On Misleading Media Coverage Of Hurricanes

Hurricanes are in the news again, and that's a bit of a problem,. It's great that media, even  the monster of all  word storms we call social media, reports on them. But the exaggerations, inaccuracies and deliberate lies about them are injurious to us all. Why can't our communications about hurricanes be honest and non hysterical. Now they  are a part of why the taxpayers in the United States are robbed by the same uninsured property owners each hurricane season, as the media demands "the government" pay for all of private damage from the storms.

For me, the carnage of the media reports of them is as large as a...well.,. a mini hurricane itself. I spent most of my long life living in ground zero, the New Orleans area. So I feel entitled to mention some of the communication untruths that have the whole country in a twitter about Hurricanes.  Here are some observations and warnings about some of the untrue media obsessions with hurricanes.

1) "The Global Warming did it" nonsense- Spreading a lie through pontificating on the theory of global warming is the cause of all aberrations in weather is the norm today. Those who spout "It's global warming and we are all going to die"' get their way, for opponents to such stupidity are demonized as "climate deniers". Who wants that label? Some of the untruths spread via those cell phones, TV's and the rest of modern media platforms that promote a false idea that "storms are bigger and more destructive than ever because of global warming". How ludicrous! Hurricanes have been with us since men and women first breathed. They are decidedly not any bigger or more frequent than in the past. In fact, during the past 50 years hurricanes have been less frequent and less large than a century ago. Science tells us that a hurricane can only get so large. After it reaches the maximum it must down size or die. Too, temperatures have a limited affect on storms. You need heat, but once you have heat the storms will form and live independently as to whether the temperature is a few degrees higher that day.

2) "Hurricanes are causing more destruction today because they are more powerful". - One part of the equation is true, but the other is not. We have more destruction from storms today, not because hurricanes are global warmed monsters, but rather because more people live in the path of the storms. With more people and more buildings, more destruction happens. But it has nothing to do with today's (smaller) sized storms.  Most of the damage from the storms is from excessive rainfall that can not drain. Why? It's because what was grass and other vegetation is now a mass of concrete that will not drain. Too, modern drainage systems, pumping stations etc., are woefully less adequate for the large population today. If you reduced the Houston, Texas area population to what it was 50 years ago (much less than half the size Houston, is today) the damage from Hurricane Harvey would have been minuscule.

3) "I heard on the news that this storm will be massive"- Rumors started by medium and non mediums alike have always been a part of hurricane warnings. But most are false. Mediums that are mainstream and those awful social media news reports are unaccountable for their lies. It seems we are sheep today, accepting what we are told emanating  from our medium sources and rarely reprimanding those who spread gossip through the channels. I remember living on the same block in New Orleans as a popular TV weather guy. He always told me to ignore most of what was broadcast about approaching hurricanes because his station and others report storms based on the Scare em principle. "The station wants us to report the hurricane from the worst possible stand point, even if we know that scenario is highly likely. Ratings are better when we scare em."

4) Reporting the size of the storm while it is afar as if it will remain that size when landing on shore- The trend today is for reports on storms to be based on their biggest size at any time during their life span. But hurricanes always down size as they come ashore. The friction created in making landfall immediately starts killing the storms as they make their way into the affected area. Thus, a huge storm one day from landfall often is significantly smaller when making landfall. To pretend that the hurricane will always be as large as it once was, days before landing, is a great disservice to people who need accurate warnings.


5) "The government is responsible to pay for my damage to my home"- This myth has come about in the U.S. because we have become a social welfare state, one in which the individual feels entitled to financial "help" from the government for every problem large or small. Most homeowners in the path of hurricane have a mortgage loan financing their home's purchase. The mortgage company requires the homeowner to verify each year that his home is fully insured. That's great. But many people own homes without a mortgage, do not buy home or flood insurance. When their property is damaged by a storm, those people claim "I didn't know I needed to insure my property for damage" or "I can't afford insurance". No politician will refuse their phony cries, and money is always given (never loaned....just given) to the irresponsible uninsured property owner because to not pay their bills is to lose the next election. Too, the reason so many live so near water these days is because they build with the knowledge that the government will rescue them if their property is damaged by flood or wind.  What should be in place instead is a mandatory proof of insurance requirement to be checked by the local government each year. Those without insurance should be given a written statement that the government will give no funds to them if their property is damaged due to a storm.

I trust these points I made today will not make you label me a "Hurricane denier" or some similar left wing title. But if you do I will remind you that calling me names for reporting the truth about hurricanes makes you as big bag of hot air....