01x03 - Super Typhoon Terror

[bunniefuu]

MAN: Almost done!

NARRATOR: A major hurricane

has shipping on the run.

CAPT. JAY MULLINS: We got a squall coming,

so we're about to have some fun.

NARRATOR: Growing far larger

and far stronger than predicted.

ROGER DA COSTA:

Some serious wind now.

NARRATOR: To leap out of the darkness

(woman screaming)

MONA WALKER (off screen):

What a firestorm!

NARRATOR: and strike

ASHBY BRADSHAW: (off screen) Tornado?

NARRATOR: with unexpected fury.

(thunder roaring)

NARRATOR: As storms hit new extremes

and defy prediction

MAN (off screen): Woo!

(intense music playing)

NARRATOR: National Geographic

gave cameras

to more than a thousand marine workers

to film wherever storms might strike,

right around the globe

on a scale never seen before.

This is what came back from our cameras

in the path of Hurricane Humberto.

(intense music playing)

(thunder cracking)

(indistinct chatter)

DANNY FIDLER: Hey, Mac,

can you get in and slack out that rope?

MAC: You got six foot.

FIDLER: See you guys.

NARRATOR: In the Gulf of Mexico,

Danny Fidler of fishing boat Daytona,

is heading out to sea

with one of our cameras.

FIDLER: This is

We're heading out the pass

and the channel

of Panama City, St Andrews Bay.

Headed out to go fishing.

We've got about a 200-mile run

ahead of us.

Now the seas are picking up a little bit,

as we exit into the Gulf.

Sunny though, but we are in an area

where we could be hitting the hurricanes

at any time.

CAPT. MULLINS: Last thing I watched

last night was The Weather Channel.

First thing I flipped on this morning

was The Weather Channel.

And I'm sure when I go home,

I'll look at it again.

Try not to get too preoccupied

with the damn Weather Channel.

This is our job. This is what we do.

We are dependent upon Mother Nature.

NARRATOR:

Fishing fleets across the southern US

have been sheltering in port

since category 5 Hurricane Dorian

devastated the Bahamas

and swept up the eastern seaboard.

Captain Jay Mullins of the fishing boat

Blackjack II out of Fort Myers, Florida,

is finally able to put to sea again

and start earning money.

CAPT. MULLINS: We're hoping

we get 12 days of this weather right here.

But it is what it is, you know?

Unless a hurricane comes, we're here.

We're a big enough boat

to stay through whatever weather comes.

MAN: It's our first day,

picking up our first set.

NARRATOR: The good weather is holding

for the Blackjack II.

The crew are making the most

of the sunshine while they can.

CAPT. MULLINS: We're gonna target grouper

as we always do. Bottom fishing.

Bottom fish are very subject to pressure.

A falling barometer, the fish shut off,

where the barometer's rising is good.

I think fish are like human beings.

They like it sunny and 75 all the time.

I mean, I don't like the rain, do you?

NARRATOR: Clear skies mean the full force

of the summer sun on the ocean.

Sea surface temperatures

in the Gulf of Mexico

and Western Atlantic have hit 90 degrees.

But hot seas breed hurricanes.

CAPT. MULLINS: They say

the Gulf's the hottest it's been

in 100 years or something like that.

That's why it's such a breeding ground

right now for storms.

NARRATOR: Another storm is expected.

The only question is when.

FIDLER (off screen): Yep, swordfish.

Nice one. Be careful, though.

We're getting in our last section,

first set of the trip.

We have 568 hooks out,

and we had a fair day of fishing.

We had eight tunas and six swordfish.

The weather has deteriorated

a little more today.

We've actually got a tropical wave

moving across the Atlantic,

across the Bahamas.

They predict it could intensify

and increase in strength

and possibly become a tropical storm.

It is supposed to cross over

the peninsula of Florida into the Gulf.

Hopefully, it will not,

as we're about right here.

NARRATOR: The tropics are stirring again.

(ominous music playing)

An ominous new low-pressure system

located off the Bahamas

is creeping slowly westward

towards Florida.

MAN (off screen):

It's getting a little rough.

It's about to get rainy, ain't it, Cap?

CAPT. MULLINS: Looks like it.

MAN: Time to go secure the deck.

We've got some weather coming,

got to make sure

everything's tied down up here.

(ominous music playing)

NARRATOR: All eyes are now on this system,

watching to see what it will do.

MAN: We expect to reach Port Manatee

tomorrow morning.

