COVERING A HURRICANE

BRING CASH. (This may mean editors need to give cash advances to freelancers.) Credit card machines and ATMs don’t work when power is down and cell lines are down. Also, hide that cash, don’t go flashing it around and become a victim.

BRING LOTS OF WATER. You may be the first person to come into an area that is out of supplies, and this is a situation where you might become a first responder. Yes you are a journalist, but this could be a life and death situation.

If this is a big hurricane, you will need access to starlink/ BGAN (sat phone) to get photos and communication out of an obliterated area.

Be very careful about moving through flood water. Try to avoid it when you can for multiple reasons: there are many many toxins as well as for downed lines in water which can electrify the water. It's possible you won't see a downed line.

Bring your own gas from outside the impacted area. Without gasoline, you won’t be able to do your job, and could spend a full day trying to get some, and you will also become part of the problem.   There will be a shortage if you are dealing with a serious hurricane. And you'll want to pack it ON TOP of your car or in a truck bed. DO NOT TRAVEL WITH IT IN YOUR CAR. DO NOT SLEEP IN A CAR WITH GAS CANS IN IT. You will give yourself brain damage or it could kill you.

If you are staying in a place that is using a generator BE SURE IT IS KEPT OUTSIDE OF YOUR BUILDING. Bring a carbon monoxide detector if you may be in an area without power for weeks and are depending on generators. Carbon monoxide poisoning is very common after a hurricane. Along with a number of my colleagues, several days after Katrina from this, because some idiot moved a generator inside an adjoining garage during the night. We could have been killed. You cannot smell it. Make sure where you are staying is properly ventilated.

If you are actually shooting during a storm and are dealing with trop storm or hurricane winds and you don't have aqua tech housing or some other such protection for your camera, one way to not kill your gear:

Take a big hefty black garbage bag. Cut a small hole in a bottom corner. stretch that hole over your lens so that the bag is taut to your filter and tape the bag with electrical tape to the rim of your filter. It's important you use electrical tape. Other tapes don't work as well. Shoot from under the bag. Disclaimer: you will look like a walking monster horror show, but it's a proven sure fire way to not kill your gear. Make this for each lens you plan to use.

On top of the many natural hazards, you need to also consider violent crime. Frequently, people get mugged by gun point in the days leading up to a storm esp in New Orleans, and also there are upticks in home invasions. Criminals know the police are busy and people in general are distracted or have already fled the city. Pepper spray or some other such weapon are not a bad idea. Be careful with your gear and absolutely have it insured.

Having a press Id also helps, esp when you’re a freelancer. it’s usually too late to get one when  a storm is bearing down, but https://nppa.org/page/press-credentials

Thoughts for a hurricane kit:

  • WATER
  • gatorade
  • Lots of energy bars/cliff bars
  • MREs
  • meals that are non perishable, like tuna make a meal/peanut butter/beef jerky
  • wet wipes, both antibacterial and baby wipes
  • garbage bags (for dirty clothes but also to protect gear)
  • all kinds of medication, for upset stomach to cold meds etc.
  • 2 AquaTech camera raincoats, one wide and one telephoto
  •  gas cans: 3 jerry cans, funnel
  •  fire extinguisher
  • portable power pack / car jump start 
  • power converter
  •  inflatable PFD
  •  whistle
  •  magnet mount cell phone antenna
  • Absorbing cloth
  • several towels (fast drying towels if possible)
  • rope: 50 feet
  • rubber boots
  • waders
  •  waterproof backpack
  • hat
  • sunscreen
  • insect repellent
  • mosquito net (if you have to sleep outside)
  • misc. fuses for car
  • blanket/ pillow/sleeping bag
  • tape
  • Electrical tape
  • 2 glow sticks
  • tire plugging kit
  • 5 cans fix-a-flat
  • Extension cords, a few carabiners.
  • first aid kit/toiletries 
  • no-rinse shampoo
  •  AA batteries
  • power strip
  • water purification tablets 
  • paper towels
  • TP
  • hat
  • sleeping bag
  • raincoat/rain pants
  • keen types of shoes
  • Thick soled boots/ lots of socks
  • ziplock bags
  • Leatherman
  • Tarp to put over gas cans 
  • small camping stove with cooking gas so you can have hot water for coffee and cooking
  • N95 masks for disease/chemicals (if you are inside someone’s home as they are cleaning it can be toxic)
  • Extra supplies and water to give ppl

