Note to readers: The News-Press and Naples Daily News are providing special coverage this week of all things weather in Southwest Florida as a new hurricane season is about to start (June 1).
Award-winning photographer Andrew West likes making pictures. But not necessarily pictures of natural disasters.
Being a journalist in Southwest Florida requires the ability and courage to cover unpleasant moments − crime scenes, vehicular fatalities, fires and a plethora of breaking news that can be classified as disturbing.
More:2024 will be a busy hurricane season in Florida. Here's what you should start doing now
For West, near the top of that list is covering hurricanes. No one wants a catastrophic hurricane to come along, killing people and turning communities upside down. When it does happen, photo journalists like West need to be on the front lines, even being outside when the storm is at its fiercest.
West has covered numerous hurricanes throughout his career. We asked him to select some of his most memorable images and share his thoughts about how he captured the moment and its meaningfulness.
Hurricane Charley: 2004
This photo taken the day of the storm (Aug. 13, 2004) was one of the first images I captured. Afterthe hurricane passed through, we got the all-clear togoshoot from our editors. Iwas trying to get something before dark. Ican't recall the exact circ*mstances, butI ran into Cecil Cavenaugh and his grandson Jacobas they were going through the remains of the home. Theygraciously let me document them for a few moments before I had to move on because of deadlines.
I try to shoot in the most respectful way possible to find the human element to show how peopleare affected by these tragedies. Documentingis literally visual storytelling.My role is to capture the people and their emotion in the moment.To me thephoto above conveysa sensethat family is most important andthat material things can be rebuilt.
Hurricane Michael: 2018
The day after the Hurricane Michael made landfall,reporter Mike Braun and I were tasked with heading to MexicoBeachwhere the hurricane had come ashore and caused some of the worst overall damage. We drove all day because people were lined up trying to get back to their homes. Wedrove up and down the devastated streetslookingfor people. Wesaw a vehicle pull up to a destroyed home. From across the street, we saw Becky Daniel surveying her house and the neighborhood. Westayed back for a few moments to give her some time and space. Weslowly approached,andshe let us know that she did not mind us being there. Wespoke for a few moments,andthensheturned around to survey her neighborhood.I took the photo above as she looked at a neighbor's house, whichwas destroyed.
I shot this photograph from thehotel where reporter Mike Braun and I sheltered to wait out Hurricane Michael. Wewere there with several other media members covering the stormalongwitha packed hotel of guests who had evacuated their homes.The hurricaneapproached,and we found ourselves in thedirect path of the storm.As the winds intensified,and we could feel and hear the hotel start coming apart.Waterwas coming through the light fixtures in the ceiling, and families were putting mattresses up against windows. Peoplewere terrified. We went to astairwell of thehotelwhere a lot ofguests were waiting, praying, and hugging.Imade eye contact with Shekinah and slowly documented her comforting her kids as the wind and rain battered the sturdy structure. Capturing these interactions with them gave me a focus and a reprieve from my own stress. Afterthe storm, we found that our vehicle had miraculously survived with minor damage. Mikeand I surveyed the devastation at a nearby apartment complex and documented more scenes beforehaving to finda place to transmit our content The intensity of emotions felt in that stairwell created one of the most poignant memories I have from my many years covering hurricanes.
Hurricane Dorian: 2019
Seeing the destruction from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, especially from the air, floored me. Thestorm raged over this area for over 24 hours withverylittlemovement.I shotthe image above from the back of a small airplane with the seats taken out.Aphotojournalist for Getty Images and I were asked by ourrespectiveemployers if we were willing to fly.Of course, I said yes. Wewere tied to the back of the airplane so we wouldn't fall out as the pilot made bank turns.The further east we flew, the worse the damage from theCategory 5 storm became. Welanded on one of the islands to fuel up with gas cans the pilots had brought. There, we talked to people trying to evacuate from the hard-hit areas. Aswe flew over Marsh Harbour, I was shooting so furiously that I could not fully process the extent of the damage. I knew I needed to get as many good images as I could in a little bit of time. Wecould only make a few passes because the hardest-hit area was so far out. Wewere also bouncing around a lot as well. OnceI started looking through theimages back on land,I started to comprehend the degree of catastrophic damage caused by the storm.The photo above shows the devastation of the Mudd community,anarea built by Haitian immigrantsthatwas destroyed by the storm.
Several weeks after Hurricane Dorian ripped through the Bahamas, reporter Amy Williams and I went back to document the aftermath and effects of the hurricane on its residents and community. Afterdealing with a slew of access issues, wewere able to makeit out to Marsh Harbour via a plane from Nassau. Wespent a couple of days scouring the area for stories and ended up in The Mudd, one of the hardest-hit areas where many people died. Whilelooking for survivors or any signs of life, I saw this dog slowly strolling through a makeshift path.Ina surreal moment, it laydownon a mattress rightin front ofme.Istarted to wonder how we both ended up there at the same time. Idesperately wanted to understand the dog’s journey through the storm to that moment on the mattress. The dog conveyed to me that it had found what used to be his home. Working as a journalist in disaster zones can be mentally, emotionally and physically, exhausting--and, as in this case, heartbreaking.
Hurricane Ian: 2022
Hurricane Ian was thehardeststorm I have covered in mymore than25-year career. Ihad to juggle work and my personal life.Myhomewas severely damagedby the storm on Fort Myers Beachas was the case with many of our friends and neighbors.We had evacuated off the Beach to a friend's home, so,we were safe. Iwas able tocapture some images on the day of the storm,butI had to turn back as streets were flooded, trees were down, and a veritable river had formed on Summerlin Road. Thisimage of Stanwas takenthenext morning. Ihad picked up two new reporters, Dan Glaun and Samantha NeelyfromWGCU, which hadturned intoa mini newsroom and living quarters for some. Wewere tasked with going to the Sanibel Causeway because wewere hearingrumors thatit had been wiped out. Wemade it to the Port of Sanibel, but we were turned back by law enforcement. The environment was chaotic with boats and debris strewn everywhere. Iglanced behind the Tanger Outlets and noticed a flooded street with emergency officials starting search and rescue efforts. Iphotographed people walking out of the neighborhood, some were holding belongings. Stan was one such survivor. In the image above, he is juxtaposed with the damage on the flooded street. Hetold us his terrifying story of surviving the storm. While not being able to fully document the wrath of the storm, this photo conveyed a sense of what some of our residents went through.
The shrimping industry in Fort Myers Beach was severely impacted by Hurricane Ian.Italmost destroyed it.Almostall the boats were deposited on shore, even though their captains were on them through the storm desperately trying to navigate them to safety. Ispent months documenting the aftermath and the hurricane’s devasting effect on the industry. Duringone of my first visits to the docks, I met up with Leonard. Hewas hanging out in the shade of the towering hulls of the boats with several other shrimpers.Thisturned into one of my favorite photos from the hurricane. Hetold me his story of surviving the storm in a nearby trailer park. Thecrews had since made makeshift paths through the wreckage and deposited shrimp boats. Iphotographed him as hewas lookingat the hull of one of the boats. Leonard’smaroon beret andhis expression as he gazed at the boats added dimension to the moment. Thelight bouncing off theboatsin all directions helped make the scene strikingly and surprisingly beautiful given the backstory. I am simultaneously devastated for the tragedy and honored to be able to document it. As aphotojournalist, my job to capture visuals in an honest and artistic way to promote awareness, understanding, and empathy withinthe communities I serve.
