Northwest Ohio native Brendan Kopik has been tracking storms for 13 years and said Hurricane Ian is one of the worst.
TOLEDO, Ohio — As Hurricane Ian moves across the Atlantic toward the Carolinas, people are evacuating out of the path of the incoming storm.
But some people stick with it.
Brandon Kopik is a Northwest Ohio native and professional storm chaser who started tracking storms when he was young. Of the recent hurricanes he has tracked, Ian is one of the worst.
“Honestly, it leaves me speechless,” said Kopik, who works with YouTuber Ryan Hall, said. “I’ve been doing this for over 13 years now. There are no real words to put it into perspective.”
But he said Jan reminded him of another major hurricane: Katrina.
“A surge that affects such a large population is something that doesn’t happen, and frankly, I don’t remember what happened, except for what happened during Katrina,” Kopik said.
He doesn’t just document storms. He said he and others who work with Hall’s YouTube channel help people in need.
“We have medical kits in our car,” Kopik said. “We have medical training. I’m just trained in first aid, but we work with EMS, firefighters.”
He said it’s not uncommon to find someone injured, but it’s not unheard of.
“Typically, when we see people with injuries, it’s usually not just minor injuries, they’re usually pretty significant injuries, sometimes even fatal,” he said.
Ian passed through Florida. But that doesn’t mean the damage is done.
“The threat hasn’t passed, that’s important,” Kopik said. “A lot of people think that now that Ian has been dropped off in Florida, that’s the end of the story. The story is not over. History is about to begin for those who suffer in South Carolina.”
Kopik heads to Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday.
https://www.wtol.com/article/weather/hurricane/northwest-ohio-stormchaser-follows-hurricane-ian/512-143abdbe-43ab-41fd-b3e1-aa794a107343