We will really be having heavy

showers, wind against us

NARRATOR:

Ships in the area are reporting

extensive cloud buildup

and changing weather.

MAN 1: Cool-looking clouds.

The wind's kinda picking up a little bit.

MAN 2: Yeah.

We've got some weather coming.

NARRATOR: In the last 24 hours,

the low pressure has intensified.

At the National Hurricane Center in Miami,

it's being closely watched.

MIKE BRENNAN: We're starting to see

a circulation develop.

You can see the low level cloud line

starting to turn cyclonically here.

With these developing disturbances,

we don't have

as good a handle on the track

because the center

hasn't really formed yet.

It can kinda jump around.

This is the time to task an aircraft

to go out and fly into the system.

(phone ringing)

LT. COL. SEAN CROSS:

Operation technical, Cross.

Positive launch?

Okay, copy that,

I'll alert them right now, thanks.

NARRATOR: The call

goes out to Biloxi, Mississippi,

and the United States Air Force Reserve

53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.

LT. COL. CROSS:

Time to launch a crew, Teal 71.

NARRATOR:

Also known as the Hurricane Hunters.

Their job is to provide the data needed

to assess the new threat

rising off the Atlantic.

LT. COL. CROSS:

This is a tropical disturbance.

They're not taking anything lightly

down in that area right now

and so that's what our job is today,

to investigate that area of low pressure

to see if it's going to develop

into something much stronger.

NARRATOR: Operations Director

is Lieutenant Colonel Sean Cross.

Flying the mission,

one of his most experienced pilots

LT. COL. CROSS: Hey, Dena,

it's Cross, you're alerted.

NARRATOR:

Lieutenant Colonel Dena Williams.

LT. COL. DENA WILLIAMS: We are good to go.

All right, mission purpose.

We're gonna go out and fly this.

We're gonna be Teal 71 today.

Weather, to you.

WOMAN: Yes ma'am. Right now,

it's still moving at 290 at seven knots.

Strongest, weakest quadrants,

lightning and turbulence.

Just looking at satellite,

looks like the north-western quadrant

will be the trickiest point.

NARRATOR: This is a low-level mission,

flying just above the ocean's surface,

allowing Teal 71

to see what satellites can't.

LT. COL. CROSS:

We take that low-level area

and break it up into four quadrants.

We're gonna fly around

in each one of those four quadrants

at an altitude of about 500 feet

to 1000 feet above the surface.

While flying in each one

of those quadrants,

we're looking to see

what the wind field is doing.

If we get those counter-clockwise winds

in each one of those quadrants,

then we have the birth of a storm.

You know, we're trained as pilots

to avoid weather at all costs.

MAN (over radio): Clear for takeoff.

Check is complete.

LT. COL. CROSS: But, here in the 53rd,

we throw the rule book out the window

and we fly right into,

what I call, the most intense weather

that Mother Nature has created.

(man speaking indistinctly over radio)

MAN (over radio):

Gears up, flaps are up.

LT. COL. CROSS: We're either gonna

reaffirm what they've already put out

or it could possibly change.

It could possibly diminish.

Hopefully, for everybody out there,

we're gonna go out there

and we don't find anything

and this system

is gonna completely fall apart

and our job will be done.

RON YOW (off screen): Low-pressure

building by the Bahamas.

They don't know if it's gonna go

turn and go into the Gulf

or turn and come up

the east coast of Florida.

They're not sure yet.

But expecting tropical weather

by the end of the weekend here.

NARRATOR: Ships all around the southern US

are already thinking about plans

to avoid the storm.

Shrimper Sea King has one of our cameras.

YOW: A little bit of weather,

20, 30 mile an hour winds.

It stirs the ocean up.

Would be good for the shrimping.

Boat is ready, crew is ready.

REPORTER: The Hurricane Center

gives this a high chance

for the next two to even five days.

Hurricane Hunters

are headed out there right now.

They're almost there

and they're gonna sample

all around the system looking

for that closed circulation.

LT. COL. CROSS: Here's a satellite up-link

we have with the aircraft.

You can see right here,

here's home base right here.

They left here earlier this morning

and they're down in this area

right now flying around.

NARRATOR: After three hours airborne,

flight Teal 71 has reached

its targets and enters the storm.

LT. COL. CROSS:

I don't know what his altitude is.

I can't tell off of this.

Just-- One second. So, let's see.

LT. COL. CROSS (off screen):

We've measured the northwest

and the southeast quadrants circulation.

