Heroes and Cultural Identity Project

SCE Heroes - Sean Casey

SEAN CASEY

by Tracy Tidbury

Sean Casey invented the Tornado Intercept Vehicle (T.I.V).

In America people know how to increase their chances of surviving a tornado.

Anyone wanting to get closer look, or to be able to see the interior of a tornado, would need a heavy, armored vehicle that could withstand intense winds, debris and hail.

This is what Sean Casey has built with his Tornado Intercept Vehicle. The T.I.V is big, heavy and armor plated. Sean Casey hopes to record a direct hit with a tornado and survive.

When Sean Casey designed and built the T.I.V his aim was to obtain footage of a tornado approaching. He wanted to be able to view inside the tornado and to be able to better understand how it functions. In order to achieve this Sean positioned the T.I.V in the path of a tornado. The team then film the tornado hoping to obtain the closest ever footage of the tornado.

Sean designed the T.I.V to withstand 200 mph winds, which accounts for about 75 percent of the tornadoes that form in the United States. Taking account of this and by paying careful attention to the progression of the storm will reduce the risk of damage or destruction to the T.I.V.

Tracy Tidbury is a science student following a one year university access course in biological sciences.