The Boiling Green Clouds....

Here in Europe, most people do not understand the real violence of a tornado. We have extreme weather here, but the conditions that create the meteorological weather amplifier that exist in North America are unique. A trumpet shaped land mass with mountain ranges on either coasts with extreme heat in the summer and cold in the winter creates conditions that shaped and defined the flora and the fauna on the continental mass. 
I lived in Michigan and Ohio and experienced a few pretty hairy tornado experiences. In August, you get used to the sirens going off around 4 pm a few times a week. I have tried to relate this to friends here, but until you have seen it or experienced it, it's unreal and beyond imagination.
The photo is from Oklahoma City yesterday. The boiling mamatmocumulus  clouds are a terrifying phenomena by themselves. The clouds form funnel like appendages which can develop into tornadoes.
These clouds occur occasionally in Europe and there are a few tornadoes in other parts of the world, but they never reach the size or the frequency of the storms in North America. Even after the massive storm related disasters this week, the Republicans are balking at government aid to the victims. On the other hand, an editorial in yesterday's Kansas City Star makes the case for rethinking the way we run our government if it cannot take care of disaster relief.
Here's a video of one of yesterdays tornadoes in Oklahoma.