Tornadoes and Technology

From Patrick Michaels at the Forbes (ht: Don Boudreaux)

Despite 2011, there’s strong evidence that we are saving a tremendous number of lives with modern technology.

After the 1953 disasters, developers of weather radar convinced Congress to support a national network of detectors known as the WSR-57 (for 1957), a very acceptable machine for picking up tornadoes capable of causing significant damage. By the mid-1970s, WSR-57′s pretty much covered the tornado-prone regions of the nation.

An interesting thing happened to tornado frequencies. Before the WSR-57 went online the number of reported tornadoes averaged about 500 per year nationwide. By the time the network was complete, we leveled out around 800. Tornado death frequency–the number of fatalities per million–dropped precipitously. This was an unqualified technological success.

This only demonstrates how capitalism via technological advancement has helped saved many lives.