People are fighting at my local supermarket.

[brundaddy]

I equate mainstream news with ambulance chasing lawyer scum and televangelists.

 

I grew up in New Orleans, and have dealt with many hurricanes. I have drunk many Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's. My brother owns a bar called Hurricane's. I have swum home from a bar during a flood. So maybe I'm jaded when mainstream news hypes up a storm, but in my experience, if it ain't 100 mph it ain't sh!t.

 

I know each city has its unique vulnerability and particular infrastructure weakness, and you can say what you want about New Orleans but our pumping stations put us at a distinct advantage over most other cities facing a badass hurricane. So maybe the E. Coast is gonna take it in the pooper ... but I doubt it.

 

TV loves to hype up hurricanes. Katrina was TV's wet dream (pardon the pun) ... the perfect example - TO THIS DAY, whenever I say I'm from New Orleans, there's always somebody who screws up their face into a pained expression and asks: "So [pregnant pause] ...How's New Orleans doing?" People think it's Chernobyl, they are so misinformed by TV hype.

 

When I reply, "Straight up? New Orleans has been back since 2007" this frequently confuses people.

 

I digress - the storm won't be anywhere near as bad as the news is making people fear; somewhere, no doubt there are news writers getting a chuckle at supermarket fights.

[Notes_Norton]

Same thing always happens in FL when a storm approaches.

 

So many people wait until the last minute to prepare. I wonder what they are thinking (or NOT thinking). After all, anyone who watches the weather knows one is coming quite a few days in advance. Even if there is only a chance the storm will hit, you can buy dry food and other supplies before you get the warnings, it's not like it will go to waste.

 

They don't even stock up on tap water before the storm. Don't even fill their bathtubs so they can flush the toilet with a bucket if the water goes out.

 

Then they cry to the government for help.

 

Of course, some things are unavoidable, but the people too lazy or stupid to prepare in advance clog the system so that help for the truly needy is hampered.

 

And here in Florida, you can't chalk it up to inexperience

 

Notes

[LT ED]

I live on the north coast of Cornwall in the UK and does from time to time get very very wild but probably not as bad as a hurricane, I hope everybody in the path of this thing stays as safe as possible and any damage is kept to a minimum and hopefuly no loss of life.

[grampa]

As we all have noticed, the weather this year is nowhere near "normal". None of the previous models for forecasting are working. Tornadoes in Chicago for example. It is dangerous to think: "In the past, these have always been down graded." The past is almost irrelavent. And if you scoff at Nature, Nature will just say" "Oh yeah, take this." I hope everything turns out OK for those in the path.

[MrNylon]

It's a category 2 now, and will be at the most a category 1 when it hits NY, atleast that's what the weather channel is saying. Maybe I'm just used to it, living in FL. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne made land fall less than a mile from my house. 2 hurricanes within 3 weeks of each other, Cat 2 for Frances then a Cat 3 for Jeanne. Had no power for a few weeks.

 

Wilma was no fun either.