>>> bettis and his crew were caught in in a twister and tossed 200 yards. we'll talk to mike about this in a moment. first, mike and his crew in their own words.
>> i just saw my wife's face, and i thought, you know - that's my life. i don't want to give that up just yet.
>> you could hear mike basically yelling into the radio faster, faster.
>> our lead car got pulled off the road into a ditch. we realized we weren't going to make it. i was just thinking this is it. i'm done.
>> when the first window went, you could hear the pop.
>> it blew out right next to me and showered me with glass. the last thing i remember is looking over my left shoulder and seeing the bettis mobile pass me and go airborne.
>> felt this tumble, tumble, tumble. there was a moment there where there was weightlessness. we were floating. truly felt at that moment like i was going to heaven.
>> came down hard. i had both hands on the steering wheel.
>> came to rest.
>> i could see a wrecked vehicle behind us. i couldn't see the bettis mobile.
>> they were 100 yards in a muddy feel.
>> makes you think about your mortality, gives you perspective. it's a moment i'll never forget.
>> mike bettis is with us live now. mike, good morning. how are you feeling?
>> pretty good, lester, a few cuts, a few scratches, but otherwise okay.
>> and the rest of the guys?
>> most of our guys, believe it or not, escaping without a scratch. one of our producers still in the hospital. he's got a few broken bones but he's in pretty good spirits.
>> mike, you guys have a lot of experience. you've done this before. tell me how this one got away from you, or i guess just the opposite.
>> yeah, it was a difficult circumstance that we ended up being on the north side of the storm, which is generally a portion of the storm you don't want to be on. there's a lot of rain there, a lot of hail as well. a lot of times your view of the tornado is obscured. it's a dangerous place because usually the tornado can come right at you. that circumstance, we were trying to get south of the storm. we were trying to get away from the storm, not closer to it. if you can get on the south of the storm, it's an area where there's no rain, no hail, you can get an unobscured view and it's moving away. it's usually the safest place to be. that's where we're trying to get. it's overtaken. another 30 seconds and we would have gotten past it.
>> these things usually in slow motion . we saw under the circumstances emotional, seeing the face of your life. was there a moment when you realized, we're done here. we are in this tornado.
>> i think when i saw our lead vehicle get pulled off the road and into a ditch, i think that was the moment i recessed we were just not going to get past it. as soon as i felt the vehicle tumble, i knew we were in trouble.
>> let me ask a question i think are on a lot of people's minds in a story like this, and it's why. people ask us, why do we stand in the face of hurricanes and they ask why do you chase tornadoes. is there a good answer?
>> i think storm spotters have a valuable service. they are out there giving ground to the radar and give advance warnings. things can change quickly. storm spotters can give advanced warning you wouldn't normally get. at times, i think the envelope is being pushed more and more and more people are being extreme with their chasing. i would say have situational awareness. if you know where you are, the erratic nature, always chase with a partner, think of safety first.
>> i have to ask, how will this change the way you continue to do your job?
>> i think, you know, there are moments where sometimes you get caught up in the moment and you forget exactly which road you need to take or what not. i think, if anything, there's a lesson to be learned here, lester, that safety comes first. there's always a tornado to chase. if you don't happen to see one, that's okay. there will be another one in the same circumstance.
>> we've always appreciated the work you do out there and wish you continued success and thankful you got out and survived it. mike bettis, thank you for joining us this morning.
>> thank you.
Bob Ross Hurricane Categories Hurricane Sandy new jersey atlantic city ocean city maryland Nexus 7
No comments:
Post a Comment