By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
(Author's note: times have been changed from a 5:30 showing to doors opening at 6 p.m. and the film beginning at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5).
On May 21, 2024, an EF4 tornado ripped through southwestern Iowa, killing five people and injuring 35 more. Though maximum windspeeds were estimated at 185 miles per hour, a Doppler on Wheels near the storm indicated wind speeds in excess of 310 miles per hour, making it one of the strongest tornadoes ever measured. The Storms of Passion crew was nearby.
Jesse Gillett, media and communications director for Storm of Passion, helped shoot and produce a new hour-long storm chasing documentary that will be showcased at the Dream Theatre in Russell on Wednesday, Feb. 5. One star of the movie is the Tornado Intercept Vehicle 2 (TIV2) featured more than a decade ago on Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers."
"We love weather, we love storm chasing, and we want to keep this vehicle on the road - want to keep it driving," Gillett said. "We loved this vehicle when it was on TV and want to see it continue for a couple more years."
Colorado-based storm chaser Ryan Shepherd, a driver on "Storm Chasers," purchased TIV2 in 2019. He then built a team of nine with the purpose of intercepting a tornado, educating the public about severe weather, and sharing the excitement of nature and science. Part of the crew includes Great Bend's James Breitenbach, who serves as Storms of Passion president, and his two sons, Evan and Angelo, who drive and navigate. Gillett turned that relationship into a subject of the film.
"It shows this father-son relationship because one of the sons is a driver of the vehicle, and the youngest son is the one who drives the support vehicle," Gillett said. "There's a very interesting father-son relationship and, as a filmmaker, that's something I wanted to share."
"Storm of Passion" begins at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Dream Theatre. The crew will host a question-and-answer segment following the documentary. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $4 for kids. On Feb. 8, the crew will attend a similar event in El Reno, Okla., at the movie theater made famous in the movie "Twisters." Admission for that program is $10.