Hurricane Dorian is the single most powerful storm to hit the Bahamas since records began, according to BBC News; and yet, one pilot managed to capture a stunning photo taken from the center of the devastating hurricane.
Hurricane Dorian is the single most powerful storm to hit the Bahamas since records began, according to BBC News; and yet, one pilot managed to capture a stunning photo taken from the center of the devastating hurricane.
Despite the terrifying scale and damage presented by Dorian, one 'meteorologist and air force hurricane hunter' Garrett Black shared an awe-inspiring photo taken by him and his crew from a plane inside the eye of Dorian.
The image perfectly captures a sense of beauty and terror in perfect balance. The curvature of the clouds bending under the sun is so stunning, it almost make it impossible to image the devastation and damage being caused by the very subject.
Mr. Black's twitter describes him as a "hurricane hunter", and while that may sound like something out of a fairy tale, the actuality of what their job entails was explained by The New York Post as such:
"Hurricane Hunters" fly massive Super Hercules aircraft into storms to gather data — including temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity and surface pressure — that’s used to prepare forecasts".
A lot of people also expressed concern at how he would get out of the hurricane.
Mr. Black tweeted, "Credit to Jordan Sun and @McAlisterHunter on board with us today for their great camera work!"
Since sharing his own video, Mr. Sun's footage has been viewed over 600,000 times.
Dr. Minnis also said that even thought the death count is currently at seven, this number is likely to rise, according to the BBC:
"We can expect more deaths to be recorded. This is just preliminary information. [This is] one of the greatest national crises in our country's history."
With so much devastation, and search and rescue operations still in effect, people have turned to social media in order to try and reconnect with those who they have been separated from.
One tweet, quite simply put by Aaron Faubel, stated: "Nature is beautiful. Nature is terrifying".
The concern is not necessarily that climate change is producing more hurricanes, but that climate change is making hurricanes stronger. According to Tomasz Schafernaker, from BBC Weather, the reasons for this are considered as such:
"An increase in sea surface temperatures strengthens the wind speeds within storms and also raises the amount of precipitation a hurricane will dump. [Also,] Sea levels are expected to increase by one to four feet over the next century, bringing the potential of far worse damage from sea surges and coastal flooding during storms".
Hopefully the death toll in the Bahamas does not rise any higher, and help is provided for those who need it quickly.
h/t: Twitter