Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000
*
2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,960
NARRATOR: It can cut a giant path of
destruction
3
00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,040
hundreds of kilometres wide.
4
00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,000
A hurricane is this nuclear-like
power
5
00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,240
that can change your country.
6
00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:23,040
MAN: It was just total destruction.
7
00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,080
I felt like I was going to
get sucked right out of here.
8
00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,400
Devastating winds,
relentless storm surges...
9
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,520
...and heavy rains
that trigger deadly floods.
10
00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,000
No other force of nature
11
00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,720
can equal the raw power
of a hurricane.
12
00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,040
(THEME MUSIC)
13
00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,880
Summer on the Texas coast.
14
00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,800
As the hot sun sets over the warm
waters of the Gulf Of Mexico,
15
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:29,480
all seems peaceful.
16
00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:39,840
But over the horizon,
17
00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,480
a violent force of nature is
building
18
00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,920
and it's coming this way.
19
00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,440
WOMAN: For the third straight day,
an unstoppable Hurricane Ike
20
00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,240
barrelled through the Caribbean.
21
00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,280
A storm so powerful,
22
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:57,320
it destroyed or damaged 85% of the
buildings on the Turks and Caicos.
23
00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,400
Spanning 800km,
24
00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:03,560
Hurricane Ike is a monster.
25
00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,680
WOMAN: Hurricane Ike is causing
severe damage in Cuba
26
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,440
and is headed towards the crowded
capital of Havana.
27
00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,480
The mammoth hurricane pounded the
island of Cuba
28
00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,600
with 190km/h winds,
29
00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,840
then it veered north towards Texas.
30
00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,720
Officials alone the Texas coast are
urging residents
31
00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,120
to stock up on supplies and prepare
to evacuate.
32
00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,560
On September the 13th 2008,
33
00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,560
Ike smashed into the Texas coast.
34
00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,360
Within just four hours,
35
00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,560
the hurricane had turned great
stretched of lush, green coastline
36
00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:35,160
into a wasteland.
37
00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,120
10,000 houses destroyed.
38
00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,080
Four million people left without
power.
39
00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,720
The storm ploughed 80km inland and
struck the city of Houston.
40
00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,880
Skyscrapers lost windows,
41
00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:04,040
50% of the city's apartment buildings
were damaged.
42
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,040
Although the winds themselves were
destructive,
43
00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:13,120
they brought something with them that
was far more devastating.
44
00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,080
As the storm pushed across the Gulf
Of Mexico,
45
00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,760
it drove a huge wall of sea water
towards the shoreline.
46
00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,240
As it hit the coast,
47
00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,920
the water forced its way up and over
the land
48
00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,160
in a phenomenon called a storm surge.
49
00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,800
I realised we were in trouble when I
looked out the kitchen window
50
00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,240
and the whole gulf was moving up
51
00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,560
just as fast as my hand is moving
in.
52
00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,480
It came up really rapidly
53
00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,160
and before you knew it, it was chest
deep.
54
00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,320
It was, to me, the surge was rising,
rising, rising
55
00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,920
and it bubbled up like you were
bubbling in a pot.
56
00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,640
The water bubbled up from every
hole in the ground.
57
00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:59,440
One resident who got trapped in the
rising storm surge was Mike Anderson.
58
00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:03,640
At 11 o'clock that night, the
water had come up 14ft
59
00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,040
and then a foot in the house, so
you know it was 15ft deep.
60
00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:13,160
Mike had taken shelter in a
neighbour's raised beach house.
61
00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,640
But as the full fury of Ike struck,
62
00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,800
the combination of storm surge and
high winds
63
00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,200
began to rip the building apart.
64
00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,720
I just started praying, praying as
hard as I could.
65
00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,160
I was asking God to help me, that I
think this is it, you know.
66
00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,440
First, the windows started
shattering in.
67
00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,040
Then the water come in.
68
00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,000
Next thing you know, I'm panicking.
69
00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,600
I went into each room, 'What am I
gonna do?' looking at the windows.
70
00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:57,920
I grabbed a couch, threw it in the
window
71
00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,000
to keep the wind and water out.
Another one blew in.
72
00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,360
And then, next thing you know, the
door come in.
