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Scientific advancements have helped track hurricanes, yet due to their mercurial nature forecasting these storms remains challenging
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00:00A powerful hurricane is moving in fast from 100 miles at sea.
00:10In hours, it will strike land with devastating force.
00:30In the face of a hurricane's fury, we are left completely helpless.
01:00From space, a full-grown hurricane appears as a giant pinwheel of swirling clouds.
01:15On Earth, we are the most violent and frightening of all nature's storms.
01:40This series presents information based in part on theory and conjecture.
01:44The producer's purpose is to suggest some possible explanations,
01:48but not necessarily the only ones, to the mysteries we will examine.
02:00Since the 1930s, the daring work of newsreel cameramen
02:03has allowed us to glimpse the violent power of hurricanes.
02:14With little warning, they pound against our coastlines like sledgehammers.
02:32In their unpredictable rage, they lash against anything that stands in their way.
02:44The destruction to property is enormous.
02:47Their toll in human lives is massive.
02:50Centuries ago, the Indians of the Caribbean worshipped and feared a powerful sky god called Huracan.
03:01Today, the storms we call hurricanes demand an equal respect.
03:06They remain the largest, most powerful storms on Earth,
03:09and their uncontrolled fury can still inspire both awe and terror.
03:13Tuesday, August 4th, 1969.
03:16An orbiting weather satellite spots a small patch of turbulence in the mid-Atlantic.
03:25The rainstorm is one of a hundred that form every year over the ocean's tropical water.
03:32The warm sea creates funnels of air that billow up thousands of feet.
03:44The clouds gather together.
03:46The Earth's rotation gives them spin.
03:49A hurricane is born.
03:51On Thursday, August 13th, a team of Navy hurricane hunters flies directly into the storm.
04:07I'm supposed to.
04:08Engineer, maintain my airspeed at 190 knots.
04:11Aye, sir.
04:13I'm going down to 500 feet. Metro, keep that wind on the way.
04:19To pierce into the tranquil eye, they fly low, barely above the water.
04:24Approaching 500 feet. Metro, steady.
04:30Uh, signal Metro.
04:34Request range and bird to the eye.
04:38Uh, signal, roger. Uh, this is the penetration heading.
04:42Eye is dead ahead.
04:44Your escape heading remains 3-0-0.
04:46Drew from pilot, we are starting our penetration run.
04:49RPM 2600.
04:51RPM 2600.
04:53I'm missed on.
04:55Engineer, maintain my airspeed at 190 knots.
04:57Aye, sir.
04:58Pilot, say go.
05:00Go ahead, say go.
05:02Uh, we're approaching, uh, one of the rain bands.
05:04It looks like it's, uh, pretty rough.
05:06I've got a soft spot.
05:07Uh, recommend you come left to 150.
05:09The surface wind is slightly farther than the fourth wing, 310 degrees, 120 knots.
05:17Pressure is dropping rapidly.
05:20I read 310, 120 knots down there.
05:25Well, that was a rough one.
05:27Well, that was a rough one.
05:29Finally, in the eye, instruments measure the hurricane's strength and gauge its size and speed.
05:35Temperature and wind, aye.
05:37The early indications are alarming.
05:39It is a big storm and still growing.
05:42For more than a week, the storm churns across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean Sea.
05:47There, she lingers, gathering strength.
05:51Her final path still unknown.
05:53The third hurricane of the season, she is named Camille.
05:57A hurricane watch goes up along the entire Gulf Coast.
06:03No one knows yet exactly where Camille will strike.
06:07But at harbors and marinas everywhere, boaters prepare for the worst.
06:10Suddenly, the message goes out.
06:20Camille has made her move.
06:22She's heading directly for the Mississippi Coast.
06:25Sunday, August 16th.
06:28Advanced winds hit the coastline.
06:30Everywhere, people start boarding up.
06:37More than 50,000 people take the advice to leave.
06:40to evacuate upstate and find safety inland.
06:56As the hurricane draws closer, there are those who choose to stay behind.
07:00The young, the unbelievers, the thrill seekers, the sightseers, the stubborn.
07:10By afternoon, the winds begin to roar.
07:16Camille is churning dangerously close.
07:18Some now attempt a last-minute escape.
07:22For most, it is too late.
07:24The roads are blocked or washed away.
07:27In the drenching rain and wind, levees collapse, flooding entire towns.
07:28In the drenching rain and wind, levees collapse, flooding entire towns.
07:32At dusk, the full force of the storm reaches Mississippi.
07:33The full force of the storm reaches Mississippi.
07:35Wind velocity hits the coastline.
07:36The winds begin to roar.
07:37Wind velocity hits 200 miles per hour.
07:38The winds begin to roar.
07:39The winds begin to roar.
07:40The winds begin to roar.
