Frankenstorm. Really news media? THAT'S what you decided to name Hurricane Sandy?
Or is she a Tropical Storm?
Or is she the storm of the century?
So here we sit. Riding out the storm of the century and I have already had enough of the panic; more to the point I fed up with the obscene, media-induced panic that they have generated. We get it. Hurricanes and storm fronts, can and do, cause widespread damage, deaths and days of disruption. But do you really have to make all of that worse by freaking out the general public?
As a clse friend posted this morning....
*Local new station*
" FLOODING. WIND. RAIN. DESTRUCTION......Warning do not go out. Stay at home. HIGH TIDE. SAVE YOURSELF. " (that's the condensed version)
YES. There is flooding and high winds, however, much of that is localized and limited to flood zones and shorelines.
YES. There are high winds and some damaged caused in, yes you guessed it, SHORELINES and unprotected coastal settings, i.e. the beach.
YES. It's probably not a great idea to head to the beach, or go cruising. But you can certainly head to the store for supplies, or to a friend's house to make sure they are ok.
Hurricanes are by no means a laughing matter and be deadly and very scary. However, media outlets seem to take special pleasure in working up a panic when there is no need for one......in your area.
I live on the Hampton Peninsula - wedged between the Chesapeake and open Atlantic (kinda), we were in the path of both Irene and Sandy. I am forever grateful for the limited damage caused by both - and this was something that should come as no surprise to the media. Despite our relation to the path, we knew that it would be uncomfortable but it was going to be no " Storm of DEVASTATING PORTIONS"
Kill a motor Local and National News!
People need common sense information and how to be prepared.
NOT.....ARMAGEDDON!
We have weathered the storm well. We only have one small downed tree, some minor debris in around the house and limited flooding issues. We were lucky.
I will, however, take a moment and say one thing - I am lucky and would have OH SO upset if we had lost power. Why? Because I have spent FIVE weeks pouring my heart and soul and untold amounts of pain and agony into my current class. It might sound petty and thoughtless - but it means everything to me to take my final and accomplish something that I have not been able to do in my whole college career - PASS A MATH CLASS.
Therefore, if we had lost power on the day of my final.....I might have lost it. Seriously. Tears. Hair-pulling. Raging fits.
As it is......we got lucky. We had power. And.....I passed. Finally. I passed. The relief that I feel is like no other. If you have the type of learning disability as I do.....you will appreciate my joy and relief in making MATH MY BITCH.
In summary - This was a huge storm that is yet to show her full power. My thoughts are with the those who have suffered at her hands and those who are still to deal with her rage. I hope that my family and friends in the North are prepared and stay safe!
Carry on and stay calm.