73
00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,080
It just came in like a shot.
74
00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:14,160
Once the hurricane broke in,
nothing could stop it.
75
00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,520
The next thing you know, you hear
this crackling.
76
00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:27,280
You can't describe it. It's
something you hear in the movies.
77
00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:31,320
I didn't even think, I didn't
hesitate, I just dove out.
78
00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,640
As Mike jumped into the water,
79
00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,440
the whole beach house collapsed
behind him.
80
00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,400
Mike was now at the mercy of the
raging surge,
81
00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,160
fighting for his life.
82
00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,080
The force of the surge is so much,
there's nothing you can do.
83
00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:00,240
There was three times where I went
under
84
00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:02,720
and I didn't think I was going to
come back up.
85
00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:06,960
I just kept dog paddling just as
much as I could.
86
00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,520
I was telling God to help me,
87
00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,000
but I kept screaming 'No!' as loud
as I could.
88
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,840
'No! No! I'm not gonna die!'
89
00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:24,800
In the heart of the storm, Mike
somehow kept himself afloat.
90
00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:29,200
*
91
00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,000
*
92
00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:39,080
By the time Hurricane Ike finally
eased up,
93
00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,680
the storm surge had carried Mike
Anderson 12 miles down the coast.
94
00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:50,760
All told, the hurricane claimed the
lives of 103 people.
95
00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,600
Mike's survival was a miracle.
96
00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,200
A storm surge is especially
destructive
97
00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,520
because water weighs 800 times more
than air.
98
00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,920
When it strikes, it packs a heavy
punch.
99
00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:19,360
To find out exactly how storm surges
pull towns apart,
100
00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,240
meteorologist Ivor van Heerden has
come to Texas.
101
00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,440
He's here to do a forensic analysis
102
00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:31,680
of the ruins Hurricane Ike left
behind.
103
00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,080
The debris field that I'm standing
in
104
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,840
is very, very typical of a
hurricane.
105
00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,200
Especially if there was a surge
event,
106
00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,920
you get an accumulation of
everything,
107
00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,320
from boats to houses to businesses.
108
00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,000
It's a real jumble - imagine a
washing machine
109
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,280
and you threw everything in there
and then spread it out.
110
00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:55,800
This is very, very typical.
111
00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:01,520
For 64km, the coast is littered with
the contents of people's lives.
112
00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,800
Storm surges along this part of the
Texas coast
113
00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:07,760
are especially destructive.
114
00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,160
From the air, it's easy to see why.
115
00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:15,480
The landscape is completely flat.
116
00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:20,720
Even a small rise in sea level will
trigger massive floods.
117
00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,520
If we'd been here during hurricane,
we wouldn't have seen any land.
118
00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,960
This would have been just a very
seething mass of water
119
00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,520
moving across the island from the
Gulf Of Mexico
120
00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:35,600
into the bay.
121
00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:37,400
When the surge hit,
122
00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,360
it tore buildings right off their
foundations.
123
00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,560
So now you have a situation with
16ft of water
124
00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:49,240
moving through the houses and then
the pounding of these waves,
125
00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,200
9ft high, every six or seven
seconds.
126
00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:53,880
And then on top of that,
127
00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:56,040
there would have been debris
everywhere,
128
00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:57,800
just debris just moving around.
129
00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,200
And the debris itself becomes a
battering ram
130
00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:04,320
such that it destroys buildings and
structures in its wake.
131
00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:08,600
It was this churning mix of
fast-moving water,
132
00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:12,960
heavy debris and wind that destroyed
towns all along this coast.
133
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,040
By the time it was over,
134
00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:24,040
Hurricane Ike had caused $31.5
billion worth of damage,
135
00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,480
making it the third most expensive
hurricane in US history.
136
00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,880
Storms like these may be deadly, but
they don't start that way.
137
00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,560
So how does a gentle breeze become a
killer?
138
00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,160
Every year, an average of 45
hurricanes
139
00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:58,080
will form around the globe.
140
00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,080
But depending on where in the world
they form,
141
00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,720
these giant storms are known by
different names.
142
00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,600
Over the Western Pacific, they're
called typhoons.