So, that means 50/50 because

he only has circulation

in two quadrants of the four.

Right now we've got

counter-clockwise winds

going this way here

and then this way here.

So, what he's gotta do

is find these other two quadrants

and see if he's got

those counter-clockwise winds.

If he does,

it's just a big circle of wind.

If he gets that,

well, then that's a little more concerning

'cause now we have

a tropical system that's building.

(winds whooshing)

CAPT. MULLINS: Are you ready

to do tonight's haul, Michael?

MICHAEL: Oh, I'm ready, boss.

CAPT. MULLINS: We're trying to fish veins

that ain't but as wide as this boat.

But we got a squall coming,

so we're about to have some fun.

NARRATOR: Off the southern tip of Florida,

the weather is starting to turn,

causing big problems for the crew

of the Blackjack.

(winds whooshing)

CAPT. MULLINS: Let's go to sleep

and pretend this day never happened.

Right now, we can't even catch dinner.

(winds roaring)

NARRATOR: Thunderstorms are blowing up,

suggesting the low pressure system

near the Bahamas may be building.

CAPT. MULLINS (off screen):

We can't catch a fish right now.

This is me frustrated

because nothing is going right.

NARRATOR:

At the National Hurricane Center,

the data from the aircraft

is confirming their fears.

The system has formed a cyclone,

and it's quickly growing.

BRENNAN: The Air Force plane

was able to go out there

and close off a closed circulation

in the low level,

so that tells us that the system has

gone on and become a tropical cyclone.

NARRATOR: The sustained wind speed

inside the system

has now broken

the 40-mile-per hour threshold,

making this officially a tropical storm.

REPORTER: Let's go right over to Rob,

who's tracking the impact at the Bahamas.

He's also looking at what this storm

could bring to the US.

- Rob, good morning to you.

- ROB: Good morning, Dan.

The National Hurricane Center

baptizing Tropical Depression number nine

to become Humberto

with 40-mile-an-hour winds right now.

Centered about 70 miles east

of Great Abaco island.

(ominous music playing)

NARRATOR: Newly named Humberto

gives an early indication

of its unpredictable nature.

As a result of the new data,

its projected path

has now drastically changed.

BRENNAN:

The storm has begun moving northward.

The tropical storm force winds

that you can see here

are offshore of Florida and now expecting

a west-northwestward motion,

approaching the coast of Florida

as a tropical storm.

(winds roaring)

NARRATOR: The USA's eastern seaboard

is one of the most

storm-vulnerable coastlines in the world.

Over 100 different hurricanes

have impacted here in the last 50 years.

The Gulf of Mexico is off the hook,

but ship crews from Miami to Jacksonville

are now scrambling to plan escape routes.

LOUIS SANTOS: Port Manatee, come in.

Time to pull back, Johnny.

The tropical depression

is turning to tropical storm.

It's actually aiming right here

at the Port Canaveral.

If it becomes a hurricane,

the port may issue a mandatory evacuation.

We got to get out of here.

Go back to the canal

and hope for the best.

CAPTAIN VLADIMIR KOROVIN:

The vessel will depart today at 1700,

and we will proceed to Bermuda.

- And we expect inbound bad weather.

- (phone ringing)

Sorry.

Some job.

Bridge, Captain.

In 10, 15 minutes.

NARRATOR: In the port of Fernandina Beach,

Vladimir Korovin,

captain of the container ship Somers Isles

is quickly replanning his next few days.

CAPT. KOROVIN: We are

constantly check the weather condition.

We receiving the weather reports.

It's always changing.

NARRATOR: The 4000-ton Somers Isles

carries cargo on a back-and-forth route

between Florida

and the port of Hamilton in Bermuda.

NARRATOR:

Humberto is bearing down on them fast.

Captain Vlad needs to get out ahead of it.

CAPT. KOROVIN: The vessel is prepared,

the crew is prepared.

So, we are ready for the rough seas.

This is our job.

(horn bellows)

NARRATOR: As the Somers Isles

leaves Fernandina Beach,

Humberto is 500 miles to the southeast,

moving slowly towards Florida

where shrimper Sea King is still at sea.

YOW (off screen): Guys trying to get

the tarp put up for the weather coming.

Tomorrow, east, north-east, 15 to 20.

Increasing to 20, 25 with gusts of 35.

Six to nine foot seas.

I believe I'll be going home

and let the low pressure come by and go.

It's not just me, I have crew men,

I even have my dog come.

