I wanted to write about this earlier but my sister and nephew were in town visiting until last night (my sister tends to bring disaster with her- this time it was a hurricane). We rode out the weekend storm together and were lucky it wasn't worse here in New York City. But given how the news media and public figures reported it, the city and our vacation were doomed from the get-go.
Luckily we didn't take the reports too seriously and panic. I don't think very many people in the city did. And now that the storm is over and the city has not crumbled from wind and flood damage, everybody is assessing the media hype that predicted that drastic aftermath.
Yes, over a dozen people died and millions are without power, and there was some heavy flooding and downed trees. But Irene was no Katrina. Was it really necessary to shut the subway system down, order evacuations and warn people "if you haven't left you should leave now. Not later this evening, not this afternoon, immediately." (Mayor Bloomberg)?
Even throughout the day on Sunday when it became apparent that Irene would not be so bad, especially in New York City, news outlets continued to play it up. Most memorable was the Huffington Post, whose headline read in big bold letters "Hurricane Irene Slams New York."
Irene did not slam New York. There was some serious flooding and power loss upstate, but throughout most of the storm New Yorkers continued going about their business as best they could. As reporters and bloggers were tweeting about the imminent emergency barreling our way, I could still see people walking their dogs and going jogging down the street. Those people did not die and were not blown away. They were fine.
It's always better to think ahead and plan for the worst in instances of natural disasters, but what happened with Irene was over the top. It was an important story that deserved serious coverage and warning, but the media got our country worked into a worrisome frenzy for a storm that in the end did not merit it.
Was it for the ratings? That, among other factors, are at the center of the "hurricane hype" debate. It's been a popular topic since about Sunday afternoon, when the news and weather channels finally stopped pushing back Irene's arrival time and people starting admitting it was a dud. I think it was partly for the ratings, partly a result of over-cautiousness from politicians. No one wants what happened in New Orleans, and no one wants to seem unprepared on national television.
The debate will continue for perhaps a few more days, before splintering off into new and more sensationalist stories. As Gawker said on Sunday, "Tomorrow's commutes will be rough tomorrow, but in 10 years, how much will any of us even remember 'where we were' when Irene struck?"
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