143
00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:20,640
Typhoons often make landfall in Asian
countries,
144
00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:24,400
like China and Japan, pounding
exposed coastlines.
145
00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:32,200
Storms that form further west over
the Indian Ocean
146
00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,240
are known as cyclones.
147
00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,080
It's the storms that form over the
Atlantic
148
00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,920
and make landfall in North America
that are called hurricanes.
149
00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,920
The energy unleashed in a single one
of these
150
00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,600
can be enough to power the United
States for a whole year.
151
00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:13,560
The force of these storms is rated
using the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
152
00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:24,520
It ranges from a category one up to a
giant category five.
153
00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:29,120
Meteorologist Ivor van Heerden uses a
wind tunnel
154
00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,160
to demonstrate the different wind
categories.
155
00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:38,880
First a category one - 119km/h to
153km/h.
156
00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:41,520
I can feel it blowing past my ears.
157
00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,720
It feels like it's almost trying to
suck the air out of my ears.
158
00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:47,440
Very, very powerful wind
159
00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:51,080
and this is only a category one
hurricane.
160
00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:57,720
A category two - 154km/h to 177km/h.
161
00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,320
We're now at 95mph wind.
162
00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:04,600
There's absolutely no way that you
could walk in this wind.
163
00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:06,640
It really gives you a feel
164
00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,800
for how powerful these hurricanes
are.
165
00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,200
A category three.
166
00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:39,600
Next up, a category four.
167
00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:50,120
The winds reach between 210km/h to
249km/h.
168
00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:00,080
But the most powerful hurricanes are
category fives.
169
00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:08,040
In excess of 250km/h.
170
00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,160
If you imagine the energy that's in
one atomic bomb,
171
00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:20,600
a major hurricane such as Hurricane
Katrina, for example,
172
00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,080
as it crossed the Gulf Of Mexico,
173
00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:27,480
expended the energy of over 150,000
atomic bombs.
174
00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:35,000
But how does nature generate such
massive forces?
175
00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:41,760
The answer lies here in the Cape
Verde Islands,
176
00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:45,640
an isolated island chain in the heart
of the Atlantic
177
00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,200
nearly 500km off the coast of Africa.
178
00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:01,960
Every year, the warm, humid
atmosphere above these islands
179
00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:06,160
sets the stage for one of nature's
greatest acts of creation.
180
00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:11,960
It's in these skies
181
00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:14,360
that almost all hurricanes are born.
182
00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,240
A few hundred miles over the
horizon
183
00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:22,760
lies Africa and the Sahara Desert,
184
00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,560
the generator of very hot, dry
winds.
185
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:30,000
Those sort of winds then meet the
moist air of the North Atlantic,
186
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,280
giving us the two ingredients for
the birth of hurricanes.
187
00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:40,760
About once every three days, a
pocket of super heated Saharan air
188
00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,200
breaks away from Africa and drifts
over the Atlantic.
189
00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,520
These warm air pockets are called
tropical waves.
190
00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:58,760
This hot air generates giant
convection currents
191
00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,480
that drive moisture from the surface
of the ocean
192
00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:03,320
high into the atmosphere.
193
00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,680
As this moisture-laden air cools,
194
00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:13,720
it begins to condense into bands of
cloud.
195
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,800
This is the beginning of a hurricane.
196
00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:24,800
We're witnessing the passage of a
tropical wave
197
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,160
that started off the coast of
Africa, migrating past us,
198
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:30,680
on its way to the Gulf Of Mexico.
199
00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:34,760
And you're seeing here this very
moisture-laden air rising.
200
00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,640
This is very typical of what happens
201
00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:41,680
in the convective cells inside these
tropical waves.
202
00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,840
If the ocean is warm enough,
203
00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:50,160
a tropical wave can begin to feed off
the heat rising from the sea.
204
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,200
This then marches across the North
Atlantic
205
00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:07,080
gaining energy from the very, very
warm ocean waters
206
00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:09,960
and, ultimately, striking the United
States.
207
00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,240
When the amount of moisture forced
into the atmosphere
208
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,000
reaches a critical mass,
209
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,240
the spin of the Earth starts to
affect the gathering clouds.
