Tornado damage and highway construction, May 2014
Shootin' on the move
Six days after a late April 2014 tornado blasted its way through central Arkansas, I had occasion to drive on I-40 northwest of Little Rock, which runs through the big middle of the storm devastated area. I balanced my favorite Nikon body in the driver side window with a wide angle lens attached and, at six frames per second, captured some construction and storm damage images we normally see only in a blur. The 23 pictures advance automatically every nine seconds.
Move
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Apparently it was not the day to use this roller which sat idle in front of cement culverts at "dress-right, dress."
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This tractor-shovel was just a few feet away moving at a good clip.
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He left a good dust trail.
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A back hoe takes a good grab of mother earth.
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As the bucket draws closer to the machine, a truck hauling another truck in the east bound lane speeds into the picture.
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The back hoe frames the tractor of the truck hauling rig.
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A big ol' dump truck manuvers into position in the under-construction median.
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Not exactly sure what this dude was carrying but he was doing a Hank Snow and "movin' on" in the median.
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Passing a dump truck just a few feet away.
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Here's a dumper coming at you.
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The first storm damage. The tornado was determined to be an F4. It's not hard to see why.
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More damage in sequence. You can still see some debris in the median.
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More damage in sequential shots.
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A building was leveled as if smashed by a giant roller.
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More of the same building.
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An apparent assembly area for damaged vehicles and debris.
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A vehicle left in the median.
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A continuing look at the vehicle.
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More of the vehicle.
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And another vehicle just after the first one we saw.
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Big ol' back hoe up close and personal.
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Big tractor shovel, some storm damage in the background.
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Back to normal.