I trashed the media during Irene, so I guess I have to praise them for Lee

[FLPanhandle]

Lee is another slow moving Tropical Storm that is predicted to impact the Gulf coast with stronger winds and more rain than Irene inflicted on the Northeast.

However, it appears the media has learned from the wide-spread criticism after Irene. Not only are their reports aligned with the NHC information without any delays, there are no "worst case" focus to their stories and there are few "Armageddon" or "storm of a lifetime" type stories.

So, good job media. See how easy it is to report on what the NHC says without embellishment.




Note: I shouldn't have to do this, but some people read with their emotions instead of logic. I'm NOT saying there will not be any damage, death, or flooding from this storm or from Irene. I'm saying the media reporting is in line with the projections from the National Hurricane Center and treating the people in the path of the storm like adults instead of children that need to be scared into behaving.

[Broderick]

1. +1

[spin]

2. That may be because of where Lee is happening ...

Tropical storms do not get a lot of attention when they occur on the Gulf Coast.

I'm not complaining. To be fair, it was wise to inform the people in cities like New York of what they might face and had Irene been a strong Category 1 hurricane when it hit NYC, the damage would have been far worse. Hurricanes are very powerful and dangerous storms and are nothing to be taken lightly. Admittedly, the media could have backed off a little when it was obvious that Irene was barely a hurricane and they could have focused more on the threat of flooding along the rivers by the runoff from the rain.

I've seen a lot of tropical storms and while they can be windy, the biggest problem is the amount of rain. Hurricanes often dump less rain but the winds and the tidal surge are far more dangerous. Power outages are common for both tropical storms and hurricanes. I lost power for five days after one tropical storm and living in Florida in a home without air conditioning is no fun.

It would also be wise to warn Florida if it ever faces a real snow storm. Of course, the people in the north would be laughing and would point out that a snow storm is nothing like a blizzard. (Note: it does snow in Florida. I remember one time in Tampa Florida where there was just enough snow on the ground for my daughter to make a midget snowman.)

[FLPanhandle]

3. Oh, I'm not saying take tropical cyclones lightly.

"Admittedly, the media could have backed off a little when it was obvious that Irene was barely a hurricane" That's my point.

I'm just happy to see them throttle back on the Armageddon stories when it's clear the forecasters are saying something different.

The media couldn't get away with it for Gulf Coast storms anyway as folks here know better.