Hurricane Katrina on 4K video. No other footage like it in the world!
By Martin Lisius, Founder and Cinematographer at StormStock
For me, there has never been a storm like Hurricane Katrina. It was by far the most difficult hurricane I have ever filmed. It became the "Queen of Surge," breaking all records in that category with heights of nearly 30 feet near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Katrina was and is still is, after nearly 20 years, one of the costliest natural disasters in US history at $125 billion.
Before departing Texas for the central Gulf Coast on August 28, 2005, it was evident to me that Katrina would be special, notable, historic. Something unique.
When I arrived at Gulfport, Mississippi the evening before landfall there, I watched a beautiful, calm sunset as I filled my tank with gas. I told the owner of the station that his business would be under at least 20 feet of water in the morning, and that he should not hesitate to move inland. He calmly said he knew, but wanted to help citizens a few more hours before departing.
Early the next morning, producer Brandon Jennings and I returned to the area to document the landfall. Winds grew steadily as the eastern eyewall moved over us. This is the most intense portion of the storm in terms of wind and storm surge. Soon, we came upon an area where water was rising quickly, well inland from the coast. Cars, houses, banks, gas stations, and fast-food restaurants all slowly disappeared beneath the huge waves. Three firefighters pulled up with a high-water rescue boat and launched themselves into a maelstrom of moving water. I was stunned to see that. They zigzagged through a parking lot peering down into flooded vehicles, looking for victims, hanging on tight while winds gusted to 90 mph. For an hour, it sounded like we were next to a jet airliner revving its engines.
I shot the scene as fast as I could from behind my SUV which I had pointed into the wind to minimize damage to it. We could only access the front interior of the vehicle by climbing through the cargo area in the back. The side doors could not be opened because of the wind.
The chaos finally subsided and we were able to drive again. We saw dozens of refrigerators scattered over Interstate Highway 10, and a shrimp boat still smashing against a bridge causing chunks of concrete to tumble across the road ahead of us. This was the "calm" after the storm.
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There's an old saying about hurricanes. You hide from wind, and you run from water. That is so true and applies more to Katrina than any other storm I've filmed.
And that gas station in Gulfport? Gone. There was nothing but a concrete foundation remaining.
As far as footage goes, we were able to capture most of what we saw. That was back in 2005 when standard-definition video was still the norm. But I shot Katrina with a newly acquired HD camera, and on Super 35mm with an Arriflex 35-3. In recent years, I have transferred the film to 4K video. The result is a collection of some of the most dramatic storm footage ever recorded, now on 4K video.
ABOUT:
Martin Lisius is an award-winning director and cinematographer. He is the founder at Prairie Pictures' StormStock, a premium collection of weather and climate footage he licenses for use in high-end TV, film and commercial productions. Preview clips and licensing information can be accessed at https://www.StormStock.com