Sensationalized Hurricane News?

[RogerB]

Was the news about how strong Milton would be over blown (pun intended)? Thoughts?

 

[WaspAir]

The conventional view of hurricane forecasts looks something like this.

Perfect prediction: we're not that smart, but might be lucky
Overestimate: costly and inconvenient
Underestimate: people die

 

[Abid]

I am not sure what you mean? In my community the rain meter measured about 14 inches of rain and people who had weather stations on their houses recorded 104 mph wind gusts.
There were 125 total tornado warnings in Florida in a day. 25 or so tornados that came before the hurricane and they weren’t typical tropical tornados. Those are weaker. They destroyed 100+ homes on east coast of Florida when storm was landing on west coast. So far they killed 13 people but that us going to rise.

 

[Roundwing]

The families of the dead and destroyed home owners probably don't think that the predictions were "over blown".

Rick

 

[Doug Riley]

We caught a "break," in that the storm lost some power before hitting the coast. It was Cat 5 when out in the Gulf. There would have been much more wind damage had it remained at that strength.

Just dumb luck, not something to be counted upon in the future.

 

[Aerofoam]

All of that being said, the media ALWAYS sensationalizes/overstates anything it can get away with, disaster sells.....

 

[Mayfield]

"If it bleeds, it leads." (William Randolph Hearst, 1898)

 

[Aerofoam]

Lyrics:
"I make my living off the Evening News
Just give me somethin', somethin' I can use
People love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry"

Don Henley -1982

 

[okikuma]

The person that loses their home and everything due to a natural disaster is truly devastated. Another person a few blocks away suffers minimal damage and has not lost much of anything from the same natural disaster, says “I don’t know why other people are complaining. It was not bad at all.”

"Perception is reality." Unfortunately, that flaw is very much part of the human condition.

Wayne

 

[j4flyer]

Does it matter that the devastation was less than predicted ? No, I take it as a blessing. However, the devastation was still experienced by a large number of people. Let’s not forget there are millions without power, heat or homes. This will take years to recover. Some that have lost family will never recover. I saw a story where a new mother and her week old twins were killed by a falling tree. It brings tears to my eyes.
We will also be affected. These events will push our home owners insurance and car insurance to new levels. I am glad to accept this monetary loss vs what those poor people are living in NC, Georgia and Florida. Abid and others, I’m glad you’re safe.

 

[loftus]

Was the news about how strong Milton would be over blown (pun intended)? Thoughts?

Come visit Central Florida and decide for yourself

 

[MikeBoyette]

Having “lived through it” and being amateur meteorologist my answer to your question is no not at all. I’ve lived in Florida. Most of my life been through several hurricanes with the exception of Andrew. This is the worst one I’ve ever been through luckily for me my house is built in 2013 and is up to standard and on higher ground so I had very minimal damage. Just two trees people around me within a quarter mile. Their homes are destroyed demolished trees upgraded. We still have no power if they exaggerated a little bit so be it it most likely save lives if people listen to it to minimize it and say that it was sensationalized for media consumption is totally inaccurate as far as concerned.

 

[okikuma]

One nevers knows what they don't know.

Wayne

 

[Mayfield]

I'm constantly amazed at the razor thin margin between unharmed and dead.

JR summed it up well in post #2

Jim

 

[loftus]

Having “lived through it” and being amateur meteorologist my answer to your question is no not at all. I’ve lived in Florida. Most of my life been through several hurricanes with the exception of Andrew. This is the worst one I’ve ever been through luckily for me my house is built in 2013 and is up to standard and on higher ground so I had very minimal damage. Just two trees people around me within a quarter mile. Their homes are destroyed demolished trees upgraded. We still have no power if they exaggerated a little bit so be it it most likely save lives if people listen to it to minimize it and say that it was sensationalized for media consumption is totally inaccurate as far as concerned.

Glad you got through it OK. We also dodged the bullet here on the East Coast in the Daytona area. Much of the area still without power. Gabor about 5 miles from me was not so lucky, his house was completely flooded.

 

[bryancobb]

Dude!, These NOAA and NWS folks as well as other agencies involved in the week before Helene and then the week before Milton, were doing the best they could. The only people that ruffled my feathers were the dookey-stirrers beating their drums constantly in the background saying ridiculous stuff like the storms were steered by cloud-seeding, and spreading lies that FEMA was forbidding civil helicopters from taking off in Hickory, NC.

 

[RogerB]

Yea I don’t have a horse in this race I’m in Canada , I have close friends and business partners in the Cape Coral and Sarasota areas that still can’t make it back to their houses to see the damage.

I’m not doubting anything and I haven’t done my homework, I just wanted to hear if this guys post (the owner of the Yamaha conversion aviation engines company, Viking) was onto something or totally off - he is based in Florida.

 

[MikeBoyette]

Jan is on the other coast and the storm although, still a cat 1/2 by the time it got to them. They had to deal with enough with storm surge and Tornadoes. The area that was once the eye went right over my house and it was the worst storm I have ever been in other than a tornado once. This storm will probably do the impossible and slow the invasion for a bit as the fear will be there. Might even cause a temporary mass exodus.

 

[Abid]

Yea I don’t have a horse in this race I’m in Canada , I have close friends and business partners in the Cape Coral and Sarasota areas that still can’t make it back to their houses to see the damage.

I’m not doubting anything and I haven’t done my homework, I just wanted to hear if this guys post (the owner of the Yamaha conversion aviation engines company, Viking) was onto something or totally off - he is based in Florida.

There is major damage to a large hangar at Tampa International airport and Sarasota International is closed because a whole concourse roof came off.
I came back and I had fruit trees which are all broken and snapped and water is past my fence line from the conservation. My neighbors list patches of shingles in the roof and need tarps. Another 10 mph and some of the roofs here might have been in jeopardy and these are newer houses made to updated codes. Just a few Mikes from us a road has washed away. In about 5 miles from us a Publix shopping plaza is flooded from Cyprus Creek river overflowing well after the storm. That river is so small it barely is even thought about by locals.
My property has sone minor damage. I am glad none of the tall trees in the conservation did not fall because they would be on my roof. My wife’s rain gauge she has at our house recorded 12” of rain within one day.

The initial damage estimate according to the state is $50 billion.

 

[Heron]

There was a cold front that by making contact with Milton, took power out of it, downgrading it two notches, that saved a lot of damages and possible deaths! I wish all gyroheads are ok, double hit ain't funny!