Cameras Captured the Moment a Hurricane Destroyed a Hotel Lobby
Hurricane Odile caused immense damage in Cabo San Lucas last month when it struck with 125 MPH winds. Storm chasers riding out the storm at a hotel obtained terrifying security camera footage from the moment powerful winds in Odile's eye punched through the lobby.
Shortly after the storm, the guys who run iCyclone shared the intense scene they witnessed at their hotel in Cabo San Lucas after Hurricane Odile's eye passed directly overhead. About 14 minutes after the winds on the back side of the hurricane's eye picked up again, a wall in the lobby failed, tearing a hole in the building and spraying the interior with debris.
As iCyclone posted to their Facebook page at the time:
Midnight. CODE RED. At 11:46 pm, the backside of the eyewall hit— no buildup— just all of a sudden the howling and banging started up again. The hotel manager joked that it sounded like gunshots. Then at maybe midnight... BOOM!!!!! The entire glass wall of the lobby EXPLODED— with glass, pieces of building, everything flying to the other end of the lobby. Like an explosion in an action movie. A hotel worker and I ducked under the reception counter— I physically grabbed his head and pushed it under the counter. Glass was everywhere— my leg gashed— blood. We crawled into the office— me, the worker, and the manager— but the ceiling started to lift up. After five minutes of debate— breathing hard like three trapped animals— we made a run for it— went running like HELL across the lobby— which is now basically just OUTSIDE— and made it to the stairwell and an interior hallway. Two nice women dressed my wound. I don't know where my cameradude, Steven, is. I need to find him. People are scared.
On Thursday evening, iCyclone released the corresponding footage to their YouTube account, and it's more intense than one could imagine after reading that story. In seconds, the entire lobby is filled with shattered glass and parts of building material mixed with rain as the 100+ MPH winds tear through the wall.
Hurricane Odile was the strongest hurricane to strike the Baja Peninsula in more than 40 years, killing 15 people and causing more than $1 billion in damages.
The video is at least the fifth instance of extreme weather caught by security cameras so far this year.
[Video via iCyclone—YouTube | Facebook]
