>>> WHEN SUPERSTORM SANDY MADE

LANDFALL NEAR NEW JERSEY NEARLY

SIX YEARS AGO IT SHOCKED A

REGION NOT USED TO DEVASTATING

POWER OF HURRICANES.

THAT STORM KILLED DOZENS AND

BROUGHT NEW YORK CITY TO A STAND

TILL.

FLOODING COASTAL AREAS,

DESTROYING HOMES AND LEAVING

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WITHOUT

POWER FOR DAYS.

THE IMPACT OF SANDY ON OUR

REGION CAN STILL BE FELT TODAY.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE UPCOMING

15-MONTH SHUT DOWN OF THE L

TRAIN TO TUNNELS DANIELS.

SUPERSTORMTS MAY BE RARE BUT

SCIENTISTING WARNED THAT MAY NOT

BE THE CASE FOR LONG.

EVEN BIG ARE AND MORE FREQUENT

STORMS COULD BE THE NEW NORMAL.

IN JUST A ONE-MONTH PERIOD LAST

YEAR THREE MONSTER HURRICANES

HARVEY, IRMA AND MARIA TORE

THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN AND UNITED

STATES KILLING HUNDREDS AND

CAUSING MORE THAN $100 BILLION

IN DAMAGE.

RISE OF THE SUPERSTORMS, A NEW

DUPLICATORY FROM OUR FRIENDS AT

NOVA LOOKS AT THE SCIENCE BEHIND

THESE MASSIVE STORMS AND AT THE

CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH BEING DONE

TO BETTER PREDICT AND PREPARE

FOR THE NEXT BIG ONE.

HERE IS A PREVIEW.

>> HARVEY IN.

>> WINDS IN EXCESS OF

190-MILE-PER-HOUR.

>> IRMA.

>> DO NOT WIT FOR THIS SKORM

ZPLO MARIA THREE MONSTER

HURRICANES IN A SINGLE MONTH.

>> THE ISLAND RIGHT HERE WAS ON

TOP OF US.

>> IS IT A FLUKE OR THE NEW

NORMAL.

>> IT'S HAPPENING MORE OFTEN

WITH WARM O WARMER OCEANS AND

CLIMB CHANGE.

>> WE'RE PUTTING A LIFE VEST ON

SFWLU OKAY.

>> ARE WE PREPARED FOR THE RISE

OF THE STORM STORMS ON NOVA?

>> AND JOINING US NOW TO TALK

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY AS PART OF

OUR PEARL AND PROMISE INITIATIVE

OF THE HUMAN IMPACT OF CLIMATE

CHANGE, IS THE WRITER, PRODUCER

AND DIRECTOR OF NOVA RISE OF THE

IS SUPERSTORMS LEASELE CLARK.

LEASELE WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> NOW, LEASELE, IN THE

DOCUMENTARY YOU MAKE THE

COMPELLING CASE THAT LAST YEAR'S

HURRICANES WERE AN UNPRECEDENTED

VET IF YOU ADD THEM ALTOGETHER.

UNPRECEDENTED WERE THE

HURRICANES.

>> WELL IT HAD BEEN 13 YEARS

SINCE A MAJOR HURRICANE CATEGORY

4 HURRICANE HAD ACTUALLY MADE

LANDFALL IN U.S. TERRITORY.

SO FOR -- FOR THREE TO HIT BACK

TO BACK IN ONE YEAR WAS QUITE

DEVASTATING.

HURRICANES ARE KNOWN TO ACTUALLY

HIT IN SUCCESSION.

PEOPLE SAY THEY CAN COME IN

CLUSTERS ALMOST LAKE BANANAS

COME IN CLUSTERS.

THEY ARE KNOWN TO DO THAT IF THE

CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT.

AND LAST YEAR, LAST FALL

CONDITIONS WERE CERTAINLY RIGHT.

>> SOMETHING WE SEE OVER AND

OVER AGAIN AND THAT YOU FOCUSED

ON IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PATH

AND THE SEVERITY OF THE STORMS

IS SELDOM KNOWN FULLY UNTIL THE

LAST MOMENT.

IN FACT HARVEY WENT FROM FROM A

CATEGORY 1 TO 4 VERY QUICKLY

APPARENTLY TO EVERYONE'S

SURPRISE.

HOW COME THAT'S THE CASE WHEN WE

MADE SUCH STRIDES WITH

TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD?

