Shocking video from Typh. Utor eyewall on street traffic

[jinftl]

Debris flies as Typhoon Utor hits Zhapo, China on 14th August 2013. At around 0:35 seconds, this video goes from some great wind blown debris to a disturbing view of what was happening on the street below at the same time. Traffic, bikers, people walking. Beyond dangerous.


Maybe someone can estimate the winds in the video - i am sure there are at least hurricane force gusts at a minimum, more likely Cat 1 sustained during the footage shot with higher gusts


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RTJeHwsVDiw#at=62

['CaneFreak]

Those people are crazy walking around with sheet metal flying all over the place. WOW. Don't they know that sheet metal flying at 80-90 mph can cut a person in half?

[jinftl]

Only quasi-logical explanation for the traffic and pedestrians on the street I can come up with is that they went out in the calm of the eye and didn't know/expect the conditions to deteriorate this badly as the eye passed? Other than that, this should be a video shown as 'what not to do' during a storm if remaining alive is the goal.

Those people are crazy walking around with sheet metal flying all over the place. WOW. Don't they know that sheet metal flying at 80-90 mph can cut a person in half?

[ozonepete]

Wow, amazing footage, Jim. Thanks. Those people are just crazy.

[SFLcane]

Wow these people are really crazy.

Posted this video recently on my twitter page..Cyclone Evans Fiji

Insane winds!!

http://youtu.be/PZBdcYW-HJ4



*edited by sg to add the IMG tags

[southerngale]

Wow... they're nuts! I wonder how many others didn't fare so well on the streets. Geesh.

[Tireman4]

My goodness gracious. I do not what to say. Maybe they took the warnings lightly....

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Damn, sheets of metal & shards of glass were flying threw the air and those people were out for a stroll. Talk about moronic behavior, it doesn't get much worse then that folks.

[CrazyC83]

As a general rule, when sustained winds reach 40 to 50 mph (at the most), it is too dangerous to be outdoors and people need to be locked down and secure! It looks like almost a normal day at street level in sustained hurricane force winds? I guess they didn't get any message of warning there (or don't listen!). It looks like Cat 1 sustained in that video with gusts of over 100 mph...

[jinftl]

From what I've read, Utor made landfall just west of Zhapo with 90 mph winds - a Cat 1.

Next time a storm is threatening and folks say, 'it's just a Cat 1', this is a good video to watch of what Cat 1 sustained winds are like and why you should take a non-major as a serious threat. It's not the wind that does damage, it's the pieces of sheet metal, glass, etc flying through the area like missles that does.

As a general rule, when sustained winds reach 40 to 50 mph (at the most), it is too dangerous to be outdoors and people need to be locked down and secure! It looks like almost a normal day at street level in sustained hurricane force winds? I guess they didn't get any message of warning there (or don't listen!). It looks like Cat 1 sustained in that video with gusts of over 100 mph...

[CrazyC83]

From what I've read, Utor made landfall just west of Zhapo with 90 mph winds - a Cat 1.

Next time a storm is threatening and folks say, 'it's just a Cat 1', this is a good video to watch of what Cat 1 sustained winds are like and why you should take a non-major as a serious threat. It's not the wind that does damage, it's the pieces of sheet metal, glass, etc flying through the area like missles that does.

As a general rule, when sustained winds reach 40 to 50 mph (at the most), it is too dangerous to be outdoors and people need to be locked down and secure! It looks like almost a normal day at street level in sustained hurricane force winds? I guess they didn't get any message of warning there (or don't listen!). It looks like Cat 1 sustained in that video with gusts of over 100 mph...

Indeed, I would say sustained winds in that were about 75-80 mph. That's LOW-END Category 1 - yet still VERY dangerous being outdoors in!

In urban areas, it is especially dangerous with more debris flying around.

[Typhoon Hunter]

Hey guys.

I shot the video and indeed it was shocking to witness. Plenty of audio I've had to edit out of us swearing out loud in exasperation and frustration at what we were seeing people do. If you look closely around the 0:13 mark you can see that big sheet of metal slice off a small tree branch. An even more crazy fact I discover after the storm was those red and orange cars driving around were not taxis like I first thought but people having driving lessons!!!

