Documenting a Hurricane

[Dustin Wilcox]

Being a weather extremist, documenting/chasing hurricanes has been and continues to be a top my list of things to do, much as chasing storms was. Chasing storms came easy as I grew up glued to radar and monitored storms and how to forecast and understand them from the time I could walk, not to mention I have been fortunate to chase with some very wise chasers. However, while I have closely followed hurricanes and their progress, documenting them from ground zero seems to me like it would involve a lot more then the effort one must put into chasing a supercell. With a supercell one can view from a distance and slowly work their way in as they gain knowledge and experience and easily bail when they become uncomfortable, with a hurricane it doesn’t really work that way, it seems like the first time you get it all poured on you at once, and I sure as hell want to be ready for it. For those of you who have become veteran cane chasers, how did you get started? Were you able to start out on your own or did you learn from experienced chasers? Besides the obvious forecasting concerns, what are the other biggest issues considered when chasing a Cane, how do you determine based on forecast storm surge and expected wind strength where to safely setup base but yet be close enough to the ocean for some serious wind and surge action?

 

[mrobinett]

Hi Dustin,
As a Floridian I can say in the last couple of years I have absolutely gotten sick of hurricanes. Keeping track of their impact had gotten to be whether or not I went to work or if I did, could I go near the gulf coastal area I deliver to? Dont get me wrong, Im an avid chaser. But the long term setup and hunkering down it takes to chase a hurricane near the point of landfall is beyond my abilities. The footage the Katrina chasers got was amazing, what it mustve taken for them to maintain their existance for that long is also amazing.
We sat through Francis at home and were without power for over a week. I know some locations nearer the coast were without power for weeks. Its too much of a change from civilized to uncivilized too quickly. Thats why I was relieved that 2006 was so lacking of hurricanes.
I think Chris Collura should write a how-to book on hurricane chasing, itd be from a practical standpoint and he has some very interesting stories to tell.

So to me hurricane chasers are of a different breed than plains tornado/supercell chasers. Some can do both, but not many.

 

[Shane Adams]

Chasing tropical systems seems more work and preparation than reward. The main thing that has always turned me off about it is when the storm is over, you're stuck. When the action stops, I'm ready to go home. Not in a cane, you're stuck without a way out, maybe out of gas, maybe a fat ticket from unhappy law enforcement, maybe out a few large because your vidcam got hosed, not to mention what in the hell you must have to do for a bathroom if you're forced to ride it out.

I'm about asthetics, not experiences. Feeling wind is fun, but seeing it is the best high for me.

 

[Tim Samaras]

Dustin:

I'm with you-I'd love to see a hurricane....just experience it once. I'm not crazy about standing in the wind--increasing my chances of getting clobbered with debris, getting caught in the storm surge, etc., but witnessing/measuring a mini swirl, an eyewall, the eye--is something that I wish to do before I leave this planet..

Tim

 

[Mikey Gribble]

I've been chasing tornadoes for six years, but I've only gone hurricane chasing one time. The one hurricane I chased was Rita in 2005. I chased by myself too, so I put a lot of thought into what I needed to be self sufficient. I took an extra 60 gallons of gas, which was more than enough. Make sure you have plenty of food and water. Flat tires are a huge problem so take several cans of fix a flat and an air tank so you can quickly fix a flat tire instead of trying to change it during a hurricane. I took a chain saw to clear trees that were blocking the road, but I ended up not needing it. One thing I forgot was trash bags and duct tape to cover up broken windows. I had two windows break when the roof of the building I was hiding behind came off (debris rained down on me and busted out the windows of my car). There are a lot of other things too, but I really don't want to write a grocery list of supplies and equipment right now. Those were the main things though. Make sure you have a first aid kit too.
I made the mistake of not getting there early enough. I only had a few hours to find a location to ride out the storm and that simply isn't enough time. I would plan on showing up at least 12 hours early. Another reason to get there early is to avoid having to take back roads. They switch the highways over to all outgoing traffic, so you have to find an alternate route to get to the coast. It wasn't that hard to do, but it took a lot of extra time. I didn't anticipate there not being any hotels. I pretty much hadn't slept in 36 hours after Rita and I didn't find an open hotel room until I got North of Oklahoma City. Make reservations before you go or make a bed in the car/pack a tent.

I had an experienced chaser that gave me a lot of advice before I chased Rita. He also talked me through it during the storm. I think that helped me mentally more than anything else. I found out that a major hurricane can be extremely scary at times when you're out there alone and things go bad. It is a very lonely and vulnerable feeling.

As far as staying above storm surge level goes, I used two different GPS units to check my elevation and I also used a topo map to make sure I was on high ground. I would recomend riding out your first hurricane in a parking garage, which is about the safest place you can be. The only reason I didn't stay in a parking garage on Rita was because I wanted to get really good video. I paid a price for it though.

