Hurricane Florence

[Gary Byrum]

The sun is shining today. The storm has passed. But not without the area weather forecasters sensationalizing it to death. People spent lots of bucks prepping for a good dose of steady rain and a gust or 10 in Lincoln County and surrounding areas. I'm not downplaying the havoc Florence wreaked in areas closer to the coast, but that once again, our local forecasters played it like a fiddle conjuring up fear in everybody.

Now I'm sure some of you may have seen this already, but in case you didn't, this "Weather Channel" reporter played it well also. I suppose he should have taken a look around him to see if there was anybody else was there. Check out the people in the background.

https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/15/tv-w...ence-winds-as-he-battles-to-stand-up-7946679/

 

[Gary Byrum]

OOPS! Sorry for the double posting SB. I guess I didn't see what you were aiming at.

 

[BA_Incognito]

I spent my entire career in emergency services and I can say without a doubt that I despise the Weather Channel. There are a business, and a business must make money. In the entertainment business that means eyeballs and views. The more eyeballs the more advertising you can sell and the more money you make. So they have to do things to keep you hooked.

The bigger problem is the "Cry Wolf" syndrome. Too many times crying wolf and then nobody listens. That's when things have the potential to get really bad. Hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms can cause enough damage and loss of life on their own. When folks no longer pay attention to the warnings cause they have seen this show before, then the damage and loss of life is even greater.

When I had to do planning and updates for any major weather event, I only used the information provided by the National Weather Service. Its not flashy. It won't keep you glued to your seat through the next commercial. But it is based on the best information available at the time, without the hype.

I would loose no sleep at all if the Weather Channel disappeared