Warren Faidley has spent nearly four decades documenting tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, and flash floods. In this episode of Hurricane Center Live, he looks back at the Saragosa tornado, his first hurricane chase during Gilbert, and the extraordinary experience of photographing Hurricane Andrew with almost no one else around.

Faidley also explains why storm surge is far more complicated than water rising at the beach. Roads and escape routes can flood first, and a small wind shift can change conditions within minutes. He discusses the planning, technology, and restraint required to work safely—and why the demand for extreme live footage is changing storm chasing for the worse.

Hosts Tim, Bill Read, and Hal Needham also examine current tropical conditions and the flash-flood threat created when tropical moisture reaches the desert Southwest.

Key takeaways

  • The danger of surge often begins behind you, where evacuation routes flood before the shoreline does.
  • Modern technology improves positioning and communication, but it does not replace local knowledge or judgment.
  • Faidley studies post-storm aerial imagery, infrastructure, high ground, and escape routes before choosing a location.
  • Starlink supports both field communication and his post-storm work as an EMT.
  • Social platforms reward increasingly extreme footage, creating pressure to take risks that do not improve the journalism.

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