Too Much Hype?

[HAltschule]

Amazing. Whether the storm was overhyped or not by the NWS or the media...PLENTY of warning and urging for evacuations was given to everybody. Now comes word that residents are stranded on rooftops and houses where flooding has occurred and is worsening. I have one word to summarize them: Idiots!! From what I'm hearing (esp. in Biloxi and Gulfport, MS areaa), the Fire Department is saying oh well...we told you to evacuate and you didn't. Now we're not risking our lives to come get you. We'll get you when the conditions become safer.

Good for the fire department!!

Sincerely,

The artist formerly known to hate dumb people.

 

[HAltschule]

But I hope they survive this and are safe. I'm not that mean.

 

[Scott Olson]

Katrina didn't just fizzle away and cause no harm. Yeah the wording is a little strong the NWS message but alot of us believed the potiental for a catastrophic event was real and serious and the forecasters at NHC have to kind of take the worst case sceanrio when it comes to these things. Imagine the hell they would get for underforecasting it or for making it sound like it was not a very serious situation if it then went and caused devastation. Preliminary reports makes it looks like NO has not been submerged into water. But it appears that Katrina has caused some major damage in some areas and considerable damage in a wide swath across SE LA and SW MS. I don't fault the NWS or NHC for that matter for anything except doing an exceptional job in the face of insurmountable pressure. As for the media they did some hyping but that's usually what I expect from them and maybe it is determental to the next time a Hurricane comes through but this event was hyped across the board because of a real danger a major Hurricane posed in this region. My only real complaint is the same as Jeff's regarding so called 'media' reported windspeeds.

 

[Alex Lamers]

Flooding is indeed catastrophic. Have you seen the warnings? Advising people to chop their way to their roofs. Cantore had water coming into the retirement home he was at 1/2 mile inland which was 27 feet above sea level! This could be record surge! No way was it overhyped

 

[Cindy Simons]

Flooding is indeed catastrophic. Have you seen the warnings? Advising people to chop their way to their roofs. Cantore had water coming into the retirement home he was at 1/2 mile inland which was 27 feet above sea level! This could be record surge! No way was it overhyped

Agreed. We have yet to fully comprehend the magnitude of the devastation.

 

[CCASEY]

Hype

I would have to agree with the previous post. From what I have read, it seems as if there were two options when Katrina hit land--it would have strengthened or weakened. Hence, the art and science of forecasting, which means you are predicting the probablity of something happening. I am not an expert by any means, but if the possibility exists that it might have strengthened, it makes sense that the worse case scenario be presented. And, even when the worst case scenario was presented, people did not automatically move or leave. Also, even for those who think it was overhyped, the "over hyping" or presentation of the worst case scenario may have set certain teams into mobilization faster than if a lesser warning was posted. Thus, it may appear to look over hyped because response teams were in place to react to it.

 

[Andrew Khan]

I do not think the "Over-Hyped" it, but rather, were trying to save peoples lives by constantly talking about it.

 

[Carla Bisby]

IMO "overhyping" is better than "underhyping". Had they erred on the side of caution in their warnings and the damage and loss of life was totally catastrophic everyone would have wanted their heads on a platter. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Benjamin Sipprell]

Sorry ... I have to bust on FOX news

I loved the line from FOX news "Katrina doing damage doing the gulf coast, what will it do to your state and what will you expect, find out in the chilling forecast tonight ..."

Then there was the female meteorologist wanting to know what meteorologists think about this while getting really choked up about the storm ... that was so priceless

Geraldo in his infinite wisdom went on and on about doomsday this and that while talking about Andrew, talking about the National Weather Center(?), and drawing more American troop deployments in the sand

Sheppard getting scared of being in NO while experts are talking about all of NO flooding

Accuweather just hammering to the audience how it will be a Cat 5, total catastrophe and destruction, NO will be totally flooded ...

Anderson Cooper making a freakin' big deal about a swinging crane no where near any human population ... he was sitting in some sort of boonie area along the mighty mississippi where only a pedestrian bridge reside

FOX cameras set upon hotel signs, etc, just waiting for them to fall and be all excited!!! OOOOOHHHH!

I'm sure there are more examples

Did the storm get hyped? NO ... there are currently a lot of idiots in extreme SE Louisiana where the Mississippi drains ... Cat 5 or not, there's very little means of getting out of there ... what were those people thinking? And now they are on roofs begging for help? Truly amazing, and now others have to risk their lives for the stupidity of others.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, there were two possibilities (strengthen or weaken), but which was more likely? How many times has a 170 mph storm become stronger 24 hours later? When it is entering more shear, shallower waters, poorer environmental conditions, and is already showing signs of dry air entrainment? Yes, there's not much precedence and our intensity forecasts are not super-reliable, but that's not the point. The point is that it was more likely to weaken than strengthen--and this is not monday morning quarterbacking because the true experts i saw yesterday all pointed this out yesterday--just read the nhc discussions. The media did NOT report this as they should of, and that is avoiding the facts in favor of hype. Whether it is "over" hyping or not i guess is just according to the way you look at it-Stan

 

[guest aaron]

ya know, i can see this storm getting lots of news coverage, this is what new orleans had been fearing for some time, and we still yet dont know the extent of the damage, however, i dont think it is necessary for the news crews to create fear among the viewers of their programs

 

[John Erwin]

however, i dont think it is necessary for the news crews to create fear among the viewers of their programs

It looks like some of those people currently camping on the roofs of their homes could have used some of that fear before this storm hit....

 

[Anonymous]

thats a good point Erwin, what i meant was unneccessary fear, there is no need to start screaming over a small tree getting uprooted, they are trying to make viewers feel scared so they will feel "protected" by them and keep watching....besides, anyone who stays at the landfall point for a hurricane like this is not playing with a full deck of cards....i can see a 2 or maybe even a low end 3, but not this

 

[guest aaron]

thats a good point Erwin, what i meant was unneccessary fear, there is no need to start screaming over a small tree getting uprooted, they are trying to make viewers feel scared so they will feel "protected" by them and keep watching....besides, anyone who stays at the landfall point for a hurricane like this is not playing with a full deck of cards....i can see a 2 or maybe even a low end 3, but not this

 

[John Erwin]

what i meant was unneccessary fear, there is no need to start screaming over a small tree getting uprooted

Well I would agree with those kind of cases... a lot of those reporters can be real drama queens, or tend to tunnel-lock onto anything visually stimulating at their location...however I'm treating the entire situation as a whole.