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Steve N Sal · 08-30-2011, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJay

So the more the information about a storm is hyped the safer your feel?

A storm doesn't have to hyped to get my attention. If officials are warning you to leave I think it's best to get your A$$ out. In the aftermath as the totals are counted for the deaths and the total destruction, just where was this storm over hyped???? I don't know what your question is about my comment. I'll feel safer the more it's hyped??? NO, what I mean is pickup your family and anything else that might be important that you can take and GET OUT!

85Eagle · 08-30-2011, 05:19 AM

RJAY; Since you seem to think the weather forecaster's were wrong maybe they will hire you to predict the next catastrophic disaster headed our way.

hamguy · 08-30-2011, 07:21 AM

So far, Irene has taken 15 lives. Tell their families it was overblown hype.

Wayne, I hate the loss of life from any cause. BUT, to the 250,000,00 people unaffected or barely affected, it is definitely over hyped.

But consider this, how many people died in auto accidents over the last 5 days? How many abortions occurred in the same time period?

jacmat · 08-30-2011, 07:26 AM

I don't think it was overblown, some areas like NYC, it was not as bad as forecasted, thank God. But over all with $5 to $10 billions in damages, at least 40 death, it was not overblown. As far a real time coverage from medias, like CNN, at times it's too much.

Ask residents of Vermont, New Jersey, and North Carolina if it was overblown.

I also think that NYC mayor made a good decision to have mandatory evacuation and other government officials in other areas that did the same.

RJay · 08-30-2011, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve N Sal

A storm doesn't have to hyped to get my attention. If officials are warning you to leave I think it's best to get your A$$ out. In the aftermath as the totals are counted for the deaths and the total destruction, just where was this storm over hyped???? I don't know what your question is about my comment. I'll feel safer the more it's hyped??? NO, what I mean is pickup your family and anything else that might be important that you can take and GET OUT!

Hi Steve,
My comment was directed at your post that "It's better to be safe than sorry". I got the impression that it was OK if the Irene was hyped because it's better to be safe than sorry.

LadyFitz... · 08-30-2011, 07:47 AM

Based on past models, Irene was forecasted to be a category 2 hurricane with the possibility of briefly becoming a category 3. This only refers to her wind speed. She was also forcasted to be a wet hurricane. Based on the forecasts, Irene WAS NOT overhyped by the media. She still did large amounts of damage, more from flooding than wind, and there would have been far more fatalities had it not been for the massive evacuations prompted by the forecasts.

Again, just because Irene proved to have less wind than originally forecasted does not mean she was overhyped.

DriVer · 08-30-2011, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamguy

So far, Irene has taken 15 lives. Tell their families it was overblown hype...

Check that .... unfortunately that number as of this morning is 40 or more.

gunnersmom · 08-30-2011, 07:59 AM

Go to www.timesunion.com in upstate NY and tell me it was overblown or Brattleboro, Vt. It was underblown for the inland areas. IMHO.

GPW · 08-30-2011, 08:37 AM

Having evacuated for Katrina (six weeks ) Many of the poorest people could not leave , no car , no money ... and again ,we saw (on our way out of town) many making their way to the Superdome as they had done in the past , depending on the city to take care of them ... a cultural entitlement ... The smart ones left while the getting was good ..

Naturally it was the after effects of the storm that caused most of the damage /inconvenience .. The failure of the levees, downed electrical poles , the rescue of the "entitled" , and so much more ....

Seems the East coast is still experiencing the after effects and will for a while to come ... I think the run away attitude of the media was most prudent ... all these storms are Dangerous ... and must be prepared for or avoided altogether (EVAC) .. Smart to Alert/Alarm people , or we might have had a much higher body count , as In Katrina ..

Here too we had a LOT of Looting which did more damage than the storm did to some structures , stores ,and shopping malls .... Looted then burned ..

Maybe they can control that better back East ... I hope so ... media was smart not to mention that ... might have started a chain reaction of copycat looters ...

Wayne M · 08-30-2011, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamguy

So far, Irene has taken 15 lives. Tell their families it was overblown hype.

Wayne, I hate the loss of life from any cause. BUT, to the 250,000,00 people unaffected or barely affected, it is definitely over hyped.

But consider this, how many people died in auto accidents over the last 5 days? How many abortions occurred in the same time period?

Hype has a few different definitions, depending on how it us used. One is deliberately deceptive and misleading. No, I don't think that the media was trying to mislead or deceive anyone. Was it excessive publicity? Maybe, but then that is what news media is all about. We did not stay glued to the television to see every single minute of televised storm information. We have the capability to watch a lot of channels on satellite. if we only had national channels, I would have gone out and rented a "Red Box" movie for a dollar.

