Hurricane Ike 2008 Documentary DVD Review, Galveston, TX

Diving Into The New Hurricane Ike DVD Release -

I received a complementary copy of the latest Hurricane DVD release by good friend and fellow Hurricane Chaser and filmmaker Jim Edds. Jim just released his latest hurricane documentary covering Major Hurricane Ike to strike the Southeastern Texas coastline on September 13, 2008. Jim and I have chased several large hurricane events together in the past, including Hurricanes Charley, Katrina and many others. Unfortunately for me this season, I had travel constraints that kept me from heading out to Texas for the Hurricane Ike interception this past summer. But Jim and other fellow Storm Chasers were there to capture the raw power of Ike at landfall from start to finish, giving a sobering and jaw dropping perspective through the lens of the Hurricane Chaser. A truly great hurricane documentary filmed by three Storm Chasers at ground zero Galveston, Texas.

Ready To Watch – Bring On Hurricane Ike

The DVD came packaged shrink wrapped and in a DVD case with that trademark “Edds Look” hurricane cover art like some of Jim‘s previous releases, also on a pro DVD-5 disk. The cover art case and disk are great for those hurricane junkies out there, and looks great in my collection on the shelf. I was pumped to start watching the new video since I had yet to really see anything shot by Jim and others during the storm. This was going to be all new and fresh for me, and with it being cold outside on a early Florida cold snap, what better time for this hurricane chaser to sit back and watch some real hurricane chasing.

The Chase Begins – Are You Ready?

Jim start’s out with a excellent introduction to the lifespan of Hurricane Ike, all the way from the organizing stages to the track through the Northern Caribbean islands. Next Jim travels back to his old stopping grounds of the lower Florida Keys, as at one point, Hurricane Ike looks to affect Southern Florida and the Keys. Jim tours around the islands just before Ike’s closest passage and then during, showing scenes of some pretty impressive wind and wave action for a storm over 100 miles to the south-southwest near western Cuba. I was quite impressed with the wind field already with Ike.

Into The Main Expedition and Interception Target Area

Next Jim makes the long haul around a good chunk of the Gulf of Mexico, along the I-10 corridor tracking westward as many are leaving for the east in long lines of traffic jams. Jim Finally arrives in the target area of Galveston, TX, where Hurricane Ike was expected to make landfall. At the same time, fellow severe storm and hurricane Chasers Jeff Piotrowski and my good friend and chase partner Chris Collura were arriving on the scene as well. This is where in the film Jim takes you not only on his perspective of the storm, but also through the lens of Jeff’s and Chris’s as well, all perfectly mixed and editing carrying you through the first affects of Ike storm surge and winds before dark.

From this point on into the film (I don‘t want to give it all away), Jim and the gang bring you through the landfall of Ike during the overnight hours from several locations. Showing the calm of the eye and the impressive storm surge. They continue into first light with the first on scene aftermath images just as the surge begins to pull back out to sea, while shooting in very strong winds. Jim mixed in some outstanding Coast Guard rescue video for a bonus in the film, and before and after scenes from aerial storm surge aftermath. Chris shot unreal townhouse fires at first light, and Jeff’s aftermath surge debris is very impressive.

A Must Have For Hurricane Enthusiasts – Order Today!

Overall the Hurricane Ike documentary is one of Jim’s best release’s, and Jim, Jeff and Chris did a excellent job telling the story of a historic hurricane event to hit Texas and the United States during the busy 2008 Atlantic basin hurricane season. This DVD is defiantly worth adding to your weather or hurricane DVD home video collection, especially if you’re a tropical cyclone or hurricane enthusiast like myself.

You can visit Jim’s website ExtremeStorms.com for full DVD release and ordering information. Runtime: 61 Minutes / Price: $25.00