Work in pairs if possible

Listen to local news

4 wheel drive truck or SUV

Know ahead of time where local medical care can be found be that a hospital or temp hospital set up by an aid group

Keep a knife on your shoulder strap if you’re wearing waders to cut them off if you fall in deep water

Waders will fill up and take you straight down

Siphon kit (depending on how serious)

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Advice from Tampa Bay Times photojournalist Doug Clifford:


The moment the trek to landfall begins, it’s a race against time. The scenes are chaotic, everything is a distraction and everything is essential, so it's important to scan for the peak elements -- It's about finding the people and moments that represent the big picture. In the hours after the storm the water recedes, people are rescued, heavy equipment clears roads of sand and debris, and as each moment passes we are further from the details of what happened. This is why it can be important to be there first.


GOALS: SAFE STURDY HOTEL. ASK QUESITiONS ABOUT PREVIOUS hurricanes. Our goal is to arrive first in the zone, and file first out of the zone. Our success relies on our hurricane kits, gas cans, jump starters/tire patch kits, picking a hotel, picking a truck, parking it during a storm, keeping it safe in the aftermath, when to leave the hotel, safety with the vehicles, management of power and charging, pursuit of contacts, social media tools, mapping and the topography of the area. --  think of it as a bunch of very good small decisions leading to a successful big result.


HURRICANE KITS — Safety items, countermeasures, waterproofing, first aid kit, tape, plastic, tools, redundancies, food, and hydration. Let's talk about the kit.


GAS CANS — Use (4) Eagle Safety cans or Scepter cans, make sure you have a spout and can use it, use bungee cords to secure the cans. Have enough fuel for a full tank (4X(5 gal.)cans = 20 GAL)


JUMP STARTERS / TIRE PATCH KIT — A Jump Starter provides (3) services — air pump, USB, and auto battery jumper. Walk through a tire patch scenario, and watch a video. You will get a flat tire if you are on the front line.


RENTAL TRUCKS / MONEY — Securing your four-wheel-drive SUV, how to navigate flooded streets and obstacles like curbs, fallen trees, and debris. How do we pay, P-Cards, multiple drivers, etc.


HOTEL - Call ahead and get a room(s) early. Try to get a hotel that would be near the landfall zone but would be a safe distance inland from the storm surge (10-20 miles).

Pick a steel I-beam, solid concrete, or steel-reinforced building. Concrete block with steel-rebar reinforced columns is acceptable. Stay away from brick-, wood- or metal-framed structures. They could collapse or be compromised by wind and water. Avoid buildings more than 10 stories tall. They are likely to sustain heavy window and structural damage. Choose stout/broad structures with minimal window exposure to the rooms. Try getting on the second floor.


SAFEST ROOMS/PARKING YOUR SUV - Analyze the rotation of the storm. In most cases (on Florida's west coast), the safest rooms will be on the north and west sides of structures as the counter-clockwise rotation of the storm projects the heaviest winds into the south and east sides.


DATA TRANSMISSION — We have been upgrading our 4G LTE MiFi devices to 5G MiFi devices. Verizon MiFi plans have prohibitive data caps. Current devices are capped at 22 GB, after that the data transmission rates fall significantly and are throttled by the carrier based on traffic at the location of the connection. I believe Verizon offers a 40-gigabyte cap, and others capped at 100 GB. Pictures require around 1MB of data per picture file !! So on a typical 3-4 day dispatch, a photographer could in theory use close to 100 GB of data for transfers.


STARLINK — This is a proven option for data transfer. Test current units before dispatching to the zone.


STRATEGY:


REPORTING — Consider working in teams. This enables the writer to collaborate with the photographer to tell personal stories with each vignette becoming more significant as they are posted online as their own story, rather than emailing a feed that may or may not be used in the main bar for print, and which may not have an image which complements content. This (way) of covering a storm serves the absolute need for immediacy and drives the decision-making to spearhead the coverage for each day.


SOCIAL MEDIA — Social media has been used successfully in past seasons to make critical decisions for our locations and to deliver immediate information, which eventually became part of the whole.


EXPECTATIONS — Our goal is to arrive first in the zone, and file first out of the zone. What are the individual comfort levels of each of our staffers in covering a storm? Who would or would not be willing to work a landfall; who would or would not be willing to go into a Cat 4 (or greater) disaster zone to work for 3-5 days?