IMO hurricane chasing is simply a matter of survival. Chasing tornadoes is mostly forecasting and demands much more skill and experience to be successful. It isn't hard to put yourself in front of a hurricane. Anybody can do that, but making sure you have all the supplies you need and staying safe during the storm is the tricky part. I would just stay in a parking garage on your first chase and you'll be just fine. Here is a link to my chase report from Rita if you're interested.
http://www.loadedgunchasing.com/hurricaneritareport.html

I would highly recomend chasing a hurricane if you've never done it. It was an incredible experience. Just seeing the evacuations and the chaos that it causes was half the experience. People were camping in ditches where they ran out of gas. The highways were totally jammed with cars going away from the coast. It is a strange feeling seeing some of these things. During Rita Beaumont was a ghost town minus the handfull of chasers and news crews. When the eye wall approached the hurricane made this roaring sound that sounded very similiar to a jet taking off. It was pretty crazy. To be totally honest I was terrified at times, but all in all it was an amazing experience and I can't wait to go again.

 

[Blake Michaleski]

I absolutely love documenting Hurricanes. My first real hurricane chase was with Chris Collura and Jeff Gammons. Myself, Derek Deroche, and Scott Blair all met up in South LA with them for Lili, and we really learned alot. I got to chase Dennis with Doug K and learned alot about the media/videography aspect of it. Definitely hook up with someone experienced for your first few. Also start small (obviously storms can strengthen rapidly, charlie) I find Cat 1-3's much more enjoyable... anything above that is really stressful...

Be prepared to see alot fo things that you would rather not. A lot of peoples lives in the town you are visiting are in the process of getting turned upside down.

Chris has posted some very in depth articles on here that you may want to search for. He's been doing it a long time

I've been lucky in my last few intercepts in that I was able to get out rather quickly. In the case of Ivan, I left my intercept location, drive 20 minutes and was in my bed...that was a nice exception to the rule. It was fun to meet the other chasers that set up where I did.

Also If you can hook up with someone who is at least somewhat local to the region helps out alot.

 

[Ed Schoenborn]

Although I have only chased three hurricanes (Jeanne, Katrina, and Rita), more hurricanes than I can count have chased me. On October 15, 1054 Hurricane Hazel passed over my home in Raleigh. I was in sixth grade at the time. I did not know it then but I was in the western eye wall. We just missed the eye several miles to the east. My back woods were destroyed by Hurricane Fran. I was in the same house as during Hazel and still live in that same house. I have also experienced a polar hurricane near Qaanac, Thule, Greenland. As might be expected I have tracked every atlantic hurricane since Hazel. Ed

 

[mrobinett]

On October 15, 1054 Hurricane Hazel passed over my home ....

Man, how old are you, Ed?!
Couldnt resist!

 

[Ed Schoenborn]

I have just now edited the above post. I was 11 years old at that time and in the sixth grade. On November 09 this year I will turn 65 years old. Next week I hope to chase Hurricane Dean with Roger Hill. Ed

 

[MClarkson]

Beyond the obvious concerns of finding safe solid public buildings free of surge, large trees, etc... the logistics of gas and clearing trees and getting out....


remember that one of your biggest concerns is going to be law enforcement/curfews. Expect an extremely hostile reaction from local cops. I would try to find a position that offers some concealment from their view.


If the storm is landfalling at night try to find a hospital, hospitals will have generators working and will give you a little bit of light to see and film by. Schools have generators but they might not be on...


Bring way more gas and water and food than you would otherwise need, just in case. You will feel more secure if you have this, plus other repair items that some other people have allready mentioned in this thread. An axe or a chainsaw too(preferably a chainsaw). Yes it is a hastle, but when you catch the eye or rightside eyewall of a major hurricane, when you hear than wind ROARING like a jet taking off, it is worth it!

 

[Blake Michaleski]

the law enforcement issue seems to be more one extreme or the other. During Lili, the local authorities were extremely helpful in giving us info about the town. They were interested in what we were doing and it seemed as if they were glad they wouldn't be the only ones around.

When you encounter an LEO, carry yourself in a professional manner, don't lie about why you are there though. Ask if there is anything you can do to help them. Offer to show radar or the latest advisory.

 

[Jeff Lawson]

Oddly enough, all of my experience chasing tropical systems took place in Japan, which presented some special challenges compared to chasing hurricanes in the States. Mass evacuations aren't common in Japan, so getting in and out of an area prior to and after landfall was never all that big a deal. However, given the crowded nature of the Japanese coastline and the fact that many coastal Japanese highways hang off of mountainsides, traveling during the storm was practically impossible. Once the rainfall rate exceeded a certain amount, roads would close, and you'd be stuck.

So, preparation was key... if I wanted to be in the right place at the right time, I'd have to make my decision early and be prepared to relocate on a moment's notice (assuming relocation was even possible). Given the fact that most typhoons are in the process of recurving and accelerating by the time they impact mainland Japan, I had to put a lot of faith in my forecasting skills. There generally wasn't enough time to react to changes in the storm's motion once out in the field... I had to do my best to foresee those changes. End result? I spent a lot of time in between storms studying the climatology and storm tracks of past events, trying to get a feel for how certain types of storms interacted with troughs of certain orientations, etc. I learned a lot about typhoon forecasting in the Western Pacific in a very short amount of time.

