The Weather Channel is featuring the Feb. 10, 2013 Hattiesburg tornado in a documentary Monday night at 8 p.m. – Courtesy Photo by Kelly Dunn
The Weather Channel will feature a special documentary Monday at 8 p.m., a documentary that focuses on the tornado that hit Hattiesburg Feb. 10, 2013.
The National Weather Service Office reported the tornado started along Highway 589 and moved through heavily populated areas of Oak Grove and west Hattiesburg. It then traveled through Petal before finally dissipating in Perry County.
The National Weather Service Office classified it as an EF-4, with winds up to 170 mph, that traveled 21 miles. No one died in the tornado but 82 people were injured.
The Weather Channel’s newest feature will be a part of their new series called “Tornado Alley.” The Hattiesburg American reported that producer of the feature Kim Kanther requested video from locals of the tornado.
“Seven seconds to seven minutes, I don’t care where you were,” Kanther said. “I don’t care what it sounds like. People can have 17 seconds of mediocre footage and a crazy story, or they can have 20 minutes of footage and not have a compelling story.”
Producer Nicole Millikan said they were looking for all kinds of video footage. Millikan said, “Surveillance, dash-cam, home footage. Then, we put this footage with the voices, and we get a good representation of the community telling their stories.”
Kanther said that the one-hour series will keep people on the edge of their seats. “It’s different and so fortunate for an EF-4 to go through a populated area and have no one die. That was actually a good story angle for us,” Kanther said.
WDAM reported that victims of the tornado as well as first responders and media will be featured. “We’re looking for extraordinary stories of survival, and then we talk about the science behind how crazy the survival was. A lot of people we interview for that show it’s a miracle they’ve survived,” Millikan said.
She said it was inspirational whether you see one survival story or a million.
“I think the story telling in this one was unique in that we were able to give great news at the end as opposed to tragic numbers that no one wants to hear,” Kanther said.
WDAM said that show producers warn about show times may be preempted in case the Weather Channel has to cover severe weather during scheduled times.
The special will also re-air Monday, May 4, at 9 p.m.