07:41The winds begin to roar.
07:42The winds begin to roar.
07:43The wind as light contrary as the wind dès.
07:46The winds end up such as seals.
07:47The wind was gone untouched earlier.
07:48But the allowing winds
08:13Power lines are falling, starting fires.
08:30Tornadoes spin off randomly, blowing homes to bits.
08:37At midnight, a final blow, a 30-foot tidal surge smashes the coast.
09:03Miraculously, some survive.
09:13By morning, it is over.
09:16The coastline is in shambles.
09:23The entire towns are wiped away.
09:31200,000 are homeless.
09:34More than 250 are dead.
09:38Dazed, the survivors stumble out.
09:41Each, in his own way, measures his loss.
09:45It's bound to be in here somewhere, because all these are the houses that came from in this vicinity.
09:51They're all right in here, in this neighborhood.
09:54But mine was right down the corner, and I don't even see it.
09:58Yonder!
10:02That's wild!
10:04That's wild!
10:06That's wild!
10:11And my house was under 12 feet of water.
10:14And I've seen everybody, all my family has had destruction of their homes.
10:20And it, and we, and I never, I hope I never see nothing like this again.
10:28I might have young, but it takes this hard blow.
10:32And I lost my shoes and half of my clothes I had on, but the lady lent me some clothes to wear.
10:37And she lent me a pair of shoes for me to walk home with.
10:40And I'm thankful.
10:41And I did a lot of praying.
10:42And Junior, darling, we all all right, sweetheart.
10:45I love you.
10:46Now, don't worry about us.
10:48We all right, darling.
10:49And hello to all of you.
10:51Thank the Lord.
10:52Another one will never catch us here, because if we hear of another one coming,
10:56we're leaving here and go way upstate, like you asked Mama to do.
10:59So, okay, now I love y'all.
11:01I love y'all.
11:06In its sheer destructive intensity, no storm in recorded history has matched Camille.
11:12It was the greatest storm of any kind to ever affect this nation.
11:16Inevitably, there will be others.
11:22Miami, 1965.
11:25The early winds of a coming storm offered some residents an opportunity to play.
11:30The fun, however, was short-lived.
11:39Roaring quickly toward the coast was a hurricane named Betsy.
11:46It was the first to threaten eastern Florida in several years.
11:55Winds built to over 125 miles an hour.
11:59The hurricane had arrived.
12:00The hurricane had arrived.
12:04As the storm pushed tons of water into Miami Beach, the ground floors of houses and hotels turned into rivers and pools.
12:23Before dawn, it was over.
12:24A freighter had been tossed onto the beach.
12:28But altogether, Miami was lucky.
12:29The brunt of the hurricane had hit to the south.
12:30Miami had only been brushed.
12:31Miami had been brushed.
12:32Miami was lucky.
12:33Miami was lucky.
12:34The brunt of the hurricane had hit to the south.
12:38Miami had only brushed.
12:39Miami was lucky.
12:40Miami was lucky.
12:41The brunt of the hurricane had hit to the south.
12:43Miami had only been brushed.
12:45Today, weather scientists used to study hurricanes for their working secrets.
13:14A gust probe measures the atmosphere a split second ahead of the plane.
13:21Elaborate sensor and data systems record air motion, temperature, and humidity.
13:28Leaked to airborne computers, the information can be instantly analyzed.
13:37We still lack an exact knowledge of how and why hurricanes form, but we are constantly
13:42learning more about their complex functioning.
13:47Discoveries made on experimental reconnaissance flights may someday save countless lives from
13:52the most violent storm on earth.
14:00At the National Hurricane Center in Miami, weathermen keep constant track of storms that may reach
14:05our coasts.
14:09It is their job to warn us where and when a hurricane will strike.
14:18A huge coastal radar net is but one part of the center's hurricane detection and early
14:23warning system.
14:24A flow of weathered data from satellites, ships, and remote ocean buoys is instantly analyzed
14:30for potential danger.
14:41A special hurricane teletype circuit issues immediate warnings whenever a hurricane threatens.
14:47Sudden changes in a storm's path are reported at once to those in danger.
14:53Dr. Neil Frank is director of the National Hurricane Center.
15:00He heads all hurricane detection and warning operations for the entire United States.
15:08Our knowledge about hurricanes has increased tremendously over the last, say, 20, 30 years.
15:13We now got satellites that have come along since the 60s.
15:16We had radar as a byproduct of World War II.
15:19Another byproduct of World War II was aircraft reconnaissance and we started sending military
15:24airplanes out into these storms to give us information about them.
15:27There's been no question about a tremendous increase in our understanding.
15:30Unfortunately, we haven't been able to realize that same understanding in our forecast accuracy,
15:36so that we're not forecasting that much better today.
