NOAA.gov/Heavy The National Hurricane Center shows Beryl's location on Sunday afternoon.
Meteorologist Tyler Castillo shared what a video showing him preparing his home for Hurricane Beryl in Corpus Christi, Texas. But after the video of his front door went viral, Castillo returned to social media to clear up some questions and misconceptions.
‘Making Sure the House Is Secure,’ He Wrote on the Video
Castillo is a meteorologist for the National Weather Service Corpus Christi. He shared a video on X on July 6 that showed him preparing his front door for Hurricane Beryl. He wrote “Can’t be too safe. Making sure the house is secure before #Beryl arrives.”
The video showed electric, metal hurricane shutters going down over his front door to protect it from hurricane-force winds.
Can’t be too safe. Making sure the house is secure before #Beryl arrives.
The video had more than 3.6 million views as of the time of this article’s publication, and more than 600 comments.
Many of the replies compared his video to the movie franchise “The Purge.” The first movie introduced the idea of a yearly purge where crime is legal for 12 hours following an economic collapse. The movie centers around a businessman who is protecting his family home with a security system designed to protect people from the purge.
One person replied to Castillo’s video, “Purge doors, I didn’t have that on my 2024 bingo card.”
Another person wrote, “That is awesome! Is it secure enough for the purge as well?”
Another person shared a GIF from the movie.
@tjc_12 reminds me of The Purge
Another person wrote, “Purge doors. Love it.”
A few people were also concerned that he might get stuck in his house if the electricity went out during a hurricane. And some pointed out that the window above the door isn’t protected.
In a Follow-Up Post, Castillo Wrote: ‘People Love the Purge’
After the video went viral, Castillo answered a few questions, starting out with a post where he wrote “people love the purge.”
He also added: “people assume that if the power goes out, that there is absolutely no way at all to open the door. I’m trapped inside (or outside) forever.”
In a third post, he made a few more clarifications, letting people know that the door has a manual option to open it if the power goes out. He also wrote, “Back door is still open. Front side would be taking on the wind.”
He added that he didn’t know how much the system cost because it was already on the house when he bought it.
“Big selling point for me,” he added.
In a different reply he wrote, “This was one of the main reasons I settled on this house. They were already installed by the previous owner. Major perk.”
And then Castillo admitted, “I’ve never seen The Purge.”
Castillo has been with NWS Corpus Christi for almost ten years, according to a 2021 Facebook post. He has a master’s in atmospheric science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he also grew up. According to an NWS post, he enjoys playing hockey and cycling when he’s not reporting about the weather (or responding to questions on his viral video.)
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Meteorologist’s Viral Hurricane Beryl Video Compared to ‘The Purge’