Hurricane Idalia made landfall earlier today as a Category 3 storm and is currently wreaking havoc on Northern Florida and Georgia.
Meteorologists were warning of storms surges as high as 10-feet tall leading up to the storm, and even with those kinds of dire predictions, some people decided to stick around in Florida and “wait out” the storm.
As we head into the heart of hurricane season, we’re sure to see storms hit the coasts of the United States, and we’ll also most certainly see meteorologists standing out in the storms they are telling people to evacuate from.
To be honest, I’ve never really understood why these weather reporters have to go out and stand in the middle of it for television. We believe you when you say that storms are coming, and we now have the technology to where you could leave a camera somewhere and capture the footage, and no one has to be accompanying it.
Regardless, weather warriors like Jim Cantore insist that they need to put on a heavy duty rain jacket and get out right in the thick of it so people can see how serious the wind, the rain, and the flooding truly is. Again, I don’t think any of us watching from home are saying:
“Wow, those are some pretty high storm surges! I just wish a professional meteorologist was standing right in the middle of it, struggling to stand up and even see because of the high wind and rain.
That would make me believe that it is happening more than just a remote camera capturing it, and then someone voicing over it.”
But anyways, because people who love weather apparently love getting out in dangerous weather events, the world has been gifted yet another viral video out of Chiefland, Florida, which is located in the North Central area of the state where Hurricane Idalia is hitting the hardest.
A reporter was out in the middle of it (drenched rain coat and all) and as he was discussing the impacts and the dangers of the storm, a massive power outage occurs in the area that he is standing in, leaving him and his crew in the dark.
Take a look:
Pretty crazy stuff right there…
Hurricanes have to be some the scariest weather events that Mother Nature can throw at us. Many bring dangerous wind and flooding into coastal areas, and certain parts of the country that have been hit by devastating hurricanes have never fully recovered.
And even with the seriousness of the storms, some people still sometimes find a way to enjoy the trying times. Some Florida men went viral earlier today when they rode a Camo rubber ducky down a flooded road right behind a news reporter, and this man below decided that it would be as good a time as any to take out his bicycle for a ride. What gear do you set it on when you need to pedal a bike through waist-deep water?
Stay safe out there everybody…