210
00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,680
Called the Coriolis effect, this
causes the clouds
211
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:29,680
to merge and create the unmistakable
rotating structure of a hurricane.
212
00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:41,280
Once formed, nothing can stop these
giant storms.
213
00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:46,040
And when they hit land, their effects
can be devastating.
214
00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:55,160
*
215
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,000
*
216
00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:05,520
When most people think of a
hurricane,
217
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,160
they think of one thing - wind.
218
00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:22,720
But wind speeds in different parts
219
00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,000
of a hurricane's rotating structure
vary
220
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,040
from almost tranquil to terrifying.
221
00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:34,800
In the centre of the storm is the
eye.
222
00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,560
Here everything is eerily calm.
223
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:41,640
But just outside the eye, it is
different.
224
00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:45,920
This is the eye wall,
225
00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,200
the most intense part of any
hurricane.
226
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:52,520
Winds here reach up to 320km/h.
227
00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,520
It's the violent winds in this part
of a hurricane
228
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,320
that can rip even sturdy structures
apart in seconds.
229
00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:21,320
In 2004, the sleepy coastal town of
Punta Gorda, Florida
230
00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:24,640
was directly in the path of what was
forecast
231
00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,480
to be a moderate category two storm -
232
00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,640
Hurricane Charley.
233
00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:36,000
Veteran storm chaser Jim Edds
travelled to Punta Gorda
234
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,840
to film Hurricane Charley as it made
landfall.
235
00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,880
But as Charley approached, Jim was
in for a nasty surprise.
236
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,560
Hurricane Charley was a small
hurricane.
237
00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:53,960
You know, the eye wasn't very big.
It was about 5 miles across.
238
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:57,600
One thing about small hurricanes is
they can intensify very quickly.
239
00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,600
They spin up fast and they can also
spin down very fast.
240
00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:02,840
Unfortunately, this one spun up real
fast.
241
00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,120
Can you hear it? Yeah.
It's coming.
242
00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:11,680
Just 32km offshore, Charley suddenly
intensified
243
00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,120
from a category two to a category
four storm.
244
00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,640
I was scared, but I'd never been in
a category four,
245
00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:23,760
so I didn't really know what was
coming.
246
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:25,800
I had an idea it was gonna be windy,
247
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:27,720
but you can't imagine a category
four.
248
00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,760
That's a strong hurricane. You
have to see it to believe it.
249
00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,480
While Jim Edds was filming the
growing power of the storm,
250
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:36,160
on the other side of town,
251
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,080
resident Brenda Ryan was about to
find out
252
00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:41,880
just how quickly a category four
hurricane
253
00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,720
can rip a house apart.
254
00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:49,280
I looked out my window and my shed
just went flying right by me.
255
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:53,040
And that's when we lost power and
things went downhill from there.
256
00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,080
When the window broke here in the
front, the big window,
257
00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:00,600
I remember all of the pictures
blowing around.
258
00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:06,720
The wind, it was like a little
cyclone inside that living room.
259
00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,040
Nearby, Jim was still out in the
open,
260
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,800
filming the violent winds now
blasting through the town.
261
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,760
Debris was howling, it was blowing,
stuff was being ripped up.
262
00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,560
Across the street, we had a sign
that blew out.
263
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:26,360
And I was pretty scared,
264
00:21:26,360 --> 00:21:28,360
cos it was just getting stronger and
stronger.
265
00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,600
With the eye wall fast approaching,
266
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,600
the hurricane entered its most
destructive phase.
267
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:44,680
It sounded like little bombs going
off.
268
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,520
Those were the concrete tiles that
were pounding into the house.
269
00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:58,480
Brenda sheltered from the storm in
her bathroom.
270
00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:01,480
The ceiling's moving up and down a
couple of three inches.
271
00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,760
The nails were popped out and just
hanging.
272
00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:06,760
The tiles fell off the bottom part
of the walls
273
00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:08,840
where the walls were moving in and
out.
274
00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:10,560
I think reality had come to me
275
00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,960
that I may not walk out of that
bathroom.
276
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:21,600
As the eye wall hit Punta Gorda,
winds exceeded 240km/h.
277
00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,920
MAN: Here it comes!
278
00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:31,920
Oh, my God! Where...?