NARRATOR: The deepening low pressure

is drawing in air from all around,

causing pockets of thunderstorms

to spring up with little warning.

YOW (off screen): There's Dwayne

over there texting his mother.

He's worried.

- DWAYNE: I'm worried.

- YOW (off screen): Hurricane's coming.

Got one over.

Ah, it just cooled down 10 degrees,

you feel that?

Yeah! Almost to us now.

(ship creaking)

CAPT. KOROVIN: We depart yesterday evening

from Fernandina Beach.

We're faced with some strong winds

and waves against us.

Somewhere behind us is Humberto.

(ominous music playing)

NARRATOR: Overnight,

Humberto's slow turn northward

has become a tight arc,

missing the east coast

and heading back out to sea

on the tail of the Somers Isles.

CAPT. KOROVIN: We are somewhere here.

So the storm it will chase us.

We expect to arrive in Bermuda Tuesday.

Wednesday we have to depart from Bermuda.

We will meet this bad weather

with this storm.

NARRATOR: All Captain Vlad can do

is try to maintain his distance

ahead of the storm.

(ominous music playing)

But, as it turns to sea, it intensifies.

Winds have reached 75 miles per hour.

Humberto is now a category 1 hurricane.

(ominous music playing)

LT. COL. CROSS: Okay,

so where are we at here? What do we have?

MAN: Chappie's gonna come off today.

Dena Williams has called in

and said she can fly it.

- LT. COL. CROSS: Okay, perfect. All right.

- MAN: Yep.

NARRATOR: In Mississippi,

the Hurricane Hunters

are on round-the-clock deployments.

LT. COL. CROSS: We have to be able

to sustain flight operations 24/7

until the National Hurricane Center says

you guys are done. You can go home.

MAN (over radio):

All right, 32, clear back.

You're still clear back.

Going for brakes.

LT. COL. CROSS: After four or five

weeks straight, you get kind of worn out.

But we're increasing

the forecast accuracy by 25%

where a hurricane may make landfall.

Bottom line, it does save lives.

MAN (over radio): Teal 71,

start when you're ready.

LT. COL. CROSS: That's our job.

That's what we do.

MAN (over radio): nine-seven.

ROB: And strengthening actually,

the latest track from the Hurricane Center

has winds at 85 miles per hour,

moving northeast at five,

expecting it to become a category 2 storm

later today or tomorrow

and very close to being a category 3 storm

by the time we get to Wednesday

as it heads closer to Bermuda,

then a big turn up to the north.

(intense music playing)

NARRATOR: Bermuda is a group of islands

in the middle of the Atlantic,

650 miles from the US.

And they're now

directly in the firing line.

Bermuda's 72,000 residents

rely on supplies arriving by sea.

If Hurricane Humberto strikes here,

they could become completely cut off.

ERIC: We supply the island with food,

cars you drive, the buses you ride on.

Everything, basically.

NARRATOR:

Container ships and the cargo dock

are a lifeline for the islanders.

ERIC: If ships didn't come for two weeks,

the island will starve.

That's the bottom line.

NARRATOR: The cargo ship Oleander

is carrying one of our cameras.

It runs containers carrying anything

from fruit and water

to cars and coaches

from Newark, New Jersey, to Bermuda.

No ships can stay here

through a hurricane.

A loose vessel could wreck the port

and cut Bermuda's vital supply line.

CAPTAIN JACEK:

I can show you our weather forecast.

NARRATOR: Captain Jacek's only option

is to steer the Oleander

across the path of Humberto.

But if the storm intensifies, he could

find himself too close for comfort.

CAPT. JACEK: Humberto

is approaching Bermuda.

Here we have the Bermuda,

our present position.

Here is the vessel track

and our destination, New Jersey.

So, you can clearly see,

we will expect some strong winds.

NARRATOR: Loading of the Oleander

is complete and the ship can depart.

(horn blaring)

NARRATOR: As the Oleander

exits Hamilton Port,

the Somers Isles is just arriving.

(intense music playing)

CAPT. KOROVIN: Captain speaking.

We are approaching Hamilton, Bermuda.

NARRATOR: The Somers Isles

will be the last ship allowed

to enter the port before they start

their shutdown procedures.

ERIC: All these trucks and stuff

you see right here will be packed away.

All the equipment that could fly

has to be packed away or tied down.

We don't have to worry about this crane

moving anywhere of course,

'cause it's heavy.

NARRATOR: The pressure is now on the crew

of the Somers Isles and the dock workers

to get the ship turned around.

