Hurricane overreaction

Wednesday, September 3, 2008
As a youngster, I most certainly don't remember any abundant news concerning hurricanes. I'm sure we had our share of hurricanes and I'm sure they brought ample damage and destruction.

Seems I recall a whopper that hit Houston way back when and in the late '60s I recall another hurricane that hit Mississippi, though the name of that storm now escapes me.

I think the improvement in media technology has given us hurricane coverage in unparalleled fashion. And sometimes, there is just too much of a good thing.

I don't mean to diminish the potential impact of Hurricane Gustav and the harm it could have brought to the Gulf Coast. And there are people today who felt the full impact of the storm and would argue it was as devastating as Katrina.

But when New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced to the world that the "storm of the century" was approaching his city, it may have done more harm in the long run than good. In the great scheme of things, Gustav proved a bust. Granted, there was an estimated $10 billion in damage, but what can you expect when you have countless communities located along the coast and below sea level? A storm of virtually any magnitude is going to cause some damage.

The networks abandoned their planned GOP convention coverage to jet to the Gulf Coast. And when it was clear that Gustav was more hype than action, they scrambled to put the most disastrous spin possible to avoid looking like fools. In the end, this hurricane was a mighty wind that brought about the level of damage one would expect. Nothing more, nothing less.

But once again, we taxpayers will fork over billions to "rebuild" New Orleans and other regions that are prime targets. And someday -- soon or perhaps years away -- yet another hurricane will arrive and the money will flow again. And again.

We all recall that childhood story of the boy who cried wolf. Well, if the New Orleans officials cry wolf enough, someday a storm will approach and no one will blink an eye. Then the cost will be enormous.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. And that's exactly what we know of the nature of hurricanes. So we take that little knowledge and, erring on the side of caution, we frighten the public.

There's a trade-off to living in the coastal regions with their scenic beauty and gorgeous weather. That trade-off is a hurricane. If you choose to live in much of the pastoral midlands of this nation, you have tornadoes. Yin and yang. Good and bad.

Most of the nation was glued to the televisions this week to see the obligatory downed trees and power lines and people wading in waist-deep water. We got what we wanted but little else. And thank God for that.

I can only wonder who is more disappointed that New Orleans was spared -- the endless stream of weathermen who flocked to the wind-blown region or the looters in New Orleans who had surely planned a field day!

Michael Jensen is a Southeast Missourian columnist and publisher of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Mo.