We had about 1.5 hours of dead calm as the eye passed right over and we saw plenty of people coming out onto the beach and streets to look around. The first eyewall was much weaker than the back end so can only assume people thought the storm was pretty weak and more or less over - well they were in for a rude awakening!

[hurricanetrack]

This was a very similar situation to Katrina in Florida. People were out and about, driving around, walking in the streets, hanging out between buildings, just having a grand time as Katrina, strengthening no less, came ashore in S FL for its first landfall.

I remember talking to Mike Theiss about this as he too witnessed it and even filmed some of the people doing some rather foolish things. People think it takes a cat-3 or 4 to really cause mayhem and thus keep them from being out in it. WRONG! As was stated above, tropical storm force winds are plenty to bring the human landscape crashing down.

Great video James! Always enjoy watching your smooth, well shot footage.

[jinftl]

Amazing video you shot

I've seen videos of people doing stupid things during storms - kite-sailing on the beach, throwing their arms out as the wind pushes their bodies forward, even people in bars toasting the storm. But in all of these scenes, the people are out in the storm to experience the storm. Reckless and dangerous for sure.

The scene you captured shows people going about their daily routine as if nothing was happening. Not sure if you got that sense but that's what is so disturbing about the video. Were people in the area warned of the storm in advance by officials?

Hey guys.

I shot the video and indeed it was shocking to witness. Plenty of audio I've had to edit out of us swearing out loud in exasperation and frustration at what we were seeing people do. If you look closely around the 0:13 mark you can see that big sheet of metal slice off a small tree branch. An even more crazy fact I discover after the storm was those red and orange cars driving around were not taxis like I first thought but people having driving lessons!!!

We had about 1.5 hours of dead calm as the eye passed right over and we saw plenty of people coming out onto the beach and streets to look around. The first eyewall was much weaker than the back end so can only assume people thought the storm was pretty weak and more or less over - well they were in for a rude awakening!

[Typhoon Hunter]

Thanks Mark, jinftl.

The comparisons with Katrina in S Fl are interesting. I'm wondering if the fact that China is a developing country has something to do with it. IE many people literally can't afford to miss a day work, miss an errand which might lose them a wage etc. It wouldn't surprise me if a day off due to a typhoon meant no pay and many people really can't afford to lose a day's pay thus take the risks we saw.

The weather warning system in China is pretty sophisticated and they have a great radar network and that area where Utor landed is typhoon capital of China. They got raked spectacularly by typhoon Hagupit in 2008 and there have been plenty of storms since then in that area.

[dexterlabio]

Utor was not at its peak strength when it hit China but still a shocking scene to perceive. Very nice footage! It guess the sustained winds were low Cat1 force but those gusts were so strong, I wonder where those people get that inner strength to keep walking...


By the way I was also hoping to see a video when Utor made landfall in Eastern Luzon at Cat4 strength, but the footage I've seen so far wasn't good. It was late at night, it's dark and they were staying inside a room just to see the hotel roof being torn off. If only that place was accessible and our friend James could've shot the scene as well.

[Typhoon Hunter]

Hi Dexter.

If that coastal area of Luzon was more easily accessible I'd have been there but the night time landfall would have rendered filming anything nigh on impossible. Filming wise Utor made landfall on China at the perfect time of day, around 1pm. Meant I could film the entire build up as well as both eyewalls in good daylight. As soon as it got dark around 6.30pm it was time to hit the hotel restaurant for a big meal and a few beers. Remarkably we didn't lose power so it was all quite luxurious really!

[euro6208]

isn't this what we see in many wpac nations where people goes out and have fun because typhoons are so common...business as usual...

[Cyclenall]

In some ways that video was comical. My dad would say what are those people doing out there in that! He said that about Wpac footage previously. Some good footage in a relatively footage-light year for tropical cyclones.

Wow these people are really crazy.

Posted this video recently on my twitter page..Cyclone Evans Fiji

Insane winds!!

http://youtu.be/PZBdcYW-HJ4

Probably some of the best tropical cyclone footage this year. Reminds me of a Lake Effect Snow burst with high gusts.