DN Editorial: Irene: Hype on. We're rather be over-prepared
AS FAR AS we're concerned, the only bad over-hyping generated by Hurricane Irene was Michele Bachmann's claim that the storm was a sign from God that He wanted a smaller government.
AS FAR AS we're concerned, the only bad over-hyping generated by Hurricane Irene was Michele Bachmann's claim that the storm was a sign from God that He wanted a smaller government.
As for the talking heads who are now complaining about "Irene overhype" and ascribing political motives to officials who may have overdone public warnings, we can't help thinking that they are merely disappointed that the actual event fell short of an even mediocre disaster movie. (OK, maybe we are, a little, too.)
But as for the back-to-back, round-the-clock coverage of Irene and the warnings about its catastrophic potential, we wonder: What else do you do about a hurricane described as the "size of Europe" as it heads toward densely packed cities?
How else do you respond when the legacy of Katrina still lingers like a cloud - when the failure to prepare contributed to an official death toll of nearly 1,500?
The 26 people that Irene killed, and the untold damage to property, and to trees, was bad. But how much worse might it have been if people hadn't over-prepared?
Those who decided to defy evacuation orders and stay behind, because "they thought it wasn't going to be so bad" don't deserve kudos. A potential disaster like this taxes not just personal property, but the people who put their own lives on the line to rescue those in danger. No matter what the outcome ignoring public warnings is ultimately a selfish act.
Bottom line: We're glad we dodged a bigger bullet. But we're also glad that elected officials donned their hurricane costumes and kept up the drumbeat.
Speaking of costumes: We can always count on Mayor Nutter to see the wardrobe possibilities in crises. In Irene, he did not disappoint. Note New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's lame attempts at storm gear with a pink oxford shirt. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's fleece was more suitable for a blizzard.
We give the Crisis Costume prize to Nutter: his waterproof gear is not only appropriate, but shows he actually went outside.
