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Perfect Storm of Hype: Irene

Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by carpro, Aug 29, 2011.

  1. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/t...he-hurricane-irene-apocalypse-that-never-was/


    Perfect Storm of Hype: Politicians, the media and the Hurricane Irene apocalypse that never was


    By Toby Harnden

    For the television reporter, clad in his red cagoule emblazoned with the CNN logo, it was a dramatic on-air moment, broadcasting live from Long Island, New York during a hurricane that also threatened Manhattan.

    “We are in, right, now…the right eye wall, no doubt about that…there you see the surf,” he said breathlessly. “That tells a story right there.”

    Stumbling and apparently buffeted by ferocious gusts, he took shelter next to a building. “This is our protection from the wind,” he explained. “It’s been truly remarkable to watch the power of the ocean here.”

    The surf may have told a story but so too did the sight behind the reporter of people chatting and ambling along the sea front and just goofing around. There was a man in a t-shirt, a woman waving her arms and then walking backwards. Then someone on a bicycle glided past.

    Across the screen, the “Breaking News: Irene Batters Long Island” caption was replaced by stern advice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): “Stay inside, stay safe.”

    The images summed up Hurricane Irene – the media and the United States federal government trying to live up to their own doom-laden warnings and predictions while a sizeable number of ordinary Americans just carried on as normal and even made gentle fun of all the fuss.

    There was almost palpable disappointment among the TV big guns rolled out for the occasion when Irene was downgraded to a mere ‘tropical storm”.
     
  2. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    So says someone who doesn't live here.
     
  3. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I was thinking more about this post as I was raking my driveway so that my kids can hopefully get to work (that is, if the supermarket has power and the roads are open - it took 20 minutes to go 2 miles yesterday because of all of the detours) and there is something that this blogger missed. This was not a wind event - it was a water event. Yes, the winds were downgraded and we get winds like that in a normal Nor'easter but the thing that was added onto this was the tidal surge that occurred during high tide and the fact that this was the wettest August on record. So what we have is we have already saturated ground, add in even just 40 knot winds and we have trees down. Now, add in 20-30 more knots coming from the east during high tide and we have the ocean now going over the barrier beaches and up to 2 miles inland, flooding homes, main highways and such. Since there are trees down, more than half of my village is without power.

    The reporter was reporting from a place with high winds and yes, Long Islanders will go out in t-shirts and shorts (it IS summer, after all) and see what's going on and act like idiots for the camera. My husband and I went to the yacht club to check on the boats and see how high the water was since it was high tide and we stood outside for about 10 minutes. I finally went inside because I was getting tired of being battered by the wind. But there were still others who were standing outside. Does that mean it wasn't a big storm?

    We have dodged a bullet. If this storm had been a Cat 2 like predicted or even a Cat 1, we would have had even more damage. However, we have severe damage in many parts of Long Island and I don't believe anyone can travel one mile from their home without encountering at least a dozen trees down and no power in homes. So was all of this "hype"? You can ask some of these people:

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...0306710941505_585196504_7570321_7981935_n.jpg

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...15312931507_1509974791_32464891_2164608_n.jpg

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...14918561648_1509974791_32464400_3419341_n.jpg

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...0783008885425_881130424_20202882_899720_n.jpg

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFb35whjUPE
     
  4. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    Doesn't matter where you live, it was over hyped...especially by politicians (Odrama) for political purposes and news organizations in a slow news month...August.

    Southern states suffered the side effects of a real hurricane, but no direct hit. The direct hit was in the Northeast by Tropical Storm Irene...not a hurricane at all.

    The damage is real, but nowhere near what the hype called for.

    That's just a fact.
     
  5. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    http://newsflavor.com/politics/us-p...der-obama-rushed-to-hurricane-irene-photo-op/

    White House Insider: Obama Rushed to Hurricane Irene "Photo-Op"

    As initial reports of Hurricane Irene came in, President was hesitant to cut short his vacation. Numerous briefings held on subject, but each time Obama insisted he remain at M. Vineyard. His tone began to change the following day when situation presented to him as a potential to contrast himself from G. Bush and Katrina and could prove a valuable tool for the re-election campaign. A future campaign ad was outlined utilizing the Irene situation. This scenario said to “perk” president’s interest in becoming more involved and focused.

    Photo-op scenario was then developed. Barack Obama again hesitated, but by end of day, was “back on board” for the plan, though was to have said “Libya should be enough”. An apparent reference to Gaddafi’s removal from power as being a success for the Obama administration. Also received a number of references to how “tired” the president appeared even though he has been vacationing for some time now.

    Even as reports came in that Irene was likely to prove far less damaging than the initial outlook, the Obama team proceeded with photo-op plan. The Plouffe gang believed the photo and the message it would send to be “critical” for the image of the president. During the most extensive of the situation updates, Obama left early. His mood was described as “agitated” and “dismissive” of the situation, and his understanding of emergency response “non-existent”. He repeatedly commented with “We get the picture and we are good, right? You guys can take it from there, right? Yeah, let’s do it then. Let’s go.”
     
  6. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    Our local stations go wall to wall weather four hours before a snow flake flies. The snow might come along and it might not. If it does not they report on that for an hour and half while interviewing about the dodged bullet :)

    All we had on the west coast was Irene Sunday morning as if anyone cared. Sure we are concerned about people in trouble but how much are we hearing about killings, hunger etc around the world while idiots are standing on a sea wall and get dunked. At least they were smart enough to hang on.