279
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,600
But things were about to get even
worse.
280
00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:40,920
Winds inside a hurricane are
circular,
281
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:45,040
so as Charley crossed the town, the
wind direction began to change.
282
00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:48,000
The safe spot Jim Edds had been
filming from
283
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,240
was rapidly becoming a death trap.
284
00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,120
Initial the wind's coming over the
building,
285
00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:56,080
I felt pretty safe. That's out of
the north-east.
286
00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:57,920
As the hurricane got closer,
287
00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:00,520
the wind shifted, came down Highway
41.
288
00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:04,240
The problem with that is debris
was really close to me.
289
00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:06,800
I had to back up all the way to this
corner.
290
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:08,920
I was essentially trapped here.
291
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,800
It was howling, debris was just 6ft
away from me.
292
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,400
I felt like I was going to get
sucked right out of here,
293
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,520
Debris was hitting things, it was
busting up.
294
00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:25,600
I saw things cartwheeling down the
road
295
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,960
and they'd hit poles and then they'd
shatter
296
00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,400
and I'm thinking, 'Wow, that's
pretty strong.'
297
00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:34,640
You look at a roof blowing down the
street,
298
00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:36,320
a roof blowing off a building -
299
00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:40,040
well, sure it could pick me up and
send me flying down the street too.
300
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:57,600
In just one hour, the storm had
dismantled Punta Gorda,
301
00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:59,680
leaving the town in ruins.
302
00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:06,080
It was just a debris grinder.
303
00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:07,800
Everything got ripped up.
304
00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,760
It was incredible to see this town
after that hurricane.
305
00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:19,200
It just looked like a bomb had gone
off. Nothing looked normal.
306
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:21,440
There was nothing standing.
307
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,440
I mean, it just looked like a war
zone through here.
308
00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,640
Hurricane Charley is a reminder
309
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,560
of just how destructive winds inside
these storms can be.
310
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,960
But winds aren't the most lethal part
of a hurricane.
311
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:43,320
That status is reserved for the storm
surge.
312
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:08,480
The reality is nine out of ten
hurricane deaths are due to drowning.
313
00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,160
As a hurricane moves across the
ocean,
314
00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:19,240
powerful winds blast the surface of
the sea.
315
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:24,000
This creates a huge bulge of water
that's pushed ahead of the storm.
316
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,600
When this water reaches land,
317
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,000
it's forced up and over the
shoreline.
318
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:38,160
This is a storm surge.
319
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,880
In the last decade, the US has been
hit
320
00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:48,920
by 60 different hurricane storm
surges.
321
00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:53,800
But one was so powerful it dwarfed
all the others.
322
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,640
August 2005.
323
00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:10,640
Hurricane Katrina arrived on the Gulf
Coast...
324
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:19,520
...bringing with it 225km/h winds and
a storm surge 6m high.
325
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,120
New Orleans was hit hard.
326
00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:27,600
Almost 2,000 people lost their lives.
327
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:34,160
This incredible damage happened even
though the city
328
00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:38,240
was only brushed by the outer bands
of the hurricane.
329
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:44,160
Katrina actually made landfall 120km
away in another state.
330
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:52,440
The town that took the full brunt of
the storm was Gulfport, Mississippi.
331
00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:57,800
Hurricane Katrina was so violent
that it actually changed the...
332
00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:02,440
Storm chasers Jim Reed and Mike
Theiss were there when it happened.
333
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:04,400
Hurricane Katrina was by far
334
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:06,760
the highest storm surge I had ever
witnessed
335
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,360
and probably the most I will see in
my lifetime.
336
00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:11,920
This storm surge was so powerful and
destructive
337
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:16,080
that it actually obliterated the
entire coastline
338
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,240
of one of America's states.
339
00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:22,880
Mike and Jim had picked a sturdy
concrete hotel
340
00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,960
right on the beach to document the
hurricane as it made landfall.
341
00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:34,320
Their first indication of Katrina's
true power
342
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,480
came as they watched the highway in
front of the hotel
343
00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,840
being swamped by the surge.
344
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:50,280
A storm surge does not look like a
tsunami wave in any way.