ERIC: These containers here

are the Somers Isles' containers.

So we have to load all these back

before the ship actually sails.

Uh, because we don't want these containers

on the dock.

Cause a major problem, they're up high

and the less containers we have

the better off we are.

NARRATOR: On the bridge

of the Somers Isles,

it's now Captain Vlad's turn

to plan his escape route

out of the path of Humberto.

CAPT. KOROVIN: This is our normal route,

from Bermuda to Florida, Fernandina Beach.

Because of the hurricane,

this Humberto coming in this direction.

(alarm ringing)

Alarm.

This is alarm sounding.

It's updated information about Humberto.

CAPT. KOROVIN (off screen):

Max wind 95 knots

with the gusts 115 knots.

It means if we sail tomorrow morning,

it's too late for us already

and we cannot escape.

So, for us, the best possibility

is to sail today.

(intense music playing)

(intense music playing)

DA COSTA: Okay.

DA COSTA:

Hooked up another tuna.

NARRATOR: Roger Da Costa,

a solo operating tuna fisherman

DA COSTA: Seems to want

to take a lot of line.

NARRATOR: is 20 miles

off the coast of Bermuda.

He is one of hundreds of fishermen

carrying our cameras.

DA COSTA: Not bad.

NARRATOR: Throughout hurricane season,

more than a thousand men and women

working in marine environments

were filming for National Geographic

in the world's stormiest seas

to document tropical cyclones

more closely than ever before.

As Hurricane Humberto bears down

on the islands of Bermuda,

Roger is watching the skies,

judging the right moment to head for home.

DA COSTA (off screen): It's pretty choppy.

I'm approaching the island again.

The weather is turning pretty bad.

I can see it on the phone.

You can see it moving right in on us,

and it's not looking good.

NARRATOR: Roger ties his boat up

in a narrow inlet

to the west of the main island.

When a hurricane threatens,

the boats in this bay

will double up their mooring ropes,

giving them greater stability

in the storm.

The fishermen on Bermuda are cautious.

They've been hit before.

DA COSTA: One I was really scared in,

Fabian,

I think it gusted to 165 miles an hour.

NARRATOR: Category 3 hurricane Fabian

struck the islands in September 2003,

doing 300 million dollars worth of damage.

DA COSTA: Fabian was serious,

very serious.

I had never heard the wind scream,

make a noise like that ever.

The damage was unbelievable.

What I fear is the hurricanes

may get stronger,

and we may face something

even stronger than Fabian,

and that's gonna be catastrophic, I think.

(intense music playing)

JAMES DODGSON: So I'm James Dodgson.

I'm the director

of Bermuda Weather Service.

We've just had a call with

the National Hurricane Center in Miami

discussing Hurricane Humberto,

which you can see

on the imagery behind me.

Quite a significant system.

NARRATOR: Bermuda Weather Service

is tasked with providing

the islanders and the government

with all available information

on approaching hurricanes.

DODGSON: I'm heading to an update briefing

to the Emergency Measures Organization.

Humberto now a major cat 3.

That's 100 knots,

so that's 115 miles an hour sustained.

The wind's just beginning to pick up.

You can actually see

a few little white caps

on the sea there, to the left.

CAPT. KOROVIN: So, cargo operations

are completed.

We are ready for departure.

NARRATOR: At the port, the Somers Isles

has finished loading.

Instead of heading east

directly to the US,

they will now sail due south,

hoping to put as much distance

between them and Humberto as possible.

CAPT. KOROVIN: The most important thing

is safety of navigation,

safety of the cargo,

and safety of the people on board.

(tense music playing)

NARRATOR: The dock workers

can now complete the process

of securing the port.

ERIC: Done our prep.

We're ready for the hurricane.

We don't know what's gonna happen,

to tell you the truth.

This is all a waiting game.

You know what I mean?

And then when we come back the next day,

we just clean up the mess.

DODGSON: A little bit of a walk.

(chuckles) It's this way.

NARRATOR: In downtown Hamilton,

Weather Service Director, James,

is due to brief Wayne Caines,

Bermuda's Minister for National Security.

MINISTER WAYNE CAINES:

Good morning, everyone.

I believe we have more activity,

so we're not going to wait.

Our weather guru is here.

DODGSON: Thank you, Minister.

So, tropical storm force winds,

34 knots or more,

arrived early this afternoon.

Best estimate is west end

of the islands around 1:00 this afternoon,

continuing for a 12-hour period.

