Storm excitement? Think again

Posted 10/30/12

Before the intense storm that has been dubbed Sandy moved through the Northeast, people worked to secure their homes and yards, and stocked up on necessities such as flashlights, batteries, candles, …

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Storm excitement? Think again

Posted

Before the intense storm that has been dubbed Sandy moved through the Northeast, people worked to secure their homes and yards, and stocked up on necessities such as flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, bottled water, non-perishable food items – the list goes on.

Some may even have conducted double or triple duty, as not only are they responsible for their own homes, but they also checked up on the homes of their loved ones, their businesses and even their vehicles and boats. They hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst.

You may call it fear; we call it common sense, as the National Weather Service Sunday reported wind damage and outages more severe than last year’s storm, Irene.

They noted that Sandy had the potential to hit nearly a third of the United States, putting up to 60 million people in danger.

Is it all unnecessary hype? We don’t think so. Do people go a little too far in terms of preparation? Maybe. But, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

With that said, we find it a bit odd and even a little insensitive that others happily anticipated the storm, noting the wonderment, awe and power of Mother Nature on social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter.

If you are “excited” or “looking forward” to storms, you might want to think again. You might think it’s fun to watch the waves as a storm builds, but others do not. It’s simply not sensible to do so, especially because storm watchers could be harmed. As a result, they put rescuers in harm’s way.

And think of the economy. Natural disasters are costly.

A storm knocking down a tree onto – and into – a home is not something we find riveting. Power outages, the lack of hot water, flooded basements, spoiled food – along with its stench – are not captivating.

Do us a favor and ask yourself if the people of New Orleans, La. thought Hurricane Katrina, the deadliest and most destructive Atlantic hurricane of 2005, and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States, was fascinating or riveting. More than 1,800 people lost their lives during Katrina.

So please, think again, storm chasers.

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  • Michael2012

    hahaha. knocking storm chasers and weather buffs. First of all you can't change mother nature (except for global warming due to burning fossil fuels), other wise storms will come and there is nothing any one can do about it except be smart and not buy a home or business right along the water other wise you're asking for trouble!

    Don't buy a house or business right along a river such as the Pawtuxet.

    People are weird, especially when it comes to storms. It doesn't bother me that people get excited for storms, are fascinated by them, are interested in them (scientifically), respect their power. If they want to chase storms they are doing us all a favor so we know what to expect !!! They know what they are doing. How often do you hear about a storm chaser injuried or killed ?? I've heard of none.

    So I say bring on the storms if it's Gods will.

    Oh, and New Orleans is one big fish bowl that should never have been developed in that location.

    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Report this