Storm Experts Capture the Fury of Katrina on Film
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CONTACT: Erin Brown
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September 2005, Arlington, Texas – A group of veteran storm photographers battled fierce winds, catastrophic flooding and other obstacles to capture the fury of Hurricane Katrina on film as the historic storm made landfall on the US coast last month. The team shoots for StormStock, the world’s largest storm footage library. The library is owned and operated by Texas-based Prairie Pictures, Inc. and is considered by film and television professionals to be the best source for weather footage anywhere. StormStock founder and Prairie Pictures president Martin Lisius acknowledges the uniqueness of Katrina. “It was plain to me the day before Katrina made landfall in the Gulf that it had potential to become the costliest storm in US history,” Lisius said. “It’s obvious now that it will easily capture that title.”

Lisius and his team positioned themselves at locations along the coast, including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Dramatic images were captured on 35mm motion picture film and digital video formats. Highlights include a high water rescue attempt in 100 mph winds, storm surge sweeping off the Gulf, and structures failing in the powerful winds. “The visuals of a hurricane are exceptional,” said Lisius. “All around, things are blowing horizontally in one direction, sometimes for hours. The sound that a hurricane makes is especially eerie. A constant roar that rises and falls can be heard, punctuated with both near and distant sounds of things cracking, breaking and dragging across the ground. Everything is just falling apart,” he says.

Despite the team’s success, Katrina brings a darkness not seen before. “Katrina was an amazing storm from a scientific point of view,” Lisius said. “Unfortunately, there is an exceptional level of human suffering associated with Katrina unlike any other US storm since the Galveston, Texas hurricane of 1900. I thought that event would not be duplicated again considering our modern ability to forecast, track and effectively evacuate for dangerous storms like Katrina. We did well on forecasting and tracking, but failed to effectively evacuate,” he said.

The StormStock team of photographers track and capture dramatic weather imagery for licensed use in film and television productions. Sample clips can be viewed on-line at www.stormstock.com.