Welcome to the Unofficial MidwestChasers.com/USAWSSC Great Lakes Division Expedition 1 (May 04 Chase)
This page will be updated with pictures (or links to them) and news about the first USAWSSC/Midwestchasers.com trip to the plains (Storm Chasing/Sharing the Word/Helping those affected by the storms.
Click on the official logo above for official news.
Thanks to Mr. Jose Mejia of Elkhart, IN. for designing the logo!
The Journeymen... David Diehl and Kurt Hulst
David Diehl: Lives in Angola, IN. He has worked for various Emergency orginizations. He is now helping the Red Cross in Northeast IN. He is a amateur radio operator and has been chasing for several years.
Kurt Hulst: Lives in the Grand Rapids, MI. area. He is a recent College Graduate and has been chasing for about as much time as David. Both gentlemen have their own chase websites and are a part of the Great Lakes Division of USAWSSC Click on link to GL Division and their personal sites.
===================================================================================
May 04 Trip Diary. Follow the team!
Chase Day 13 summary May 19, 2004)(From Kurt)
THe weather is looking interesting today here in Iowa and Nebraska for later
today. Sounds like large tornadoes as well. WE have had the opportunity to
learn from so many Chasers out here during the last week and a half. it has
been an awesome experience so far but the trip is not over yet. WE are
looking for divine appointments and Opportunities to help people. WE have
helped a person with a flat tire, and a few other small things. WE just pray
that they can see Jesus through our love and kindness. But along with little
situations like that, we have been building relationships with about six
diffrent chasers. we have been in the same area when all the big events take
place. like the Harper county tornadoes in Kansas. and the great big
rotating wall cloud in Russel Kansas. right now we are in stuart Iowa. ANd
probably going to head west to a better target area for tornadoes today, and
we pray we can meet up with the same chasers we have been all week. Gods
been putting us in there path many times. And another note. we been able to
talk to many librarians well we gather our data for the day. God has been
using us in little ways and big ways. This has been a stretching experience
for both david and I. And i think we are going to be stretched even more in
these last few days. Well many blessings to you all. And keep us in your
prayers, along with these people that we have started relationships with,
Amos M., Scott. Eubanks, Stacy Young, Mark from ontario, Dr. Dave from
Ontario, okay i said six but now i see that its five. Many blessings again.
Also we ask that you continue to pray that the Lord will recive all the
glory through the rest of this trip.
on a weird note. In Nebraska we have hit about 5 birds, and as it was
storming out and lighting all around us we saw a deer on the side of the
road, that had been hit by a car, So david decided to help it out as he put
it out of its missery, By cutting its jugguler. That was a sad night but it
had to be done. and then in Oklahoma we hit an armadillo. I think the
animals out here are suicudal. so some may be a repeat but i cant remeber
everything i have short term memory loss lol. ;).
God Bless Kurt
Chase Day 11 summary May 17, 2004)
From Kurt:
hello all new page is up for today. May 17.
David and i got to Russell KS at about 230pm and checked in to our free
hotel. the super 8. About b/w 4-5 pm Storms started to pop. we didnt have to
go but two miles to watch a cell develope start rotating and drop a large
wall cloud. and a few funnels. it looked like it wanted to drop a tornado
right on russell, but it stayed in the sky. it never droped a tornado but as
it moved east it lost its potential and its backing winds to keep it
spinning. but near the end it got a classic beaver tail it was a gorgious
site. and just a personal note, My mom told me a lightning bolt hit our oak
tree, about 50 feet from our house, and knocked the telephone out but the
powers still on, the strike even blackend the wood chips around the tree.
Michigan has been getting smacked around for days on end. Looks like right
now the target areas are south central to south eastern KS for tornado
potential on Tuesday. Take care all God bless and amos I think david saw you
at the gas station today across the road in Russell before things started
popping. Well hope you had good luck today.
May 17 link Click here
Peace
Chase Day 9 summary May 15, 2004) (See below under May 12 Chase summary Days 6-7=8 (May 12-14).The Team encountered successful intercepts of 8 tornadoes between Kansas and Texas (according to Kelly and Pat). The team is now in Texas.
GOD has sure been good to them!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5/15/04-Chase Day 9 posting by Kurt: (Kurt posted two letters about May 12th and recent dates: Here is his summary/testamony :)
hi all this is my sites page for the may 12 KS tornado out break in Harper
County. http://midwestchasers.com/2004/main if that doent work go
to my home page and click on the tornado PIC there are two of he 10 nadoes
on this page waiting to get the rest of the pics developed so more pics will
be posted from storms from the night of May 6th, through the 12th, But im
not home at the moment so it will be a nother week or so before i can get to
that. And those are still supporting this trip I thank you. We tried to see
if we could help in Attica but things were pretty much handled and we felt
like we would be in the way, but This trip is not over yet.
Take care all God Bless
Kurt Hulst
(Part 2):
Hi all again. i am sending this only to those of you who have helped support
this endevor. God has richly and greatly blessed this trip. We have had many
interesting things happen. our first chase in Iowa produced 3 smalltornadoes
none that we saw since we had gotten a flat tire during a tornado warning in
Adel IA, then as we went to Souix Fall SD the day after that we meet a
couple of chasers, one man by the name of Amos, who has a website called
http://cycloneroad.com God has been putting him in our path three diffrent
times, one Sunday the 9th, MAy 12th the outbreak Day, and May13th the day
after. After the storms we all go our own way. and some how were always in
the same area and we find eachother. It is totally a God thing especially if
we see him this coming week. I stayed at another Chaser Friends housse in De
Soto KS, the other night. Praise God i was able to witness to her through
parts of my testimony. It was a challenging night for me, To put it in a
broad perspective her family is pretty broken, so please pray for her sister
who is 19 and is currently living an active life of useing Methamphetamine,
and The rest of the family even the mom parties pretty hard. But God Has
opened that door for a relationship to continue to build on so Praise God.
