Who are ‘Tea Storm Chasers?’
If you have a Facebook or Twitter account and you live in the Sioux Falls area, you most likely have heard of Tea Storm Chasers. When you listen to the Kickin' Country you have most likely heard us mention that 'The Tea Storm Chasers' are either on site, or en route to the event.
Tea Storm Chasers are a bit more than their name might suggest. In addition to 'chasing storms' they do check out local accidents and other breaking news stories.We have included some of their pictures and information is stories written on KIKN.com.
We live in an 'it was on the internet, it must be true world.' If you look around you see things that might or might not be true. In short, at Kickin' Country and KIKN.com we wanted to 'make sure' they were legit. We think they do a nice job. They don't appear to be alarmists but rather informers. I met one of the members of Tea Storm Chasers the other night and asked him to send some background information. Here's what they sent.
www.teasctv.org Tea Storm Chasers is an organization that is becoming a not-for-profit. We will be registered as a research and public safety group. The goal of our organization is to travel the United States and chase the dangerous storms while providing a real time news feed with up to the minute updates as they occur. We will also have a rescue truck that will be following the storms and assisting any affected communities. Tea Storm Chasers chases in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
Who makes up the crew of The Tea Storm Chasers?
President: AJ Towne
Currently a Law Enforcement student at Southeast Tech. He has been chasing storms for 11 years. Has 5 years of firefighting experience. Certified as a first responder. Lives in Tea, SD.
Vice-President: Jason White
He has been chasing for about 7 years. Certified EMT. Has 2.5 years of firefighting experience. Has been a member of the Boy Scouts for 16 years and also a member of the Emergency Search and Rescue of Sioux Falls. Lives in Canistota, SD.
Reporter/Driver: Ricky Loebs Jr.
He is new the crew and has no previous experience with storm chasing. He is the crew's reporter and driver.
What are The Tea Storm Chasers?
An organization that is soon to be not-for-profit when funding becomes more available. We are storm chasers and also news reporters. When the team is not out chasing storms, we chase the local police scanner and provide the community with up to the minute updates on what is happening on scene of an event while providing an inside look with pictures and videos.
Where do The Tea Storm Chasers cover?
We chase storms around a 150 mile radius of Sioux Falls and will travel a further distance once we are able to receive more funding. We also broadcast news stories within a 20 mile radius of Sioux Falls.
When do the Tea Storm Chasers send crews out?
Since 2010, we have been chasing storms and bringing important news stories to the community. The severity of the storm determines if the crew chases or if we will sit it out. Some storms are not worth chasing as they will end quickly. We look for storms that are considered dangerous and make have effects on the community including snowstorms. The news in which we broadcast are stories that we feel that the community should be aware of.
Why do the Tea Storm Chasers do what they do?
The Tea Storm Chasers organization exists in order to provide public safety and to gather research on storms. The research that we would like to gather would be how the storms are produced and the path in which the storm is created. We broadcast the news in order to bring the latest news and information to the public.
How do the Tea Storm Chasers Operate?
The crew has 2 chase vehicles that are sent out on each storm chase. Laptops are in both vehicles that display accurate weather radar in order to help the crew during the chases. We use live police scanners in order to provide live information using our live video feeds, Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Here's how you can connect with Tea Storm Chasers
WebsiteVideo FeedJoin Tea Storm Chasers on FacebookFollow Tea Storm Chasers on Twitter
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