Let us first of all remind ourselves of what causes a tornado. When hot air near the ground has a cold air layer slide up on top of it, the weather becomes unstable. In normal situations the temperature gradually equalizes and there are no problems. But when the air masses move quickly and are extreme, any opening for warm air to move up through the cold air mass is like water going down the drain in reverse. The air rises and is rotated due to the rotation of the earth. This is a simplified explanation of what causes a tornado.
In the U.S. warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cool Canadian air creating the setting for tornados. In places where man has blacktopped or plowed up millions of acres, there are rapidly rising thermals that provide the ideal place for the warm air to funnel up through the cold air, spawning tornados. Man is not only a trigger for the storms, but our building of cities in areas where they occur and the type of construction we have used make us very vulnerable to tragedy.
We have no evidence that native Americans had a problem with these storms. In fact they may have never seen them since the triggers were not there. These storms are predictable and fatalities can be eliminated by following known safety procedures. Proper construction and use of shelters can eliminate the injuries these storms cause.
Tornados are not a creation of God made to harm man. They are a natural phenomena on the earth whose potential for harm has been increased by our failure to use what God has given us. We need to help anyone who is hurting, but blaming God for these weather anomalies and the damage they cause is not an informed thing to do.
-John N. Clayton
