Posted on 08/27/2011 9:51:47 AM PDT by Rennes Templar
Up until now (Friday evening) Irene has been very similar to 1985 hurricane Gloria, though a bit weaker. But the level of hype—because of its projected path near all of the I-95 major cities—is similar to that of 26 years ago.
-snip-
Irene has put on a remarkably similar show. Within the limits of forecasting error, Irene’s projected path makes it was impossible to rule out a major disaster. But, as a dangerous Category 3 storm within two days of land, something similar to what happened to Gloria occurred. Instead of going slightly off course, the power of her winds dropped markedly, at least as measured by hurricane hunter aircraft.
Because it is prudent to not respond to every little tropical cyclone twitch (such as Gloria’s jog or Thursday’s wind drop), the Thursday evening forecast was virtually unchanged, the Internet went thermonuclear, and the Weather Channel’s advertising rates skyrocketed. From that point on, it became all Irene, all the time. With this level of noise, the political process has to respond with full mobilization. Hype begets hype.
-snip-
As I complete this, there’s another tropical depression out in the Atlantic, and a couple more on the way in the very near future. Suppose one of these takes a similar path, except that it improbably threads the needle of the Mid-Atlantic Bight and makes landfall immediately to the west of New York City as a Category 3 storm. How many people will the hyping of Irene have killed? That’s how Hurricane Hype followed by Hurricane Insanity leads to hurricane death.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
All the talking heads just look plain stupid discussing this Tropical Storm.
I wish it were sucking up our Texas heat.
My husband would say.
“Never waste your wishes—wish to win the lottery.”
Unemployment should dip next month just due to all the extra work for hurricane hypers.
All the hype boosted retail sales, which will undoubtedly help you know who’s approval ratings in September.
They have to feel 'needed' and take care of you because you don't know how.
The MSM will give Obama credit for the much less than expected damage Irene caused.
I wish it would too. I’m in southwest LA. It’s been friggin’ hot here too.
I remember the "chicken little" TV coverage for Gloria pre-empted all the daytime soap operas and game shows in NYC, and New Yorkers were mightily P.O.'d. A week without power caused Long Islanders to rail against private electric companies and demand state-run power & electric. They got it.
Latest Fox News headline:
“Hurricane Irene Bombards East Coast”
No hype there!
not enough damage yet?
Plus the jobless rate will go down, temporarily of course
I don’t know what to think! My daughter called me at 10 pm last night crying that she heard at the Wawa, that the storm surge was going to be 12 feet and that their cute little first home was going to be destroyed. I’m sure she was having visions of Katrina! I had to assure her that they had insurance and whatever happens, everything was going to be fine. She lives in Little Egg Harbor, NJ.
Poor kid, she has assured me that they will evacuate inland. I told her not to wait too long and to come to “home” to N. Jersey (I begged her).
It’s really nerve racking for us up North!
If the storm had been as strong as forecast even 24 hours ago, lives would have been lost.
I understand those who want to experience these storms first hand. I felt the same way, once. The really terrible part is the day after, when all the storm chasers have moved on, and the power's off, often for weeks. It get's old.
You no longer fuss when the forecasters get it wrong, and the storm loses strength, believe me.
Don’t know if I would come to that conclusion yet. The major concern of the storm will be the flooding and surge. I think one will have to wait for the tides to pass before dismissing this as hype. I clearly remember Shepherd Smith stating that the worse of Katrina had passed, then we all know what happened. The full damage of this storm will not be known until Monday.
Oh please, I went through that one. First off, Wilma was a Cat 3 storm when it finally hit Florida. It weakened to a cat 2 by the time it hit south florida. Destroyed SFla? I dont think so. The worst part about it was the lack of electricity, because the grid down here is terribly weak against storms. Post hype is just as bad as pre-hype.
Media fraud to build up Obama and his unquestionable leadership during the storm of the century.
I live in Ma. just checked out accuweather for Columbia N.C. where the storm is....40 mile and hour winds expected up to 60....wooooh.
I’ve been in nor’easters in the middle of Jan. where you could not either stand or see.
A good general rule is....
Better to BE PREPARED and sustain little damage than it is to NOT BE PREPARED and have the worst happen.
My only issue with the Media frenzy over what now appears to be a very mild storm is that THEY HAD A WEEK TO PREPARE.
What the citizens of OKLAHOMA, MISSOURI, INDIANA, KANSAS and MISSOURI would have given to have had a WEEK'S NOTICE this past MAY. Especially the hundreds of dead people.
Here is what FEMA did for the citizens of the CENTRAL US....
Homebuilders work to tie down safety against tornadoes
"Bourdeau, a hazard performance analyst for FEMA, was sent to Oklahoma after tornadoes tore through May 24, destroying some 600 homes and pummeling the Piedmont area especially hard. He'll be here through October, he said, both studying what led to such high levels of destruction as well as what can be done to make homes safer."
"Bourdeau, who works out of a regional FEMA office in Texas, is from South Carolina, where building codes along the hurricane-prone coastal areas require structures to withstand 120-mph, three-second gusts."
So... seems like the EAST COAST should be safe. Wonder if FEMA strapped down the trees?
Obama: “If not for my policies, it would have been worse.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.