe the
way they do, a first step toward answering
|hat question. And the agency is consider
ing if some of the rules that govern how
powerful medications are advertised need
changing to ensure consumers better
understand a drug's pros and cons.
It is a complex issue. Doctors have to
decide more than yes or no when a patient
demands a drug by name. Does the patient
expect a miracle because the ad over
promised a pill's benefits? Is there an alter
native that works better, more safely or is
cheaper? Cheaper drugs typically do not
rate a commercial, while the hottest-selling
newer drugs — like arthritis treatments
Vioxx and Celebrex or heartburn medicine
Prilosec — are among the most heavily
advertised.
Then there is the trickier question of
who an ad targets. The National Medical
Association, which represents black doc
tors, says direct-to-consumer drug ads can
prod people reluctant to visit a doctor to do
so — especially black Americans, who are
less likely to get appropriate care for a host
of diseases.
But today's ads are not living up to that
potential, the NMA said this month as it
issued what is for a health group a startling
call for more drug ads — in media outlets
that target minorities and with more cultur
ally diverse commercials.
How important is advertising to a
patient's perception of disease? Consider
the middle-aged black woman who looked
shocked when NMA member Dr. Sharon
Allison-Ottey ordered a test for bone-thin
ning osteoporosis. “I can't get that — white
women get that,” the patient said, citing TV
commercials and ads in Allison-Ottey's
own Baltimore waiting room that featured
only white women swallowing pills for the
ailment.
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Texas A&M Chapter of the
Texas Trophy Hunters Assoc.
Come to our meeting!
Tuesday, April 30
6:30 p.m.
Fuddruckers
(2206 Texas Ave.)
A
Ar >y questions or need a ride?
Contact Rusty Baker
at 680-8899
The Battalion
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ious
the
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.' S attack
3ti village
of Malek
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STRESSED?
Take a break from studying and...
Beat The Hell
Outta Finals
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rW
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May 3 rd , 6 th , and 7 th
10-00am-3*00pm
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For more info, visit our website: http://scs.tamu.edu/academic/ace.htm
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Soccer for adults in the Brazos Valley!!
Team Registration Deadline — May 17th
More information:
Todd @ (979) 492-0143 or
www.bcssoccer.com
Brvan/College Station Soccer League
Summer 2002 Season Starting Now!!
Attention Seniors
Graduating in August or December 2002
English 210 & 301 (Technical Writing)
Force Dates
Summer I, II and Fall
Wed.. May 1 . Thurs.. May 2, and Thurs., May 31
9:00 am - 11:00 a.m.
Summer I, II and Fall
Mon. lune 3
9:00 am - 11:00 a.m.
Summer II and Fall
Tues.. Tuly 9
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Fall only
Mon.. September 2
9:00 am - 11:00 a.m.
1. Make sure you have the correct prerequisite (English 104 or
equivalent).
2. Come to Blocker 224 during the force dates and times listed
above.
3. Bring a letter on departmental stationary from your academic
advisor stating that you are graduating in the semester for which
you are registering.
• No forces will be done during pre-registration or after Sept 2.
• You must come in during these dates.
• Although forcing will occur on the first morning of each
Summer and Fall session, no forces will be given for a distance
course beginning that day.
• You may incur a late registration fee if you register on the first
day of classes.
If you can't make these dates, send a representative with your letter
and a list of preferred times.
Forcing Information Line: 862-7724
Web site: www-english.tamu.edu/wprograms/forcing.html
Prince Eye Care
R. Michael Prince, O.D.
TAMU Class of ‘94
• Eye Exams • Consultations
• Glasses • Contact Lenses
Now accepting TAMU Cigna and Blue Cross/Blue Shield Vision Plans
Walk-ins welcome or call for an appointment
201 N. Main
Bryan
822-2020
fax: 822-2021
THE SECRET TO FEELING
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Call us to find out how to
feel good about retirement.
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Mike Southerland Insurance Agency
979.823.3759 - Office
979.82 1.2409 - Fax
www.mrsagency.com
stx37004@allstate.com
The Perfect
Gifts for Your
Aggie
Graduation.
(actual size)
14K Gold Aggie
Pendant $24 95
Watches with
Official A&M Seal
Gold-Tone
Two-Tone
Quartz Movement. 3 yr. Warranty. Water Resistant.
*Call for Quantity Prices
Available in Mens and Ladies Sizes
Sorry no mail orders
John D. Huntley ‘79
313B S College Ave.
846-8916
An official authorized
dealer for Tag-Heuer and Breitling.
B REITLI N
188-4
0
The Following Locations will be
Open to Students for Finals Study:
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8:00 pm - 2 ' 00 an «
Poor Yorick’s .^oon^xinight
* May 2,6 and 7 4:00 pm
May 3 ami ^ n . ^-.OO midnight
May 5 from 4:00 pm
> sen-ice locations open ^^V,MaV
ay , M ay5 , h I o„ g hT««4ay,^n dsbisa 1
stival
iy. May 5
Sbisa Dining Centers
0:00 pm - 2-.00 am
is C-Store and
round C-Store
■, c Vjv during tmals at
12:00 midnight for
:>1 suppW needs.
Onen 8-.00 pm -
Dnntan IHnins 1- c " u ' r
to the Corps of Cadets tor sturiy
Complimentary ixwrages im!
be -available
Poor Yorick’s
Coffee House
Open Unut Midnight
Rumours
Open until 2 00 am
CompUmentarv Coffee
will be available 8:00 am to Uoso
Stone ’Willy's
Open until 1:00 am
for late nigh* \ )m ' A
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customer service by being committed to
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