REPORTING IN LANDFALL ZONES


WATCH_THE_LANDFALL - Every storm is different. There is no blanket formula for how a storm will come in. It will wobble, stall, intensify, and some may fall apart moments before landfall. Watch as much of the landfall as you can using TV, the internet, etc. The radar loops will not lie. Make notes on where you see the squalls, bands, and ultimately the eyewall making landfall, and weigh that information against the topography and density comparisons in the zone to make an informed decision on where you are going to go.


CONTACTS - Go to the expected zone and do some pre-reporting (if time allows for it). This involves driving to the probable landfall area(s) and making contact with the EOC / police / fire-rescue personnel, and residents who are staying. They know the areas you will be covering and will give you solid leads on communities and areas which are most likely to suffer damage/flooding. Check out your access to those areas and have a plan in mind.


LEAVING YOUR HOTEL - Our goal is to arrive first in the zone, and file first out of the zone. If you are able and feel comfortable leaving your hotel / EOC as the storm passes, this is a good opportunity to get to the disaster zones before authorities shut down access. This is a personal choice. Trust your gut, not your heart. Only leave when you FEEL SAFE! I use the 50 MPH rule (1000mb or pressure is around 50mph winds).


THE TREK - At this point, you have left the hotel and you are on your way to the landfall zone, where you will face downed power lines, street lights, signs, trees, and building materials, including roofing nails, boards, and ceramic roofing tiles. This is all dangerous and can damage your vehicle, so drive slowly, take your time, and have clear goals. Let's discuss driving through storm surge and flooded streets.


LOGISTICS - Have a logistics person on tap who is plugged into the first reports to help inform our decisions (of where to go). Use cellular / text communications to respond quickly to new leads. If planned carefully you will likely be among the first reporters on the scene and you will GET THE STORY!


FILING - Budget your reporting time against your deadline and transmission limitations. Be ambitious but realistic. A good rule of thumb is the closer you are to landfall zones the less traveling you will have to do to get the story. Weigh that reality against the ability to transmit and you will have a clear picture of what you can do. But GET IN FIRST, before the zone gets shut down.


SLOW THINGS DOWN - Don't take on too much responsibility. Remember that you cannot be at all places at all times. Be careful to communicate where you are and what you have found so editors can move team members effectively. Reporting in a landfall zone demands being entirely present, so if you are overwhelmed, slow things down, breathe and you will find your path.


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CLOTHING NOTES:


RAIN SUIT — Walmart has moved from Stearns to Froggs Toggs, and I like the Pro Lite and Ultra Lite sets -- https://www.walmart.com/search?q=frogg+toggs+waterproof+breathable; frogg toggs waterproof breathable - Walmart.com


RAIN BOOTS — https://www.homedepot.com/p/Heartland-Men-s-Size-11-Brown-Barnyard-Rubber-Boot-70658-11/300663021#overlay; full waders (Gator Waders) are nice.


WORK PANTS —  Royal Robbins, they are pricey, but Ive had mine for a decade. they last forever. -- https://www.royalrobbins.com/us/en-us/men/?Product+type=Pants&utm_source=google&utm_med[…]r6swSMLT7V-fc2L_AM6DWfyFE_dAkeCaUXXmz5aOKTY9RoCo9cQAvD_BwE


WORK SHIRTS — Nike Dri Fit Miler shirts for about 6 years now, and they are AMAZING -- https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-mens-dri-fit-miler-t-shirt-20nikmmnkdfmlrtpsapt/[…]P7iUqh8-WzM3oQu58bLxtZ7nE5CRxoCf4cQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

WORK BOOTS — Timberland Pro Gridworks (Ironworker boots), if there is any one place to spend the money on yourself its your feet. Timberland stopped making the toe cap version, but here is the soft cap version -- https://www.timberland.com/shop/mens-gridworks-6-inch-waterproof-work-boot-black-a29up001

TIMBERLAND | Men's Gridworks 6" Waterproof Work Boot

Shop Timberland.com for Men's Timberland PRO® Gridworks 6-Inch Waterproof Soft-Toe Work Boots. FREE shipping with membership!

I prefer a wedge boot (highly recommend), mainly because a heel is a tripping hazard in a disaster zone.

The only cotton I use is (socks and underwear), since they are easily changed, but seriously, don’t work in cotton, and try to buy quality, and take care of your feet (COTTON KILLS).






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