filming hurricanes/disasters?

[tali122]

always surprised when they show a hurricane ripping up houses and throwing cars- how come the camera filming appears to be immune from hurricane winds?
also what about tv reporters/film crews when chernobyl occured - surely they are at incredible risk from radiation?

[Tim Baxter]

You're so right.  The footage you see of hurricanes are the remnants of all the filming that occured, perhaps 7.5%, the rest were blown away, everybody knows the forces which are involved here.

Chernobyl is far sadder 'cos nobody knew at the time how much radiation would damage people, animals and the environment.  News crews in at the disaster will suffer from all aspects of radiation poisening in years to come.  They were either very brave or foolhardy.  Whichever they have my sympathy.

[Mattk]

hurricanes are at their fiercest near the 'eye' so filming from 800m away for instance is just like being in strong gale altho they have to be careful that it doesnt turn on them.

chernobyl is sad as firecrews turned up not realising what had happened and that they were being killed by gamma radiation.

have you seen the website where the female biker took a roadtrip toward the site ? compelling viewing/reading.like something from a movie - whole cities abandoned and now in ruin.no wildlife,no noises at all for hundreds of miles.she couldnt travel all the way to chernobyl for obvious reasons but its spooky to see.apparently the area wil be uninhabitable for hundreds of years to come.

[Mattk]

heres the link to that site i mentioned above

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/chapter1.html

[Tim Baxter]

The 'eye' of the hurricane is serenely peaceful.  But don't forget that the camera has to get there.  The 'eye' travels whilst being surrounded by the strongest winds that the system develops.  So to be in the 'eye' you have to withstand the strongest winds whilst waiting for it to arrive.

[Mattk]

i think you'll find that no-one has ever filmed or maybe even seen a hurricane from inside the eye.

[Tim Baxter]

I think you're wrong Mattk, off to Goooogle!

[Tim Baxter]

Have a look!

www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0308/hurricane/