Other than building relationships with Chasers we have been able to witness
to a few truckers and Librarians. God is definetly using us out here. If
some of this sounds like a repeate its hard for me to remember what all i
have said these days on the road just kind of blur all together. So continue
to pray for David and I and Please pray for those chasers that we have been
building relationships with, there names again are Amos, and Stacy.
God bless all i know will be seeing some more tornadoes this week before its
all said and done. and i wouldnt be suprised if we might be going to emmet
KS later this week. Just a feeling I have, will see if its correct. And we
learned alot from May 12. so will be able to be more active in Disaster
areas. May 12 was to dangerous to go into that night. there was an F4 that
was after dark and others that were in the same paths as the Day twisters. I
beleive i got pictures of it but wont know till they are developed.
Again God Bless and Thank you so much, im being stretched and I am Growing
as well
Kurt
===========================================================================
Chase Day 5: May 11, 2004
Hello we are now in Alma NE, just on the north of KS, any way we are at a
library looking at the latest updates for the SPC. Its beutiful. Moderate
risk with the potential for strong tornadoes. and then tomorrow down into
KS, and then day three into OK. looks like things are coming together for
what we came out here for, tornadoes and Disaster relief. We will be leaving
here and head slightly north west once we hit I 80, were getting a nice
southerly flow so that helps with gas milage. The thing that sucks is
there's so many oil wells out here but gas is still almost $2.00. BUt will
be meeting up with another chaser on Wednesday in De Soto KS west of kansas
city. Then will determine the where abouts of where or what we need to do
for thursday,
Just continue to pray for us, Satan tries to attack us in any
way he can but his weapons shall not prosper. WE are here to do what God HAs
called us to do and its all in his timing. He is a great but yet a
mysterious God indeed. God Bless all
Kurt Hulst
=============================================================================
Chase Day 4 May 10, 2004 (Monday).The Team had a down day in Wa Keeny Kansas. (according to Kelly). David has had some phone problems which has hampered communications.
============================================================================
Chase Day 3/4 (Current Debrief from Kurt (from the Field)"after a rough evening and three tornadoes that we didnt see that were to our west in guthrie county Iowa west of Des Moines IA on the 8th and up to 2 inche hail and a flat tire on top of that it was a good day on the 9th. target area was souix city and souix Falls SD. as we neared Soux City to hop on 29 north we intercepted a another chase team from the plans and follewed them up to souix falls. David and i were questionable about going that far north. bu they had data access we didnt, there were two steves an Amos, and Eric. really cool guys. as I decided that david and i should head south again, we began to see some cumulus feilds south of Souix Falls. As we headed south we just saw the storm we later stayed and watched back build and gain rotation and then get a tornado warning, but never sprouted anything. it was just awesome to watch it from the begging, and watch it for two hours with out ever having to move from our postion, we moved twice, in five hours. beuatiful Lightingi, we will try to det them developed tommrow, and well i took about 5 rolls of film today. over all a great storm to watch very photogeninc, great mammtus, great rotation large hail, good time with chasers, and meet another from missouri later in the night, we left souix city about 930pm CDT and got to Lincolin NE at about 1230 Am. so in two days we been in two tornado warned cells one sprouting tornadoes the other just a bueatiful rotator. we think we will chill in or near lincon on MOnday and fix our tire finally, Fix aflat and the plugs seem to be working well, ill send some pics with this of yesterday if i can. i might just do it tomorrow it almost 200am. so thats all for now, we will see a tornado and be able to help families coming soon it looks, and on a sad note we say a deer on the road on 77 south NE that was on the side of the road that was hit already and as it was thunering and lightning, we had to put it down and out of its missery, i didnt want to but it had to be done. Okay well God Bless, and this is the only hotel that we finaly got Data Connection.
Well heres two not the greatest just the first ones i saw, time to go to bed, send more later, on this slow connection stuff. Take care all
Kurt
==================================================================================
Chase Day 3: Sunday May 9, 2004. Written 5/10/04 at 1 AM ESTOh, as a non-trip sidenote, Patrick Gannon (USAWSSC President) had a very successful intercept of 2004 (first real good chase! Way to go Patrick and company!)
Chase Day 2:(email to pat)Saturday May 8, 2004. Here is a email from Kurt to Pat. It explains plans.
From: (Kurt Hulst)
To: (Pat Gannon)
"hey pat were in mason city doing a data check right now. we stayed in adair
last night. we were to tired to head north last night so we slept a motel,
but it sounded like we misssed queit show last night. but we have a MDC
right now thats for our area we are going to head slightly south west.
higher tornado potential with supercell mayby north of dogde city IA.. so
update keith and heres are update for the day probably will let you know
tomorrow what we see today. and tonight, MN looks active tomorrow but
debatable on weather to head north or if need take a day break SUn after
noon. well thats all for now WW watch immenet with large hail. . . . check Ya Later Pat and Kelley, God Bless"
======================================================================================
Chase Day 1: 9:35 PM EST. Friday, May 7, 2004David and Kurt left Angola, Indiana this morning and headed west. According to Kelley/Pat, "they are about 50 miles out of Omaha,NE." Last night, the two chased storms and attempted to get video of the storms which did not work(according to David).Stay tuned for more details ======================================================================================
Pre-Chase News: 8:03 PM EST. Thursday, May 6, 2004All systems are GO for the expedition to begin Friday. Current thinking places the team in the Slight Risk which covers much of the Great Lakes Division. A Cold Front/Warm Front (and associated storms) is the focus for the team. Stay tuned for further details