15:46Miami Beach, a comfortable place in the sun that in recent years, like the rest of the
15:51coastline, has attracted large numbers of new residents.
16:02In Miami, as in nearly every other coastal city, there is a potential for hurricane disaster.
16:08A huge percentage of its population has never experienced a major hurricane.
16:15So it's been 25 years since we've experienced much activity over the state of Florida and
16:20over 15 years since the people along the East Coast have experienced bad hurricanes.
16:26And that's where our greatest population increase is taking place at the present time.
16:30Now, the fear that we have is that people might become complacent.
16:34Now in the meantime, the East Coast and even Florida has had some near misses and we've been
16:38brushed by some and we've had to post some warnings at times and then the storm went someplace
16:42else or we've gone through the fringes of some minor storms, had a weak storm come by,
16:49and we've developed some false impressions.
16:52And false impressions lead to poor decisions maybe in the wake of the next hurricane that comes
16:58by that could indeed be a big one.
17:00The last major hurricane that we've had here was in 1926, a real big storm.
17:07On September 17th, Miami was devastated by a direct hit.
17:11A hurricane of unparalleled power lashed at Miami for 11 hours and left the city destroyed.
17:27Based on the damage that Miami suffered in 1926, Dr. Frank has made a projection of what would
17:33happen if such a storm struck again.
17:38Here on Key Biscayne, the large hotels and condominiums will quickly flood to the second floor.
17:45Any structures not built on pilings will be in danger of collapse.
17:52As the hurricane sweeps in, the rest of Key Biscayne will go completely underwater.
17:58Most smaller dwellings will be flooded or submerged under the churning storm.
18:04People who do not evacuate in time will have little chance for survival.
18:15In South Miami Beach, hundreds of small hotels and apartments will be smashed and flooded
18:20by tons of water.
18:22The buildings are occupied mainly by the aged and retired.
18:27It is doubtful that everyone could be evacuated.
18:40Facing directly into the path that a killer storm will take are the large and famous hotels
18:45of Miami Beach.
18:47Those that have been strongly built will survive even the biggest storm.
18:51But staying inside to weather it out could be a nightmare.
19:01Water from the huge tidal surge will blast through the ground floors, tearing out walls
19:06and stairways.
19:08Power will be cut off, leaving those inside trapped in darkness on the upper floors.
19:13People with medical problems will be left helpless.
19:28In the rest of Miami, flooding, severe winds and tornadoes will damage or destroy thousands
19:34of buildings.
19:35The death toll could be enormous.
19:40Yet knowing what might happen, will Miamians evacuate if warned?
19:45Oh, well, I think I'd pay pretty much attention to the weather reports and if I got enough
19:50warning, I'd try to leave.
19:51I don't know.
19:52I think my instinct would be to hide under a table.
19:55But I'm from New York and I've never been in a hurricane.
19:57And I guess I'd probably want to run right out in it.
20:00Well, if they're on the water, they'll evacuate, but if they know they're comfortable and nothing's
20:05going to happen, then they'll stay there and it's a good reason to have a party.
20:08In 1969, despite numerous warnings that Hurricane Camille was on the way, 28 people gathered in
20:19a third floor hotel room to have a hurricane party.
20:25The Hotel Richelieu in Mississippi did not weather the storm.
20:32Of the 28 party goers, only one survived.
20:35An eight-year-old boy floated out of the third-story window on a mattress.
20:46Camille, in 1969, a Category 5 type storm taught them some very bitter lessons.
20:51I hope it doesn't take that kind of a storm to teach the rest of us who live along the coastline
20:56those same kind of lessons.
20:58You know, an old philosopher once said that those who ignore history are condemned to relive it.
21:05I like that word condemned, and there's no reason today why we should have to experience
21:11those same kind of bitter lessons.
21:13There's a lot of hurricane history around, and if we'll take the time, we can learn those
21:17lessons and not have to go through those same kind of experiences.
21:19The recorded history of hurricanes compels us to respect their awesome power.
21:32In 1737, hurricanes killed 300,000 near Calcutta.
21:36In 1900, more than 6,000 people died when a powerful storm swept over Galveston, Texas.
21:42In 1970, on the coast of East Pakistan, a single storm killed nearly half a million people.
21:49Today, we still know very little about how hurricanes begin and exactly what forces
21:54determine their paths. For now, at least, if threatened by their fury,
21:58we should heed the warnings of the past.
22:11Many people.
22:12Many of us have about how hurricanes come from.
22:14Many people have heard of this, but as far as long as there is no reason,
22:16a year to be beyond.
22:19Sometimes people will be of the past.
22:21Some people are my friend, and I might find them being lost for the past.
22:23Many people are my friends.
22:25Many people are my friends, and I think they will be very helpful.
22:28Many people are my friends, and I think they will be very cool.
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