Thankfully, it paid off... I pretty much nailed every storm of the season, often disagreeing with model consensus (and my own forecasters' consensus... I was working for a private forecasting/media outlet, so I had some support) in the process. It's possible I got lucky, but I was really surprised by my success rate.

I think experience chasing supercells on the Plains is something that came in useful. After all, storm chasing is all about making quick decisions with little information (I did most of my chasing pre-ThreatNet), often using past experience as a guide. The more sticky the situation, the more you have to rely on (and trust) your raw forecasting skill once in the field. I think it's much the same for forecasting tropical systems in and around landfall time (it's probably more complicated, actually, given how little we understand some of the funky things that go on with storm motion during that time), so having the quick-thinking, forecasting, and information processing skills that you get from "plain vanilla" storm chasing probably come in handy. That's assuming, of course, that you're not a "drive to the center of the moderate risk and wait" style chaser... if that's the case, try not to drown.

 

[Blake Michaleski]

I think experience chasing supercells on the Plains is something that came in useful. After all, storm chasing is all about making quick decisions with little information (I did most of my chasing pre-ThreatNet), often using past experience as a guide. The more sticky the situation, the more you have to rely on (and trust) your raw forecasting skill once in the field. I think it's much the same for forecasting tropical systems in and around landfall time (it's probably more complicated, actually, given how little we understand some of the funky things that go on with storm motion during that time), so having the quick-thinking, forecasting, and information processing skills that you get from "plain vanilla" storm chasing probably come in handy. That's assuming, of course, that you're not a "drive to the center of the moderate risk and wait" style chaser... if that's the case, try not to drown.

Excellent comparison Jeff...

 

[Dave Lewison]

If you think driving to intercept a hurricane is stressful to plan, you should try FLYING to intercept! In that case, about 3/4 of what you really should bring to be prepared, you can't bring on an airplane. No gas, chainsaws, portable heaters, car batteries, etc... And then there's the real possibility that you will be stranded by airport closures, or you may not be able to GET to the airport.

For Katrina, Scott McPartland and I flew into a city that we knew would not be affected...Orlando. It was a 10 hour drive to the target of Gulfport, MS, but along the way we picked up gas cans and other vital supplies. It's best to be in the target area a minimum of 12hrs before landfall to find suitable shelter, so we had to book a flight 2 days before. I'd also say bring/buy enough gas to get you 300 miles...that's usually enough to get you out of the affected area.

On the plus side, Gulfport offered fantastic shelter, with several strong parking garages to choose from. And the roads were passable enough afterwards to get back to the I-10 and make our way back to FL, only 4 hours after the storm passed, so we had very few troubles, considering the scope of the storm. Once we were out of the "no gas zone", we gave the gas cans to a family who was headed back west towards their home in MS....figured they could use them more than we could.

Chasing 'canes is a whole different world than tornadoes. Tornadoes are far easier to chase, logistically, but much more difficult to forecast. With hurricanes, the forecast is usually much easier, and you're less likely to "bust"....but you may be stuck for a while, without food, transportation & sleep!

 

[Dan Robinson]

One thing that has been touched on, but needs reiterated, is a supply of food and water. It is very common for chasers to neglect this, but is probably one of the more important hurricane chasing preps. You need to take at least 5 days of food and water per person. During my first hurricane chase, we didn't bring anything and I ended up going 16 hours without food or water. That doesn't seem like a long time, but after an adrenaline-filled, sleep-deprived chase, you will be miserable. We were lucky to get out that soon, or it would have been much worse. I'm not sure what we would have done if we were stuck for longer than that.

You cannot count on being able to get out of the landfall zone when you want. All it takes is a few big trees down across the only roads outbound. Even a Cat 1 can strand you. You can't just walk into a store and get something after the storm. Going days without food or water in hot, humid conditions will not only be miserable suffering but can be more life-threatening than the storm itself.

For those of you that fly, you could pack an extra suitcase with some canned food and water.

Here is a photo of the back of my truck during my Hurricane Ivan chase.

For every hurricane, I spend about $100 on food and drinks that would last me for a week if I needed it to. Non-perishable canned food that is tolerable when eaten cold is a good choice. For example I usually buy canned pasta (Chef Boyardee) and canned fruit (peaches, pineapples, etc). I get three cans of pasta for each day and one can of fruit per day - plus a good number of extras. I normally use at least one day of my food supplies on an average hurricane chase.

One thing I do now is cover and conceal my food supplies in my car. I don't want desperate, gun-toting gangs to know I have food and water.

If you have the space, a large cooler with ice and dry ice will allow you to have cold drinks for a couple of days. Cold drinks are VERY nice perks to have during and after the storm.

All in all, a hurricane chase is fun but it is a marathon of endurance and extreme discomfort. It is essentially 'urban camping' during a disaster.