Monday, August 27, 2012

Gimme a Ticket for a Hurricane ...


Isaac is still a tropical storm churning up toward landfall in the U.S., last time I looked, and it might make it back to a Category One hurricane by the time it does get there.

And the news media turns into Chicken Little: "The sky is falling and we must tell the King!"

Really? 

If you live in Boise or Butte or New York City, you might not realize that for folks on the Gulf Coast, a Category One isn't something that sends you screeching to the market to buy all the toilet paper there. It's rainy and windy but, no big deal. 

A Category Two is a little more serious, but still, we aren't talking Camille.

The regular afternoon thunderstorms in Louisiana sometimes drop three or four inches of rain in an hour and gust to fifty or sixty mph and everybody goes on about their business. A One throttles back to a tropical storm soon as it makes landfall. It rains a lot. The wind blows some. You might have to turn your windshield wipers on high. Nobody gets too excited about it. 

Of course, TV news likes to issue STORM ALERT! if a fly sneezes. Two snowflakes fall and there are some parts of the country that go absolutely bugfuck as they prepare for The End Times. 

And if there's no story there? Why, they can surely try to make one ...

3 comments:

Alex said...

It's pretty wild that we live in an era where information is so easily found. The downside of it, is all of the media outlets that call themselves "news" organizations, which is just an excuse to draw viewers. Which are then swayed by whatever or should I say whoever's agenda pays their light bill and keeping the cameras rolling. From Alex in Colorado, back to you in the station, Steve!

Brad said...

I've heard a few reports saying it's taking the same path as Katrina and therefore we should be prepared for a major storm.

Then you get the smarter ones telling you why it won't be anything like Katrina. That didn't stay up long. No one wanted to read that I guess.

Me? I got food and water to see us through a week+. But then I aways do.I'm not expecting much other than some rain.

John said...

"Two snowflakes fall and there are some parts of the country that go absolutely bugfuck as they prepare for The End Times."

Gee - that sounds like you live near Portland...

;)