>> IT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.

I THINK THIS IS WHAT IN ENS SORT

OF CAUGHT THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND

CERTAINLY OFFICIALS BY SURPRISE

LAST YEAR.

ALL THREE HURRICANES RAPIDLY

INTENSIFIED.

SO RAPID INTENSEFY INDICATION IS

WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THP

PETITION -- IN A SPAN OF ABOUT

24 HOURS FOR EXAMPLE MARIA I

THINK WENT WAS THE ONE TO

INTENSIFY THE MOST RAPIDLY GOING

FROM ESSENTIALLY A TROPICAL

STORM TO A MAJOR HURRICANE IN 24

HOURS.

NOW, WHEN THAT HAPPENS LIKE IN

THE CASE OF HARVEY, WHEN WHEN A

STORM IS CLOSE TO LANDFALL, THAT

DOESN'T GIVE OFFICIALS ENOUGH

TIME TO -- YOU KNOW, TO TELL

PEOPLE TO EITHER EVACUATE OR

SHELTER IN PLACE.

IN EITHER SITUATION PEOPLE HAVE

TO BE PREPARED.

>> SO WHAT'S CAUSING THESE

STORMS IN SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT GLOBAL WARMING OR CLIMATE

CHANGE IS THE SOLE CAUSE OF

THESE INCREASING STORMS.

WHAT'S YOUR TAKE?

>> YOU KNOW, FROM READING ALL

THE PAPERS AND VIEWING THE

RESEARCH THAT'S NECESSARY TO DO

A FILM LIKE THIS, IT LOOKS LIKE

CLIMATE IS POINTING TOWARDS THE

FACT THAT WE CAN EXPECT NOT

NECESSARILY MORE FREQUENT

HURRICANES BUT WHEN THE

CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT HURRICANES

WILL -- WILL BREW UP AND FORM

INTO MAJOR HURRICANES, WHICH ARE

ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVIVIVE

FORCES ON EARTH.

I THINK PEOPLE ARE NOW -- WE

HAVE SORT OF USHERED IN A NEW

ERA OF HURRICANE AWARENESS.

AND CERTAINLY FOR PEOPLE LICHAJ

IN CARIBBEAN NATIONS AND PUERTO

RICOENS IN PARTICULAR, BUT ALSO

FOR ANYONE LIMPING ALONG THE

COASTLINES WE KNOW THAT THERE IS

AND THERE HAS BEEN SEA LEVEL

RISE.

WHEN YOU ADD SEA LEVEL RISE INTO

HURRICANES MAKING LANDFALL,

POTENTIALLY AS STRONGER

HURRICANES, THEN YES PEOPLE NEED

TO BE MORE PREPARED FOR STORM

SURGE.

PREPARATION, I THINK HAS

EVERYTHING TO DO WITH BUILDING

CODES AND -- AND YOU KNOW, IF

YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD NEW, THEN

PEOPLE NEED TO START THINKING

ALONG THE COAST ABOUT BUILDING

MORE APPROPRIATELY FOR BEING

ABLE TO SUSTAIN WIND DAMAGE AND

STORM SURGE.

>> SO REALLY QUICKLY IS THIS THE

NEW NORMAL?

>> I THINK THIS HAS A VERY

STRONG CHANCE OF BEING THE NEW

NORMAL.

WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT THE

SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES WERE

LOOKING LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO

BE VERY HIGH THIS SEASON.

BUT AT THE LAST MINUTE THEY HAVE

STARTED TO SORT OF TREND LOWER.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT SURE

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS YEAR.

OFFICIALS WERE WERE SAYING THEY

WERE EXPECTED A LITTLE ABOVE

AVERAGE HURRICANE ACTIVITY THIS

YEAR.

BUT AT THIS STAGE IT LOOKS LIKE

IT WILL BE NORMAL.

SO IT MAY BE QUITE SIMILAR TO

LAST YEAR OR WE MAY HAVE, YOU

KNOW, NOT MAJOR HURRICANES BUT

CERTAINLY SOME HURRICANES.

>> ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND THANK YOU FOR THE

DOCUMENTARY.

IT'S VERY INSTRUCTIVE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> NOVA EE RICE OF THE

SUPERSTORM PREMIERES.

PLEASE CHECKLISTING FOR AIR

TIMES.