HIRT safe- but never doing THAT again....EVER

[donsutherland1]

Mark,

It's great that you made it through Charley safely. Hopefully, those who have a chance to read your account will better understand how serious hurricanes truly are and will, if the occasion ever arises, take the steps necessary to protect themselves. Perhaps this will save lives in the long-run if more people take these storms seriously.

[simplykristi]

Mark,
Was that you who talked to CNN on the phone tonight?????

Kristi

[MGC]

Mark, here is a suggestion as crazy as it might sound. You will have to deploy an array of sensors in the path of the next major. Make your array several miles across placing the sensors at determined intervals. Have either a radio link to the Tahoe so you can get data in real time. In order to place the sensors in the eyewall path, I suggest mounting a radar on your Tahoe like the type used on small fishing boat, one with a range of 30 miles or so......MGC

[slosh]

I heard the CNN call as well, just curious - Was that you?

[flashflood1998]

mark, i visited your website and viewed your first set of video clips. i am stunned.

[hurricanetrack]

Ok- let's start with all of the blessings from everyone. I appreciate that so much. There is no question that I am lucky- as well as my team members John, Eddie and Jesse. This experience will help to launch a project next month (maybe sooner) that will effectively end this insanity of getting in to the core of a major hurricane. More on that later.... but thank you all for your support.

As far as the overpass issue- it was likely a bad idea. I will talk to the folks at the Hurricane Research Division to find out more about how hurricane winds work with an overpass. Perhaps my video and wind data will help in that arena. We took a 127mph wind before we went under the overpass. The turbulence was quite amazing. I need to learn more about this to make sure that it is indeed not a good refuge of absolute last resort to those who are caught out in the open.

As for the other truck- the Ford- I do not know who that was. There were several other vehicles under there with us with people who were scared so bad they were shaking and hollering with wild adrenaline rush type fear. They all made it ok as far as I know.

Yes- it was me on CNN recently. I work with them a lot to report on hurricanes. I used to work with Jeff Flock- veteran of many hurricanes- but he has retired. I do not charge a dime to work with TV people and do not sell video to TV either. Lowe's and Sprint support me and so I can remain available to any media at no cost to them. What a great concept.

I will be selling a special hurricane Charley poster on my site starting Monday to raise disaster relief money. It will be an awesome poster of the monster at landfall. I will donate all proceeds to the ARC fund for disaster relief. It only costs me about $5.00 to print and ship a poster- and I'll sell them for $15.00 each- like all of my other posters. For 30 days, I'll donate the proceeds beyond the printing and shipping costs. I think I can raise $10,000 for the people of Florida. Check it out on Monday at hurricanetrack.com!

I plan to write a book about this experience. It was that life-changing for me that it needs to go in print for people to read. There are so many stories about our mission to Charley that it would simply amaze you. To write it all down in detail, and use Jesse's photos that he took along the way, would make for an interesting non-fiction account of our Friday the 13th experience. You would never guess what the title of the book will be. It's not related to the date- but it's an awesome title. I'll let you know once I get it copyrighted! Then, I need to get started.

[KatDaddy]

Mark I am glad you are safe and sound. I was with you also yesterday and knew you were in for a very serious ride. Just amazing clips under the overpass.

[ColdFront77]

Mark, like others have said... thank you for letting us know of your experience in Hurricane Charley... and I'm glad you made it out alright.

It was nice to hear you on VNN {The Villages News Network}. It was one of their rare live broadcasts (they repeated it again at least the following hour or two).

[TampaFl]

Mark, thanks to you and your team that all of you did with your coverage of Hurricane Charley. Your accounts will hopefully help others to understand the fury that mother nature can unlease in such a short period of time. It is very unfortunate that lives were lost with this hurricane given the ample warnings and with all the evacuation orders that were given. There may be a siver lineing in all this. All those people in the Tampa Bay area and else where along the Florida West Coast that chose not to evacuate when it was mandatory, may think twice the next time when those orders are given and go ahead and leave to get out of harms way. After seeing and hearing what happened to those who lost there lives and property in Central and Southwest Florida, many, many lessons will hopefully have been be learned.

Mark, thanks again for a job well done to you and your team and for all the information and observations that you bring to this board and to the TPC/NHC to help better understand the awesome power that mother nature throws at us from time to time. I look foreward to the poster and to your book. Take care, stay safe, and most of all Thank You.

Robert Brophy

[azskyman]

Mark, your story is vivid enough for me to feel your fear and anxiety in every word. You went from an adrenalin rush to fear for your life in a matter of seconds..and at that point there is no turning back.

I have two weather friends who have spent their lives hoping to videotape hurricanes from within their core. Both have had experiences such as yours. The risk is not worth the end results, and we are thankful that all of you are safe.

My wife, who survived being lifted (in a vehicle) in the throat of an F4 tornado vortex to this day will grab the door handles and tense up immediately if we so much as drive through a tiny and harmless dust devil here in the desert. She has never ever forgotten the horror of those moments.

Neither will you.

Glad you have come to realize that life is more precious than data.

[paulvogel]

In a house on Marion ave 3 miles from that overpass. She experienced everything you did, in a house that basically was torn apart. She is happy to be alive

When I was a brat, 44 years ago, i simulated a hurricane and its affct on people, by findind a huge mass of ants feasting on a melting candy bar, taking a pencil eraser, and dragging it thru the ants. In the zone of contact, the ants were stunned, trying to figure out the forces of nature.

5 minutes later there was no trace of what i had done. the ants had forgooton the event.


Are we no different???

[vbhoutex]

In a house on Marion ave 3 miles from that overpass. She experienced everything you did, in a house that basically was torn apart. She is happy to be alive

When I was a brat, 44 years ago, i simulated a hurricane and its affct on people, by findind a huge mass of ants feasting on a melting candy bar, taking a pencil eraser, and dragging it thru the ants. In the zone of contact, the ants were stunned, trying to figure out the forces of nature.

5 minutes later there was no trace of what i had done. the ants had forgooton the event.


Are we no different???

I wish I could say we are different and some are. But many are no different than those ants and I fear that in the future we will continue to hear of these tragedies because people do not want to believe absolute hell on earth can touch them. Obviously from Mark's account and others that we are seeing and hearing, it can. I've experienced it myself and would wish it on no one, not even my worst enemy!!! I pray that Millions have learned their lesson the easy way from Hurricane Charley, from a safe distance, as I also pray for the millions who have been directly affected by the wrath of Mother Nature, and Hurricane Charley.

[TLHR]

Glad to see the HIRT team is safe.
Your coverage of the 2004 season is the best yet.

[Bane]

Very glad to hear you're OK. Keep up the good work.

[hurricanetrack]

Just a quick note to say how awesome everyone is here. You make it all worth while!

The best is yet to come- trust me on that one! You have not seen anything yet as far as our capabilities. We are about to pull off something that has never been done before. Stay tuned and you will see it happen sooner or later.

Mark

[Aslkahuna]

About that radar on the truck-be advised that it would have to be aprroved by the FCC to be legal and they are not doing that because the research community is concerned about the potential interference with high resolution Dopplers that are deployed in storms (the DOWs often deploy to storms as do other research groups with radars).

Steve

[ssmith]

Mark good to hear you and your team are safe.
Sam

[michaelwmoss]

Praise The Lord you are safe! That brings chills down my spine!! I will take a look at your website.

[michaelwmoss]

INCREDIBLE PART ONE!! My Aunt used to live in Port Charlotte!!

I have added a link to your website from IGR's Links page:

http://indiegospelradio.org/links.htm

[Stephanie]

Thank you for sharing your experience Mark and I'm glad everyone is safe & sound!