A physics professor from Temple University believes building gigantic walls across Tornado Alley could prevent twisters from forming.
Dr. Ronjia Tao says three walls spanning the tornado-prevalent region could stop the storms in their tracks. (Via Temple University)
"Here's a map showing where Professor Tao says the walls would run east to west. One in North Dakota, one along the border along Kansas and Oklahoma, and a third in South Texas and Louisiana." (Via KCTV)
Tao's plans have been dubbed "The Great Walls of America" because of their enormous size. KOTV has more on his proposal.
"He says if you build a wall 1,000 feet high, I mean that's getting up like by the Empire State Building, right, 1,000 feet high and 150 feet thick, tornadoes wouldn't bother us. Price tag: $60 billion." (Via KOTV)
Many experts disagree, though, saying the walls wouldn't stop Mother Nature's wrath. KOCO caught up with a senior scientist from the National Severe Storms Laboratory who notes two key flaws in Tao's argument.
"One, tornadoes have touched down in China. Two, there are already mountains that high in the central part of the United States, the Wichitas and the Ozarks, that don't seem to be doing a very good job of stopping tornadoes anyway." (Via KOCO)
And a meteorologist from KETK contends a tornado would shatter the wall and could potentially make the situation more dangerous.
"The tornado raises that wall up and can easily bring it up into the cyclone itself. And what happens with it is that it gets sucked up into the tornado and gets shot out far beyond the tornado and it can really injure a lot of people." (Via KETK)
Tao is waiting until his paper is published to speak with the media about his findings.
About the Author
