Shooting in a Hurricane

[Roger Hicks]

Arpinum,

40 mph isn't a hurricane. The generally accepted definition is winds over 64 knots (119 km/h, 74 mph). Staying upright in a wind like that is not a matter of age, and besides, it ain't staying upright that's the only problem. It's being hit by flying debris.

R.

 

[skibeerr]

Arpinum,

40 mph isn't a hurricane. The generally accepted definition is winds over 64 knots (119 km/h, 74 mph). Staying upright in a wind like that is not a matter of age, and besides, it ain't staying upright that's the only problem problem. It's being hit by flying debris.

R.

Starting from force 9, 47mph average wind children start flying away. At force 10, 62mph Adults get blown over, from there its another two steps to a hurricane.


The Beaufort scale uses an average wind speed over 10 minutes so gusts might be much stronger. I've seen fellow kayakkers blown upside down by gusts at force 6 wind.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I regret not going to New Orleans immediately after Katrina to shoot though. Talk about a Class V photo op....

The best Katrina story is Ghost Town by Thomas Dworzak of Magnum. (caution: not suitable for those with weak stomachs) This is the one that made me fall in love with narrated photo essays.

My sister and two friends were the first people dispensing aid supplies in Gulfport Mississippi when they independently took two truck loads of supplies two days after the storm hit. She did not say that I needed to come photograph. Instead she said there is going to be a real story of the aftermath and reconstruction. She was right. I started photographing there months later and continue now.

My contribution to my sister's aid supplies was 15 cases of cold beer packed in commercial fishermen's coolers. She dispensed them, one each, to any military or public safety workers finishing their shift. The official Red Cross aid station was dispensing hot coffee in 95 degree heat. She had cold beer. She was much more popular with the aid workers.

 

[filmfan]

The best Katrina story is Ghost Town by Thomas Dworzak of Magnum. (caution: not suitable for those with weak stomachs) This is the one that made me fall in love with narrated photo essays.

I agree. It's great.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

The leading edge of Irene's rain just hit like she turned on a faucet. We're going to be flooded in a lot of Philly due to our already nearly saturated ground and the volume of rain falling. And this is just the beginning!

Be safe folks.

Phil Forrest

 

[newspaperguy]

Thanks Bob Michaels, for that link.

I'm 3 miles from the Chesapeake Bay... but on very high ground. This will be the first major storm that I've sat out in the past 10 years... and I'm glad. I knew there had to be some good thing about the newspaper folding. ;o)

IMO the best shots will be immediately after the center passes.

Rick

 

[robert blu]

Thanks to all of you keeping us on the other side of the ocean informed. And thanks for the links. Be safe, please.
robert

 

[oftheherd]

Well, it's now 5:00 am local in the Northern Virginia (VA) Area, south of Washington, DC (DC). News reports show southern Virginia and eastern Maryland (MD) seeming to have been worst off. Lots of power loss probably due ot downed trees. In the VA, DC, MD greater area, there are over 300,000 without electricity. Well, a MD official has just reported over all MD is over 600,000 without power (?).

Flooding is a problem in many areas, as well as downed trees. That makes for downed power lines. News is reporting a lot of trees down with houses and cars damaged. One woman killed from a falling chimney which was downed by a falling tree. The ocean surges don't seem to have been as bad as expected and Ocean City, MD seems to have survived well.

Where I am at in N. VA, we have had a lot of rain, and some wind, but not as bad as it could have been. On the back side of the hurricane, there seems to be a bit more wind so I hope our trees don't break off large limbs or completely fall. Maple trees don't seem to do well with the soil in this area.

Local TV stations have covered nothing but the hurricane, with crews in many areas reporting on local conditions and weather persons giving updates. The hurricane has begun to move off. I don't recall seeing anything from the Delmarva area except that most have evacuated or prepared as they usually do.

Interestingly in both northern VA closer to DC, Alexandria, Arlington and Tyson's Corner, as well as Ocean City, had news reports seeing a lot of transformers arcing out, providing spectacular displays. That will of course increase the time it takes to restore power. Again, in my area that isn't such a big problem as most of our infrastructure is underground.

Hope the above is of interest to any who know the area and wonder what has gone on. Some areas, like PG county in MD, seem to havfe been hit hard, as has southern VA closer to the NC/VA border, and the VA Beach/Norfolk area. In fact, Virginia Beach had a tornado, but no reports of any casualties.

 

[wgerrard]

We were on the western edge of the storm all day here in central North Carolina. As usual, the eastern third of the state took the brunt. About 500,000 without power, flooding, hundreds of roads closed, crews out looking for people stranded by the water, etc. Three deaths, I believe.

The storm did not turn as sharply to the NNE as expected after coming ashore south of here, which accounts for NVA/MD taking that hit.

As messy as Irene is, the thing to remember is that it is a big, but weak, storm. It degraded to a Category 1 after coming ashore, and will lose hurricane status this morning, if it already hasn't. People who have not experienced a hurricane before should not assume they are all like this. They can be much worse.