    As to the pictures, we have fallen trees nearly every rain storm, downed power lines couple times a year from saturated ground. Now the buildings damaged was something that pictured the real power of the storm. I'm sure had there been more power behind it more trouble would be in place.

    Sorry for the damage, sorry for the inconvenience etc but there is a large world that might use some air time. I was soooooo glad to see Diane Sawyer walking down an empty street - that is news for the media today???????? And oh my seeing the president was such a huge comfort!
     
  7. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    The hype was called for considering what was originally predicted. I guarantee there would have been more lives lost had there not been "hype". But I guess that doesn't matter. Prepare and be safe and you're an idiot, huh?
     
  8. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    Now that sounds like hype. More lives may well have been lost but " But I guess that doesn't matter. Prepare and be safe and you're an idiot, huh?" seems to be pure hype. I doubt anyone posting would agree with it not mattering, nor do I recall anyone saying "Prepare and be safe and you're an idiot"
     
  9. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    That's what it sounds like people are saying. Yes, it was less of a storm than we originally thought but it still has caused quite the ruckus on Long Island at least. I'm STILL trying to get through on the phone lines to call a few people but the circuits are busy. I haven't heard that since 1985!! The village of Northport is still closed today due to no power and we still don't have train service on my branch of the Long Island RailRoad. I don't think there was "hype" as the OP asserted. This was a big storm and has affected more people than have ever been affected on Long Island. Ever.
     
  10. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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  11. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    That one we saw about a dozen times - we were told it was a life guard shack, then it was a BUILDING. I think the media after the fact did their usual terrible job of covering things.

    Instead of showing people wading with a microphone they might go out and find what is really going on.

    Our local stations were showing more of the damage - bridges and roads out, buildings half gone, homes without roofs etc. The national media needs to close their doors or admit their ineptness.
     
  12. Bro. Curtis

    Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>
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  13. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    Global warming caused that snowstorm, doncha know, just like it caused Irene. :smilewinkgrin:

    Warnings are good. Presidents, who know nothing about the weather and couldn't care less, getting photo ops in a weather "command center" is hype.

    24/7 media coverage with staged "on sight" reporting is hype.
     
  14. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    It was both. It had power and a satellite dish on it as well but those were ripped of when it was pulled from the base that was about 100 feet away from where the video showed it in the beginning. We call those "life guard shack" but they are two story with electric and a foundation. That would be called a building. What's the problem?

    Isn't that just what they were doing? At least around here that's what I saw.
     
  15. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    What's the Problem? Don't know you tell me, I made an observation. A shack and a building are the same - duuuuuuh! I think most know the point I was making there is normally an idea of difference of a "shack" and a "building" -- no problem on my end?????????? Doesn't take too much to see it is a two story structure either. ???????????????:tongue3:
     
  16. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    Ya know, it wasn't "hype" when tornados went through my part of Alabama.

    It wasn't "hype" when just a few weeks later more went through Joplin Mo.

    And its not "hype" to those suffering through the aftermath of Irene.

    When ya'll live through one of these type storms THEN you can talk about hype.
     
  17. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I don't get the problem though. You said first it was one thing then another as if that was an issue but it's not. Technically, we call it a life guard shack but it's a building. Not everyone uses the term "shack". When you see that happening before your eyes, you say "Oh my gosh!! That's a BUILDING moving!" It kind of shows the shock you have. But it seemed like using the two terms bothered you. Maybe I'm mistaken?
     
  18. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    If the tornado damage wasn't covered 24/7 for a week with staged reporting shots and phony presidential involvement, it wasn't hyped at all...and nobody said it was.

    Neither did anybody say the actual damage was hyped. All the hype was before landfall.

    But there is no doubt , the storm was hyped for days before it began and the damage, as bad as it is, fell well well short of the hype.

    Those are just facts. You don't have to like them. But you can't change them either.
     
  19. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
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    We created this monster. By we I mean the consumer. Why do networks pound the stuffings out of a story (or non-story)? Because dolts like us will sit in front of the TV for an hour - or a day - gawking at the unfolding scene all the while complaining about the hype. The 24 hour news cycle is market driven. Folks watch it endlessly and advertisers can't buy enough minutes. Stories with the potential for the most gore wins. If it bleeds, it leads is the adage. Why? Because the consumer wants it.

    A newscaster could say, "Forty two people died as a result of Hurricane Irene and millions of dollars of damage is reported throughout the Northeast." and that should be enough. However, the marketplace that we the consumer drive, want to see the houses get swept away, the buildings burn, the explosions and the weeping mother looking for her missing child. The networks are more than happy to oblige as long as they can sell the minutes.
     
  20. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    Out of sight, out of mind. Without the attention beforehand and after, people in other parts of the country would assume there wasn't any need for resources and volunteers to clean up the mess. There is truth to the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" I'm going to tell you, there was NO picture that truly described the damages from the tornados, you had to see it to understand the devastation. But without the pictures we wouldn't be nearly as far along in our recovery. And we are no where near recovered nearly 5 months later.

    You can call it hype if you want to. A hurricane can be planned for, but not without warning. If you don't 24 hr news casting, don't watch it. Some of us appreciate being able to catch the news whenever we have a minute. And if they are running off at the mouth, we know how to change the channel or simply turn the box off.

    Hasn't Obama done something lately for ya'll to gripe about? I mean really, haven't ya'll got anything better to complain about than something you don't have to watch in the first place?
     
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