American storm chaser Josh Morgerman dedicated an appreciation post for his Filipino driver who was with him when he monitored then-Super Typhoon Uwan (now a severe tropical storm) in Baler.
Morgerman, also known as “iCyclone,” posted a photo of himself with Gil, a Filipino who drove him when he monitored “Uwan” (international name: Fung-Wong) as it crossed the central and northern parts of Luzon on Sunday, November 9.
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“On Monday, I returned to Metro Manila and said farewell to my driver, Gil,” the American said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, November 11.
“We’ve been working together, on and off, since the filming of my TV series ‘Hurricane Man’ for the BBC in 2018,” Morgerman added.
“Gil is rock-solid, reliable, and a great teammate on these tough expeditions. Thank you, Gil,” he concluded.
Morgerman’s post has earned 39,000 likes and reactions, 356 comments and 125 shares from Facebook users.
It was not the first time that the storm chaser had shared pictures of himself with the Filipino.
In 2018, Morgerman credited Gil for driving them around when he chased Typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut).
Morgerman also chased Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) before.
As a storm chaser, his data is regularly used by the United States’ National Hurricane Center in seasonal post-analysis.
His readings have also been the decisive factor in determining a storm’s landfall intensity on multiple occasions.
Morgerman has also co-authored peer-reviewed papers on historic hurricanes.
Meanwhile, “Uwan” unleashed torrential rains and destructive winds across Luzon and Visayas, reaching super typhoon strength on November 9.
The tropical cyclone damaged infrastructure, including roads and caused widespread power outages with its life-threatening storm surges and typhoon-force winds.
“Uwan” also triggered severe flooding in parts of Metro Manila and rendered major roads impassable across multiple regions.
