Hurricane Chasers

Finding Adventure in the Path of Disaster

originally published August 6, 2008

“You can be in the planet’s most destructive force. Adrenalin, it’s something like that,” says Ryan Rhodes on why he follows hurricanes. Rhodes has filmed hurricanes for 10 years, but not on assignment from a news agency. Rhodes belongs to a growing network who camp out where hurricanes make landfall just to dig the incredible power and chaos.

The power is awesome, according to Jim Edds, a veteran chaser and esteemed photographer, whose exploits make him a news regular. “During Isabel, I was filming in the Outer Banks. I was in the bottom of a house where they have breakaway walls. A wave came through and put me under for 15 seconds. I got out and kept filming. Then a two-story wave came over and carried me through a trailer park across the street. I hit an industrial air conditioner along the way.”

Similar stories come off almost casually for veteran chasers. “In Katrina, we had a crew at a high school,” says Rhodes. “Some bleachers uprooted and did cartwheels across the field. Some people came out to watch… The bleachers actually triangulated around them, and they were wedged underneath.”

Hurricane stories are nothing new, but unofficial hurricane chasing is a recent phenomenon. Affordable, mobile, high-speed Internet technology has opened hurricanes to the layman. Weather junkies can now drive to landfalls, guided by wireless laptops charting the storm’s course.

“I used to call the hurricane center to get the coordinates, but they didn’t want to talk to me,” laughs Edds. “But the Internet, that’s when it all changed.”

Freelance weather journalists and rogue maniacs are not the only ones watching storms. Several companies now cater to this new hurricane tourism. Roger Hill, co-owner of Silver Lining Tours, tells me, “Basically if we determine that a landfalling hurricane will occur with the strength of at least Cat 3, we will likely launch a tour. It has to occur in an area with good shelter and good access in and out. We will notify the folks on our list 72 hours ahead of time and determine an airport location that won’t be impacted, i.e., Houston for a New Orleans landfall. We always get a large SUV and take no more than five participants. As for safety, that is always number one with us.”

Just because more people can experience hurricanes doesn’t mean they should. “You got no business being down there if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Edds plainly warns me. “You gotta do your homework.”

Of course you bring rain gear, camping gear, food, water, batteries and extra gas; but survival requires other know-how. For starters, you must protect yourself from debris.

“You’ve got to know how the wind is blowing. If the wind is blowing through town, you will have debris. A pebble could break your windshield at high speeds,” says Edds. Rhodes adds, “You’re gonna need life vests and helmets, cause the smallest debris hurts real bad. We actually bought catchers' uniforms. And you don’t want to get near wood or tin… or trailer parks.” You can’t take this point more seriously: during Hurricane Charley, flying plywood decapitated a man.

One technique for battling wind-blown debris is to rotate your car around a sturdy building as the storm turns. “If the winds are from the south, you want to be on the north side,” says Rhodes. “We only set up shop around a concrete steel-reinforced building like a bank or a parking garage. It’s also good to have something tall, so stuff doesn’t get on top of you.” But sometimes stuff gets on top of you. “During Hurricane Charley there was not a safe place in Punta Gorda,” says Edds. “I got on top of a building. All kind of stuff was just flying by. I was getting 100 miles an hour. There were vortices at the corners of the building. I went down to move my car when the eye came through and a roof landed on it!”

“You gotta watch for the storm surge,” advises Rhodes. “With a Cat 1 it's five to 10 feet; with a Cat 5 it's 40 feet, then you got waves on top of that. You gotta be really careful.” Storm surges are the deadliest part of the hurricane. As it crashes ashore it pulverizes beach-front structures or pummels a novice chaser’s incorrectly parked car. “You gotta know the topography, and you gotta have an escape route,” Jim urges. “You gotta keep your car high and dry, or you’re gonna lose it. A big wave will flip it. You’ll be thumbing it home.”

Even after the storm, you face problems. “There will be looters,” says Edds, “and expect for there not to be a whole lot of police around. So, you gotta be careful, you know.” Rhodes agrees, “During Charley that was a big problem. But, you know, you just carry a baseball bat.”

Cruising up to an evacuated area can be tricky with local authorities. Seasoned chasers obtain press passes to keep clear of police, but the weather junkies still manage to slip into evacuated areas. “They get there before the cops block it off,” says Rhodes, “but a lot of times they get there after the cops leave. Once the winds get over 55 mph, the cops go in… But I wouldn’t advise driving on a bridge with winds that high.”

You might think only lunatics would venture into this fury. But they’re not risking life and limb just to flirt with disaster. When unrestrained nature simply and completely overpowers society, it is a very striking and very human experience. As Roger Hill puts it, “It is quite incredible! They are a sight to behold!”

Isaac W. Kay

This story originally ran in www.getunderground.com.