Pulse: Is Hurricane Abby Based on a Real Hurricane?

Netflix’s ‘Pulse’ focuses on the turmoil in the Maguire Medical Centre in Miami, where the personal and professional lives of the residents clash to create chaos for all of them. The story begins at a point where a third-year resident, Danny Simms, accuses the Chief Resident, Xander Phillips, of sexual harassment. This brews enough trouble for them as well as the people who work with them, but there is another storm that takes precedence. The first couple of episodes of the show focus entirely on Maguire’s staff handling the crisis that comes in the form of Hurricane Abby. While the story of the show remains fictional, the residents of Miami might be familiar with the name of the hurricane.

Pulse’s Abby Shares its Name With a Real 1968 Hurricane That Hit Florida

‘Pulse’ is an entirely fictional story with all the characters, their situations, and locations being made up to serve the plot of the story. Hurricane Abby happens to be one of those things. It serves as a critical plot device in the first three episodes that focus on the ongoing storm, the impact it has on the public, and how it defines the doctors’ day who are overwhelmed with the sheer number of patients the hurricane brings to their doorsteps. In reality, there was a Hurricane Abby that hit Florida, among other places, in June 1968. It was a Category 3 hurricane which hit the speed of 75 mph winds. It did stir up quite a ruckus as it led to the death of six people and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. Still, it left with more ease than the one shown in ‘Pulse.’

A tropical storm named Abby also hit Texas in 1964, and four years before that, a Category 2 hurricane named Abby hit Belize. The same name has also been used for a 1983 hurricane and a 1986 hurricane that hit Japan and Taiwan, respectively. None of these, however, are taken as the inspiration for the one depicted in the Netflix series. Hurricane Abby in ‘Pulse’ sharing a name with real-life hurricanes is most likely a coincidence or a detail that the writers wanted to incorporate to touch upon Miami, Florida’s history with the turbulent weather. The main point was to create a situation that would put the characters immediately into the eye of the storm, putting them under immense pressure that tests them not only as a doctor but also as a person trying to survive in an unbelievably trying situation.

Interestingly, the hurricane also mirrors the developments within the hospital, especially after Danny’s complaint against Xander, as it tears apart friends from each other, making everyone question the truth about Danny and Xander while also trying to find a level ground for their own. As the hurricane outside the hospital’s walls gets worse, things reach a breaking point inside as well, and only when the storm passes, and there is sun again do the characters start to think more clearly about the things around them. In this context, Hurricane Abby serves as a powerful metaphor that gives us an insight into the mental and emotional turmoil of the characters.