Question

into the eye of the storm
they fly into the eye of a hurricane. who are these people? why would they do such a thing? they are “hurricane hunters.” even the most advanced satellites today cannot provide all the facts the national hurricane center forecasters need to predict when and where a hurricane will strike. information is also needed to predict how powerful the storm will be. satellites today can estimate the strength of a hurricane, but these numbers are not accurate enough. what is at first classified as a category 2 hurricane may actually be determined to be a dangerous category 3 after more information is gathered.
in 1943 colonel joseph duckworth became the first pilot to fly into the eye of a hurricane on purpose. he flew into a hurricane over land near houston, texas, on july 27, 1943. he had been an airline pilot who taught army air corps pilots how to fly through bad weather during world war ii. he taught pilots how to reduce risk by using their skill, their knowledge, and careful planning.
duckworth’s success flying through the hurricanes and the damage done to navy ships by incorrectly forecasted hurricanes persuaded the military to begin studying hurricanes. these studies collected useful information. the program’s first accomplishment came with “the great atlantic hurricane of 1944.” at this time navy and army planes tracked the storm from puerto rico to new england. a similar storm with the same track had caused a great deal of damage in 1938 when it came ashore with no warning. the forecast information that came from these military flights was used to reduce all types of destruction in the path of the 1944 hurricane.
today the “hurricane hunters” are members of the 53rd weather investigation squadron of the air force reserve. they are based at keesler air force base in biloxi, mississippi. there is a six - person crew on each flight. it includes the pilot, the co - pilot, the flight engineer, the navigator, and the weather officer.

1. which of these most likely lessens the potential damage caused by a hurricane?

a. classifying hurricanes based on early information from a satellite
b. setting up military posts along shores where hurricanes are common
c. training pilots to fly carefully into and above the center, or the eye, of a hurricane
d. gathering information from inside the hurricane that helps people predict what will happen next

Explanation:

1. The "Hurricane Hunters" are people who fly into the eye of hurricanes to gather information which helps with prediction. This is stated in the passage where it mentions they fly into hurricanes to gather useful information and how satellite - based information is not always enough and their flights help with prediction.
2. Classifying hurricanes based on early information is likely to cause the least potential damage as it allows for better preparation and prediction, which can reduce the impact of the hurricane.

Answer:

1. Gathering information from inside the hurricane helps people predict what will happen next.
2. Classifying hurricanes based on early information.