MINISTER CAINES (off screen):

So, let's start with the beaches.

Will the beaches remain closed

as of 2:00 p.m. today,

- based on the information we heard, sir?

- MAN: Yes.

MINISTER CAINES:

Okay, we'll go now to buses.

We, in Bermuda, have been through

these storms before.

We never know the trajectory,

we never know the speed.

There's nothing that you can do

to prevent it,

so all we can do is be prepared.

So, this country is powering down by 7:00.

NARRATOR: Plans for shutting down

the islands are set.

MINISTER CAINES:

You prepare for the worst,

but pray for the best.

NARRATOR: Hurricane Humberto is now

less than 100 miles from Bermuda.

MINISTER CAINES:

I must implore all Bermudians

to take the storm seriously.

Stay off the road

until the all clear is given.

Board up your homes, close your shutters.

It is time for us to make our way home

and start to prepare ourselves

for Hurricane Humberto.

(intense music playing)

NARRATOR: Humberto's hurricane force winds

are 120 miles across.

The Somers Isles,

carrying one of our cameras,

has headed south to avoid the storm,

but they are encountering heavy seas.

CAPT. KOROVIN:

Somers Isles' Captain speaking.

We are facing the rough seas

and high winds.

We escape from Hurricane Humberto.

CAPT. KOROVIN (off screen):

But winds still increasing,

it's really huge.

As a captain,

I have some experience already

on how to escape from the bad weather.

We left Bermuda this way,

and then we went on to

Fernandina port destination.

CAPT. KOROVIN (off screen):

We're better to escape.

Just think of yourself one step ahead

of dangerous.

(ominous music playing)

NARRATOR: The cargo ship Oleander

has taken the opposite escape route

to the north of the hurricane.

They are also feeling the effect

of its widening wind field.

CAPT. JACEK: Hurricane Humberto

is approaching Bermuda right now.

We can see Hurricane Humberto

and our position over here.

Right now,

wind is about 40, gusting to 50 knots.

NARRATOR: The Oleander

and the Somers Isles

are nearly 400 miles apart,

but neither ship

has escaped Humberto's reach.

The hurricane is getting bigger.

(rain pattering)

JOEY (off screen):

You got that thing on, do you?

DA COSTA (off screen): This is Joey.

I'm Roger.

Heading down to the boat now.

Apparently there's an issue.

JOEY (off screen): We got an issue!

DA COSTA (off screen): A boat's pulled

its moorings and is close to our boat.

(winds roaring)

NARRATOR: Hurricane Humberto

is now reaching Bermuda.

(intense music playing)

Tuna fisherman, Roger, and buddy, Joey,

filming on our cameras,

are racing to get to their moorings

before their boat suffers serious damage.

DA COSTA (off screen): Oh man.

I don't like the way that this is going.

Oh boy, this does not look good.

NARRATOR: A boat has been

ripped loose by the wind

and is caught up in the web of ropes

securing Roger's boat.

DA COSTA (off screen): Not sure what

we can do about it now.

Had the boat not got tangled,

it would have pinned against

all the other boats at the dock

and in less than 5 or 10 minutes,

you would've had some very serious damage.

DA COSTA (off screen):

Pretty serious gusting going on.

(wind roaring)

The boat's coming loose.

NARRATOR: A strong gust of wind

frees the loose vessel,

but that leaves it drifting

uncontrolled on the wind again.

DA COSTA (off screen):

This is quite serious.

We've got in touch with the owner,

a fisherman in the area.

NARRATOR: The owner of the loose boat

arrives just in time

to drive it to safety.

DA COSTA: That's it, it's free!

NARRATOR: Roger will now stay on his boat

to keep watch through the storm.

DA COSTA: I didn't expect things

to happen quite that early.

Things can get out of control

really quickly

and go from zero to 10 in a heartbeat.

In the dark, with the even heavier winds,

that could have been a disaster.

BRADSHAW: I have currently

just gone through my shift change.

The forecasters are about

to go through their shift change,

fresh and ready

for the passage of Humberto.

NARRATOR: Ashby Bradshaw,

in her third year

with the Bermuda Weather Service,

has the hurricane shift.

She will be filming for us

as the storm unfolds.

BRADSHAW (off screen): I can give you

an update right now.

Currently, our two-minute winds

is 49 knots, coming from 200.

Gusts are 71 knots. I'm going this way.

NARRATOR: The outer bands of Humberto

have arrived sooner than forecast.

Reported wind speeds around the islands

are far higher than expected.

