“
A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”~ Christopher Reeve
On the evening of the 27th of May, WRGT-TV meteorologist Jamie Simpson interrupted the television broadcast to warning viewers that a dangerous storm was approaching, with a CONFIRMED tornado that was on the ground.
And then he blew up in frustration while on the air.
He said on the air that he was checking social media and people were already yelling at him to get off the air because he was interrupting their show.
At the time of the live broadcast, “The Bachelorette” was on. And viewers were annoyed that they were missing it because of the weather interruption.
The tornado that struck Dayton, Ohio was a confirmed EF-3.
I recall a couple of decades ago that KSNW had a similar “problem” with their viewers. Each Friday evening, they read viewer mail on the air and addressed the issues of the day.
The one issue important that is relevant here is the fact that western Kansas was dealing with several consecutive nights of severe weather, with the threat of nighttime tornadoes. And those storms were definitely an issue for my family and I at the time.
So there had been those nights where television was interrupted.
Viewers had been pouring in the entire week complaining of the interruptions and found it ridiculous that they were doing so. Especially since the storms that were happening were 250 miles (384 km) away.
Thankfully, the news station and the weather crew stood firm and said that when lives and people’s property are at stake, that they will ALWAYS be there to interrupt and broadcast any important weather information so that people can stay safe.
The fact that Jamie Simpson did the exact same thing WHILE broadcasting live in current day, makes him my hero.
And even though I am a tornado and severe weather enthusiast, tornadoes at night are a wreck on my nerves. The fact that one person has been reported dead and over 90 people were hurt turns my stomach.
If these idiot whiners would have had their precious way, more people would have got hurt. Or worse.
So hats off to Jamie Simpson. Go off on these viewers any time!!!!
Dambreaker 