345
00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:52,280
Sometimes it gets perceived as that,
346
00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:54,600
but it's more of a gradual rise in
the water
347
00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:57,200
and it just keeps coming and coming
and coming.
348
00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:01,960
Water's coming in the room through
the air-conditioning vent.
349
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,200
What contributes to the deadliness
350
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:11,200
and destructiveness of the storm
surge
351
00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:12,960
is what does it hit initially?
352
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:14,920
What comes apart?
353
00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,280
And, in essence, that debris becomes
part of
354
00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:20,360
an aquatic bulldozer blade pushing
forward.
355
00:28:23,360 --> 00:28:26,240
Oh, here it is. It's getting ready
to break, guys.
356
00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:33,400
Huge chunks of debris acted as a
battering ram,
357
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,400
forcing their way into the lobby.
358
00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:41,960
(MAN YELLS INDISTINCTLY)
359
00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,720
We're currently on the second floor.
360
00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,720
The storm is already coming up the
stairs down here.
361
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,680
The first floor of the hotel -
362
00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:00,920
the entire first floor is under
water.
363
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:12,440
The storm surge was now at its peak,
submerging the whole floor
364
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,680
and forcing its way up onto the next.
365
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,800
Trapped upstairs, Jim and Mike could
only watch
366
00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:26,560
as the surge destroyed the hotel
directly under their feet.
367
00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,120
What we saw was just breathtaking.
368
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,480
Refrigerators, televisions floating,
369
00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,800
just people's homes, pieces of roof.
370
00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:36,240
It was just total destruction at
that point.
371
00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,080
The roof collapsed on this building
below me.
372
00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:41,560
You can see the roof broke off.
373
00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:45,680
The water was rushing through the
ground floor
374
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:50,720
and you would see this wave
actually going through the hotel
375
00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:52,320
and coming out the back.
376
00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:00,400
The surge hammered the hotel for two
hours
377
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,400
before it finally retreated back to
the ocean.
378
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:10,640
Holy cow!
379
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:12,800
This is the lobby.
380
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:14,800
This was the lobby.
381
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:19,360
All told, it's estimated that Katrina
382
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,520
caused more than $100 billion worth
of damage.
383
00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,200
When Jim and I finally got out of
the hotel
384
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:28,760
and walked down the beach,
385
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,640
we couldn't believe the destruction
we were witnessing
386
00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,560
and the scale of the impact of the
entire coastline
387
00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:36,680
just completely decimated.
388
00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:42,160
The storm surge brought so much water
on shore
389
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:46,040
that the salt left behind poisoned
two million hectares
390
00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:47,560
of Mississippi forest.
391
00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,760
It was the biggest forestry disaster
in US history.
392
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,000
Even today, empty plots still scar
393
00:30:58,000 --> 00:30:59,960
this once prosperous coastline,
394
00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:04,400
a reminder that while hurricanes do
their damage in a few hours,
395
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,160
their effects are felt for years.
396
00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:15,120
A hurricane is a cluster of storms
rotating around a centre
397
00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:18,840
and in this centre is this
nuclear-like power
398
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:21,600
that can change a country.
399
00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,720
It's that powerful.
400
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,840
Hurricanes hit coastlines especially
hard.
401
00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,600
But being further inland doesn't
guarantee safety.
402
00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,800
Not when these storms bring the
additional danger
403
00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:40,600
of mudslides and torrential flooding.
404
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:48,920
*
405
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,000
*
406
00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,920
A town under water.
407
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:05,200
Flooding like this is the telltale
sign of a hurricane.
408
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:12,280
As a storm gathers strength over the
ocean,
409
00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:16,520
it sucks enormous amounts of moisture
into its giant clouds.
410
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,120
But when it hits land,
411
00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:25,840
the storm collapses, dumping a huge
amount of moisture
412
00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:27,840
in the form of torrential rain.
413
00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:36,920
Just one of these storms can drop
1.5m of rain in a single day.
414
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,080
When that much water falls on
mountainous terrain,
415
00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,040
it can trigger violent flash floods
and mudslides.
416
00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:56,520
There's one country that's more
vulnerable
417
00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:59,080
to these floods than anywhere else on
Earth.
418
00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:08,880
Taiwan.
