Cat 5 Hurricane Michael [Callaway, Florida]
2,089,797
Published 2018-12-08
This is not a storm chaser video; it's a resident video.
We were in the western eye for about 22 minutes.
This video is excerpted from a longer video:
• Hurricane Michael, Direct Strike [And...
which includes an additional 13½ minutes from Day Zero.
Here's my tip jar, if you're so inclined: ko-fi.com/vwedge
My house (not the location of this video) was rendered uninhabitable and has been demolished thanks to generous donations. The bill for that was more than two months' income.
October 10, 2018. Michael was just the 4th Cat 5 landfall in US history and took less than 36 hours to grow from Cat 1.
We fell asleep thinking we faced a Category 3 hurricane the next day. Although intense, we were in a sturdy structure on high ground and decided to stay. In 15 hours, it jumped two categories (35 MPH MSW) with very rapid intensification, which surprised us.
Date Time Lat Long MSW Ps Category
10/09/18 22:00 27.1° -86.5° 125 mph 947 mb 3
10/10/18 01:00 27.7° -86.6° 130 mph 945 mb 4
10/10/18 04:00 28.3° -86.5° 140 mph 943 mb 4
10/10/18 05:00 28.6° -86.4° 140 mph 937 mb 4
10/10/18 06:00 28.8° -86.3° 140 mph 937 mb 4
10/10/18 07:00 29.0° -86.3° 145 mph 933 mb 4
10/10/18 08:00 29.1° -86.2° 145 mph 933 mb 4
10/10/18 09:00 29.3° -86.1° 145 mph 931 mb 4
10/10/18 10:00 29.4° -86.0° 145 mph 928 mb 4
10/10/18 10:30 29.5° -85.9° 150 mph 923 mb 4
10/10/18 11:00 29.6° -85.8° 150 mph 923 mb 4
10/10/18 12:00 29.9° -85.7° 150 mph 919 mb 4
10/10/18 12:30 30.0° -85.5° 160 mph 919 mb 5
The storm continued to intensify right up to interaction with land, gaining 15 MPH MSW in the final several hours. In the 24 hours before landfall, it went from Cat 2 to Cat 5.
My mother was 90 years old at the time with mobility issues; she would not be able to handle an hours-long drive too well; my car had been having problems, which made me not trust its reliability at the time, financial...the reasons for staying for up to a Cat 3 were compelling.
I get annoyed with the judgemental commenters, who, without bothering to read this description, ask why we didn't evacuate. There has been a boatload of this type over the years. I often delete their comment without reply. The same goes for the often-repeated questions about uncleared objects in the yard. Repetitive, accusatory, nauseating...it's easier to remove than to endlessly repeat my answers.
We had no electricity for 14 days and no internet for 58 days. Two months later, still no cable TV or landline telephone. Millions of trees across a 3,000-square-mile swath were destroyed, and virtually all were damaged. At least eight houses in the immediate neighborhood were damaged beyond repair.
The video was recorded with a Sony HDR-CX260V and produced using Cyberlink PowerDirector 15.
I had owned that camcorder for five years as of the time of Michael. I have since upgraded to a Sony FDR-AX33, the best camcorder I've owned. And at my age, it's probably the last camcorder I'll ever buy. I don't see a need to go beyond 4K, ever. Anyway, the AX33 is an impressive camera.
As far as PowerDirector is concerned, I bought 15; I own it; it's not cloud-based or subscription-based. Actually, I paid for 16 too, but I prefer 15. I HATE subscription-based software and, so far, have sidestepped the ridiculous fold that people are accepting as the new norm. I am perfectly content to stay with software that doesn't require a subscription to keep using it. It does what I need to do, and I don't have to pay annually to keep using it. I view subscription-based software as a complete rip-off but an absolute windfall for the providers. Sorry dudes, I don't want your crappy, cloud-based subscription stuff. I paid for your product. Once is enough!
I would find it intolerable if I had to pay a fee yearly to keep using my camcorder, and I don't see the difference here.
Oh, and I sometimes go off on a rant.
All Comments (21)
-
This footage is ten times better than the actual media who cover these storms
-
The best part of this video is your cool, calm demeanor. This nation needs more like you. I wish you all the best.
-
I want a relationship as strong as that magnolia tree
-
Who else was “rooting” for the magnolia tree?
-
*want to turn off computer because of hurricane*
Windows: It is update, my dude -
This may be the best home made hurricane video, that I have seen. Not annoying. Just a good, clean video.
-
I live in Puerto Rico. Lived a similar experience with hurricane Maria. No electricity for 7 months, no water for a month and the signal will never be as good as before. Glad you’re safe and thank you for this footage, nature is wild. ❤️❤️
-
Whenever I see these videos I cant help but wonder how people experienced these hurricanes 300-400 years ago.
-
tries to turn off computer in an emergency situation
Windows: You think you can easily get away, huh? -
That noise will forever be the worse sound you can imagine. The roar for hours. Houses creaking from pressure. That was definitely a hard one to ride out. Lost everything trees half the house and even now fixing to be 3 year anniversary of this behemoth. A lot of people are still rebuilding. Or have just moved on. We are hour northeast of you. Makes your really appreciate the power Mother Nature can throw at you. But I gotta say. This dude did a great job filming and awesome composure. 10/10/18 forever ❤️❤️
-
sir, I wish you and your mother a long life. You stayed in your house till the end and captured the whole hurricane. Thank you for the video. Greetings from Azerbaijan
-
Gotta appreciate this guy’s zen. Watching his property being ripped to shreds, and having the wisdom to know there’s nothing he can do about it so he might as well just stay calm.
-
What's really amazing is that this man is so relaxed and calm in the face of utter destruction!
-
Lost my house in this. Eye went over my home (I live in Callaway, Panama City Fl) and we had to evacuate in the middle of it to my neighbors house. This was due to a major gas leak and our home began to flood from the torn up roof and a gauge that was on the roof was completely torn off. I regret not giving my parents more reason to have us evacuate because of how much traumatic stress I have from it.
It takes a big toll knowing where you grew up and are still growing up(I just got my learners permit) has been destroyed. -
I honestly appreciated this video more than any storm chaser's footage. I can better relate with somebody who had to go through this hell of a storm because he lived in its path, rather than with a chaser dude craving for a footage. The sheer size of the devastation is impressive and I hope you'll manage to return to your "normal" life as soon as possible. Here in Italy we don't have storms of this magnitude, but earthquakes are a constant concern. I have seen many friends suffering from the consequences of an earthquake and having to patch up their homes and life in the aftermath. That's really sad. I wish you good luck!
-
Today, my thoughts are for the victims of the historic tornados that happened overnight. Horrible destruction and casualties.
-
I love his calm demeanor. This is a great video.
-
I love how completely calm he is while everything he owns is getting destroyed. It just goes to show that someone understands property can be replaced, lives can’t.
-
I always find it fascinating that after all the destruction, there is such a beautiful sky. Glad you're both safe.
-
"Trying to do an emergency shut down... Windows decided to do an update." 😂