BRADSHAW (off screen):

The current conditions

at Bermuda Weather Service TXKN.

DODGSON (off screen):

Don't go too far outside

BRADSHAW: Okay, sure.

DODGSON (off screen):

Be careful in case the dish

because the wind's gonna come round

BRADSHAW: Right, yeah.

It definitely took me a little off guard

at how quickly it came on

once I came on shift.

We were expecting the storm

to be later in the evening.

NARRATOR: Ashby has

prepared a weather balloon

to launch into the storm.

Equipped with a radio transmitter,

it could provide the best live data

to track Humberto.

BRADSHAW: Currently have 50 knot winds,

so it's debatable whether

we will launch this balloon.

The storm shutter

has been shaking quite violently.

(storm shutter rattling)

There you go.

When the wind comes around

against the storm shutters,

it can make the launch quite dangerous.

(shutter continues rattling)

NARRATOR: Powerful hurricane winds

are now raking the islands.

(intense music playing)

(woman screaming)

TIM HULSE: I'm standing outside my house

in Hurricane Humberto,

and as you can see,

it's getting real windy out there.

NARRATOR: The wind speeds

are exceeding all forecasts

for this early in the storm.

Our cameras are rolling

to capture the worst of it.

WALKER (off screen):

The gusts are getting higher.

Woo! I think it's

about 50 knots of wind here.

NARRATOR: Even in the relative shelter

of Roger's harbor,

winds are hitting dangerous levels.

DA COSTA (off screen):

A steady wind, and increasing.

Can already see coconuts on the ground.

I shouldn't be here.

I can't see.

(wind roaring)

This is getting pretty nasty.

Much worse than I thought

it was going to be.

I hate when it hits at night.

Daylight's a lot easier to deal with.

You can see a gust of 100 miles an hour

coming at you

just by the salt water

that it's picking up.

You don't see that at night at all

until it hits you.

(wind whistling)

WALKER (off screen): Okay,

it's starting to get really dark.

I think the worst is yet to come.

So lucky that we still have power.

I just really hope it doesn't come

any closer than it's meant to be

because cat 3 would not be fun.

NARRATOR: As darkness engulfs Bermuda

WALKER (off screen): All right, boys!

NARRATOR: flashes light up

the night sky.

Transformers blow

in a series of power outages,

hitting 80% of the island.

(woman screaming)

WALKER (off screen): What a firestorm!

NARRATOR: Using the backup generator,

Bermuda Weather Service

must stick to its task

of tracking the island's

biggest storm of the season.

Outside the building,

there is complete darkness.

BRADSHAW: And we're getting the first band

of the eyewall passing over us now.

You can see in the distance

that our GOES16 satellite dish

is shaking quite a bit.

DODGSON: The crescent's

The crescent's at 105.

- MAN 1: Gusts?

- DODGSON: Yep.

- MAN 1: Whoa!

- MAN 2: That's what we gather?

DODGSON: Yeah, based on what

we heard here.

NARRATOR: Reports from around the island

of gusts over 120 miles per hour

reveal Humberto's unexpected power.

A balloon launched now

could help the team understand

why the hurricane is hitting

so much harder than expected.

MAN: Here we go.

BRADSHAW: We are about to do

a balloon launch in 60 knot winds with

80 knot gusts.

MAN (off screen): Don't fight it

once it goes, let her go.

BRADSHAW: Yeah.

I was really skeptical whether it was safe

to launch the weather balloon,

and we settled that it was important

to get the most accurate data

out to the public.

MAN: You got it, you got it.

BRADSHAW: So when that balloon popped,

it was crushing for a lot of us

that we didn't get that data.

DA COSTA (off screen):

Getting reports of roof damage on houses.

It started to gust up over 100.

There's no way I can move

to check the houses.

You feel like the whole situation

is out of control.

It's getting really, really bad.

- (window rattling)

- BRADSHAW: Ooh, wow!

Our window's shaking. Oh, wow, okay.

NARRATOR: At the Weather Service,

storm shutters are now bolted closed.

The team are locked in and can't see out.

BRADSHAW: Tensions are very high.

The ceiling is actually shaking.

MAN 1: I'm just not sure about this.

Like this is actually shifting.

BRADSHAW (off screen): Mm-hm,

I'm not going any closer.

NARRATOR: They have to rely on instruments

to tell them what's happening.

BRADSHAW: 78 knots,

77 knots instantaneous.

MAN 2:96 peak!