419
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:13,480
A mountainous island located on the
edge of the world's greatest ocean,
420
00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:15,000
the Pacific.
421
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:27,640
It might seem peaceful,
422
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:29,920
but because of its unique location,
423
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:32,760
Taiwan is subject to violent weather.
424
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,480
Every summer, the Pacific generates
massive hurricane-type storms.
425
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:45,840
But here they're known as typhoons.
426
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:54,920
These enormous storms sweep directly
over the island
427
00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:58,440
and as they collide with the steep
mountains,
428
00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:00,280
there are dramatic results.
429
00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:07,640
Storm chasers Geoff Mackley and
James Reynolds
430
00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:11,040
come to Taiwan every year to witness
these events.
431
00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:14,760
Taiwan is like no other place on
Earth
432
00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:17,760
because you've got extremely big
mountains
433
00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:19,480
very close to the sea coast.
434
00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,160
Within only a couple of miles,
435
00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:25,280
the mountains rise up to 12,000ft
and that's a recipe for chaos.
436
00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:29,280
The mountains in the centre act as a
brick wall, so to speak.
437
00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:31,360
So when a typhoon sweeps ashore,
438
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:34,560
it's hitting this massive physical
barrier
439
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,040
which just drains all the energy out
of the storm.
440
00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,200
In their death throes, they just
dump
441
00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:43,200
unimaginable quantities of rain.
442
00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:50,480
In 2007, a category three storm
called Typhoon Sepat
443
00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,360
smashed into Taiwan.
444
00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:04,880
When the storm drove up against the
island,
445
00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:08,600
it collapsed, unleashing an
incredible deluge of rain.
446
00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,080
The weather was furious at that
point.
447
00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,640
The rain was sheeting down, you
could hardly see
448
00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,440
more than 100ft. It was near
white-out conditions.
449
00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,640
In just 24 hours,
450
00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:33,480
the typhoon had poured 73cm of rain
onto the island.
451
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:41,320
By sunrise, the floods had reached
gargantuan proportions.
452
00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:49,480
It wasn't really until we hit the
first bridge
453
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:53,200
over a major river that I realised
that actually the storm's landfall
454
00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:55,440
was only the first chapter of this
story.
455
00:35:59,920 --> 00:36:02,600
We could see this river, which must
have been
456
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:04,160
at least half a mile wide
457
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:08,160
was just bank to bank, solid, raging
flood waters.
458
00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:17,800
All across Taiwan,
459
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:21,080
rivers overflowed and bridges were
swept away.
460
00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,800
But the most violent flooding
happened in the island's
461
00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:30,760
deep mountain gorges,
where the narrow canyons
462
00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:33,120
funnelled the water into torrents.
463
00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:45,160
That's certainly the biggest and
most awesome flash flood
464
00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:46,960
that I've ever seen.
465
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:49,280
You've got millions of tons of water
passing
466
00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:51,600
the point you're standing every few
minutes.
467
00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,480
The more volume of water you have,
the faster it moves
468
00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:59,680
and, you know, it was probably doing
30mph, 40mph, and that's fast.
469
00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,080
Fast-flowing water like this
470
00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:08,120
can pick up almost any object in its
path.
471
00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:11,720
The river was raging. In places, it
was overflowing
472
00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:13,240
and the ground was shaking
473
00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:16,280
as huge boulders were being washed
down the river.
474
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,200
That was one of the most unnerving
aspects.
475
00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:27,520
Once these floods start, there's no
way to stop them.
476
00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:39,400
Thankfully, there were no towns in
the steep gorges
477
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:43,080
that channelled the flood water from
the mountains to the sea.
478
00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,720
But when a typhoon triggered a flash
flood
479
00:37:52,720 --> 00:37:55,560
down one of Taiwan's populated
valleys,
480
00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:57,600
it led to disaster.
481
00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:17,200
In September 2008,
482
00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:20,400
the island was hit
by Typhoon Sinlaku.
483
00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:32,000
(HORN BLASTS)
484
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:39,120
The storm triggered flash floods in
the mountains.
485
00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:42,320
Raging down Taiwan's gorges,
486
00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,400
the floods smashed everything in
their path.