So, the numbers are 250,000,000 (did you forget a zero) unaffected by hurricane Irene. What are the numbers of those that were affected by this hurricane? Is any number to low that information should not be passed? Also consider that this is a moving piece of nature, and at any point in time it can change. If a few channels are broadcasting minute by minute reports, that is most likely better than just popping in from time to time with a quick announcement. As I spoke of "models," a continuous report will give the mind a better understanding with less commotion than a quick spot report that can be taken many ways. No, not overblown.

You second point has no bearing on Hurricane Irene. Your key word in that paragraph is "accident." Accidents are unpredictable. (Well, I have seen some accidents just waiting for a place to happen.) A hurricane is not an accident, it is a force of nature that can be predicted based on the models of past storms. I guess if there are enough "accidents" at a specific intersection you could model that there will be another one there, so broadcast that everyone should stay away from that intersection, or put up warning and controls that would minimize an accident at that intersection. Isn't that what the news media was doing? Putting out warning to prepare people for the worse? I surely would want the worse case scenario so I could make my decisions on my actions, not the lesser case scenarios that would under-prepare me for the worse. No, not overblown.

vegascouple · 08-30-2011, 09:25 AM

We were in Key West a few years ago when Wilma was stuck over Cancun. All of the models showed it slamming Key West and South Florida. Like some of you I didn't believe it. I thought somehow the scientists were wrong. I thought local authorities were overly cautious when they kicked out the tourists 4 days before the hurricane hit. I wasn't happy as I'd paid $2,000 to park and there was no refund. We stayed in West Palm for a couple of days waiting to see if we could return. Then they shut that park down so we moved to Orlando. The night the hurricane hit my wife was up all night worried about being struck by a tornado in the dark. If we had stayed in Key West like many of the locals our motor home would have been in 9 feet of water! The ones who stayed in Key West climbed into the second story of their homes to escape the rising water. Did they over blow the story? Some of you probably think they did, but the next time that happens I'm going to start driving and stop only when I'm well out of the path of the storm. If the people on the East coast had not heeded the message and left there would have been a much larger loss of life.

I simply do not understand why some people in this country, usually those with very little education, don't want to believe what the experts have to say. I'm guessing some of those are among the 41 dead from this storm. I guess you could say they were Dead Wrong!

RJay · 08-30-2011, 09:26 AM

The intent of my post was to gauge other members impression of the storm's reporting. As a past sailboat owner and blue water sailor I can read a weather map quite well. Maybe it's part habit and part interest but I follow storms closely. When I looked at the weather data of Irene before it made landfall it didn't match the intensity which it was being reported.

Storm damage and loss of life does not always indicate a storm's intensity. Irene's horrific damage was due to the track Irene took overland and in part to prior area storms not its intensity. The track of the storm merely indicates who will be effected, the intensity indicates the degree of preparation of those effected in its path. The longer Irene remained over land the more damage it caused. The resulting damage is simply the result of what we couldn't/wouldn't protect.

When a storm is hyped the media may benefit with higher ratings but it causes the citizens to spend more on preparation than what's needed. Of course the preparation we each make depends on our tolerance of risk but accurate reporting will allow each of us to gauge that risk appropriately. The danger is when the next storm comes and is truly dangerous citizens will not take warnings seriously, resulting in more damage and loss of life.

I believe Irene was hyped by the media. Responsible people will take the necessary precautions if given accurate information. But to force people into action thru fear is not prudent.

Will this turn out to be the storm of the century perhaps but not for the reason it was originally reported.

EDALLSAILS · 08-30-2011, 09:36 AM

Yes, over blown! But, look at Latrina, no one moved. People must begin to accept responsibility for themselves. If you are within the path, move, don't wait to be told. So, you are inconvienced for a couple of days, but you and your family are safe. Look at TEXAS a couple of years ago, again no one moved until the Interstates became parking lots. Then we had diasters of people being on freeways without fuel, food or water. Because of the jammed roads even the National Guard couldn't even get to them. What does it take for people to THINK! Develope your own emergency plan. Plan your escape. Make your own decesion when to go, where to go and GO! We live in SW Florida, we watch the weather reports from NOAA. Not the TV strations, they sensationalize everything. they are competing for viewers and selling TV ads. the ANNOUNCERS ALL WANT face TIME IN FRONT OF VIEWERS so they may get their own time slot.

Nonno · 08-30-2011, 10:58 AM

Our stickbuilt on the NH/ME is approx 40 miles from the coast. Our town and neighboring town initially 100% no power starting around 11am Sunday. Some got power back last night, hopefully we'll get ours today. Like many in this area our preparation includes a standby generator.

Could have been worse. It could have been a January Noreaster (I'm not talking about an Irv2 group) with freezing temps.