NARRATOR: Outside, winds

are hitting 115 miles per hour,

and it's getting worse.

MAN 2 (off screen): Look at that, wow!

MAN 2: Pressure just dropped 4 millibars.

- MAN 1 (off screen): Oh, my God.

- BRADSHAW (off screen): Tornado?

(ominous music playing)

(winds roaring)

(thunder crackling)

NARRATOR: All across Bermuda,

Hurricane Humberto is causing havoc

as cables are downed

and boats are ripped from their moorings.

- (electricity zapping)

- WALKER (off screen): Oh, my gosh.

Oh, no, no. Please stop!

This is right in front of our house.

Our neighbor's cable is flickering.

(electricity zapping)

- Oh, there.

- WOMAN (off screen): Oh, my God.

NARRATOR: At the port,

one of the two-ton containers

has been lifted off the dock side

and is seen drifting across the harbor.

(ominous music playing)

BRADSHAW (off screen): Tornado?

(indistinct chatter)

NARRATOR: Intense winds

in the eye-wall of the hurricane

are creating localized tornadoes.

BRADSHAW (off screen): We are currently

getting 100 knot gusts

here at the Bermuda Weather Service.

Our Doppler radar has gone down.

The forecasters are looking for evidence

of possible tornado passage just now.

(indistinct chatter)

- MAN 1 (off screen): 96 knots, wow!

- BRADSHAW (off screen): Oh, my goodness.

MAN 2: It's something to drop the pressure

that much that quick.

BRADSHAW (off screen): So, we were

just, like, in a tornado just now?

- MAN 2: Vortex.

- MAN 3: Holy

BRADSHAW: Tension was very high.

I work with

some very seasoned forecasters.

For me to see them as worried

and frightened as they were,

that was worrying me.

WOMAN (off screen):

Maybe that's the worst.

(winds gusting)

DA COSTA (off screen): Getting ready

to try and leave. Check the houses.

There's no electricity.

NARRATOR: Hearing reports

of major building damage,

Roger has decided to leave the boats

to go check on his home.

DA COSTA (off screen):

Trees are down

Will we be able to get the car out?

You're very worried.

Oh, we have an issue.

Kind of inch your way through.

Just clearing the road.

Anticipating that something's gone wrong.

Gas cylinders for the stove

have been blown down.

The roof's okay.

Yeah. I can't see any damage.

It's okay from here.

Once you know there's no damage,

it's a relief like you can't believe.

NARRATOR: The hurricane force winds

are finally starting to die down.

Roger's home has escaped serious damage,

but the Bermuda Weather Service

has been hit hard.

BRADSHAW: I opened the door

and I was like - where did the deck go?

The deck is gone.

That GOES satellite

which I showed you earlier

is on the ground,

which would explain why

our satellite feed is out.

And oh my gosh, that's

why our AC is not working.

(tense music playing)

NARRATOR: Shortly before midnight,

Hurricane Humberto

moves away into the Atlantic.

It's eight-hour offensive on Bermuda

is ending.

As the sun rises, across the island,

residents can begin to assess the damage.

WALKER (off screen):

Good morning from Bermuda.

Just stepping out.

WALKER:

We've just lost a bit of ceiling

on the porch roof.

But the roof seems to be okay.

Oh, I see my neighbor's wall is down.

NARRATOR: At the docks,

the team is on clear up already,

eager to reopen to shipping

as soon as possible.

The container that was lifted clean off

the dock during the night

has drifted to the far end of the harbor.

ERIC: It blew right off this point

right here,

in the water, and went straight down.

And remember, this is blowing in the wind,

so it was moving pretty fast.

NARRATOR: In daylight,

the damage at the Bermuda Weather Service

is easier to see.

BRADSHAW: We currently

just have a big door

into a really nice view

of St. George's Harbour.

NARRATOR: Roger and his boat

survived another Bermuda hurricane.

DA COSTA: It was more than I bargained for

last night.

We did all the preparations for a big one,

but I really didn't think

it was going to be that big.

It got pretty scary

for a couple of hours, you know?

(somber music playing)

MINISTER CAINES:

The worst of it is behind us.

We have made it through

Hurricane Humberto.

The country is getting back on its feet,

and the good news

is there was no loss of life.

From one of my favorite poems, Invictus,

"Our head is bloodied,

but it is unbowed."

Thank you, Bermuda.

NARRATOR: Humberto produced

hurricane force winds and gales

for two more days

before it dissipated

600 miles south of Newfoundland.