487
00:38:56,640 --> 00:39:00,600
Hardest hit was the small, hillside
village of Lushan.
488
00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:07,480
Here the flood waters poured down the
town's main street.
489
00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:17,800
Storm chasers Geoff Mackley and James
Reynolds were there.
490
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:20,600
Holy hell.
491
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:24,040
Everything's inundated. Look at all
the buildings up there,
492
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:25,840
houses up to the roofs in water.
493
00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:35,960
Two, three days of continuous
cyclone-related rainfall
494
00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:38,440
in this area is just a recipe for
disaster.
495
00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:40,840
You can see here, it's just a
perfect example
496
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:43,440
of what can happen when things
really go wrong.
497
00:39:47,240 --> 00:39:50,280
The surging water was so powerful
498
00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:54,880
even sturdy five-storey hotels fell
like dominoes.
499
00:39:59,240 --> 00:40:02,240
Every three cubic feet of water
weighs a ton,
500
00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:05,040
so that's thousands of tonnes of
power
501
00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:07,120
pushing on anything in its way.
502
00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:12,720
A solid concrete parking complex
here
503
00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:16,400
has just been completely washed away
as if it was made of matchsticks.
504
00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:22,080
This flood was a killer, claiming
eight lives in this region alone.
505
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:35,000
Across the island of Taiwan, four
other people died that day.
506
00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:43,840
Hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones.
507
00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:47,360
These deadly storms are a global
problem.
508
00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:51,480
Around the world, they kill hundreds
of people every year.
509
00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:55,760
But even for survivors,
510
00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:58,840
life after the storm is never the
same again.
511
00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:04,240
Back in the United States,
512
00:41:04,240 --> 00:41:08,720
three months after Hurricane Ike
ripped apart the coast of Texas...
513
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:13,240
...Mike Anderson and his wife, Dawn,
514
00:41:13,240 --> 00:41:16,360
went back to see what was left of
their neighbourhood.
515
00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:27,800
There was a house on this empty lot
here.
516
00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:32,440
Her sons came and cleared that out.
It was just totally demolished.
517
00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:36,240
This house and that sort of
blue-coloured house right there,
518
00:41:36,240 --> 00:41:38,280
those weren't there before the
storm.
519
00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:41,320
They floated in from either an
adjacent neighbourhood
520
00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:42,960
or back towards the beach.
521
00:41:46,240 --> 00:41:49,960
Mike and Dawn's house was one of the
few still standing,
522
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,200
but the hurricane had wrecked it.
523
00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:56,400
You know, I didn't notice the second
time we came in here,
524
00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,880
but this wall is moved.
525
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:02,560
This is totally off the slab right
here.
526
00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:05,200
And you can see this was our wall,
you know,
527
00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:08,240
and it's just... coming down.
528
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:16,920
That was the dining room.
529
00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,240
Yeah, this was our dining room right
here
530
00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:21,680
and this was our living room.
531
00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:25,120
This used to be where we -
Christmases and Thanksgivings
532
00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:28,400
and birthdays and birthday parties
and friends and family.
533
00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:34,480
For countless families up and down
the coast,
534
00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:38,280
it's the emotional aftermath that's
so hard to come to terms with.
535
00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:46,960
It just a matter of hours, your
whole life's gone.
536
00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:50,560
Everything you've worked years and
years for is a pile of junk.
537
00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:54,160
It's something that you have to
respect.
538
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:56,520
You know, you just can't take it
lightly.
539
00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:59,840
You hear about Katrina, you know,
those poor people.
540
00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:03,000
But then when you go through it,
then you understand
541
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,280
that what they went through is so
devastating.
542
00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:08,240
There's no way that it hasn't
543
00:43:08,240 --> 00:43:11,360
completely changed how you look at
things.
544
00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:18,360
When hurricanes strike,
545
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:20,920
they tear apart entire countries.
546
00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:23,680
Get out of the tree!
547
00:43:25,760 --> 00:43:27,280
Get out of there!
548
00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:30,280
They leave a trail of death and mass
destruction
549
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:33,360
and wherever these monsters make
landfall,
550
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,720
they unleash the full fury
of Mother Nature.
551
00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:39,760
itfc subtitles
552
00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:49,480
*
45773
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.