I hope he's still alive tomorrow. The storm chaser dudes and dudettes deserve mockery, but hurricanes can be deadly even if sensationalism is the business of the news channels and the Weather Channel. And Ike's a monster. posted by raysmj at 1:21 AM on September 13, 2008
Will FEMA give him a circus bear trailer instead of a normal mobile home? posted by sebas at 1:21 AM on September 13, 2008
I have a friend who literally moved from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Galveston Texas a month ago, at the beginning of august after Cedar Rapids got flooded. Her apartment in cedar rapids didn't get flooded, but it sounds like her house may have been washed away in Galveston, even though 20 foot storm surge on the north side of the hurricane ended up hitting the Port Aurthur area. And of course you can't buy flood insurance during hurricane season, which seems pretty unfair for people who just move into the Area.
And this is her second evacuation in just a month! posted by delmoi at 2:39 AM on September 13, 2008
jackass. definitely. posted by msconduct at 4:28 AM on September 13, 2008
jackass. definitely.
VerytTrue. But the clip still made me laugh. posted by spoobnooble at 5:02 AM on September 13, 2008
The bear guy is a doof but why does the reporter have to be there? Seriously, do people need visual evidence that hurricanes do damage? We're risking a guy and his crew for OMG fishing pier gone? When the authorities are trying to get everyone out of the city why do we have to then show reporters standing in front of horizontal trees to prove there really is a hurricane going on? I get it, it's news, but I'm really okay with the weather guy telling me what the storm's path is. posted by Legomancer at 5:13 AM on September 13, 2008
why does the reporter have to be there
It makes even less sense (if that is possible) when it is a static location, like the front of a building where a meeting may be taking place or similar. posted by asok at 5:27 AM on September 13, 2008
delmoi: I hope your friends house is okay. I'm assuming that, like almost all of the houses on the north, it was built on stilts for just this type of situation, and if so then it should weather the storm. I hope.
Seriously though, Galveston might be the only town in the country who's culture and history and infrastructure could all be aptly wrapped up in the phrase, "respectful of fucking hurricanes." Everything in Galveston (which is a really, really fun place, actually) is a reminder of the storm of 1900. I imagine that people there are following the orders. Again, at least I hope.
And it doesn't shock me that the bars in Houston are staying open. Ike's going to be a monster, yes, but Houston's built in a way that can take it, is built on broad, flat land sloping gently down into the gulf, and it isn't in danger of punishingly damaging elements like storm surges or broken levees. It'll suck for a day or two, but a lot of people will stay just because it's easier (my brother and sister-in-law, for instance, who are in the process of moving). The real concern for Houston is the possible outbreak of tornadoes in the storm's wake, as happened with Hurricane Carla in 1961.
In conclusion, dressing up as the hamburgler and stealing peoples food at McDonald's will always make me laugh. Add the "aww man!" response from the victim of the theft, and we are truly in the valley of LOLs. posted by Navelgazer at 6:37 AM on September 13, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]
Seriously though, Galveston might be the only town in the country who's culture and history and infrastructure could all be aptly wrapped up in the phrase, "respectful of fucking hurricanes." Everything in Galveston (which is a really, really fun place, actually) is a reminder of the storm of 1900. I imagine that people there are following the orders. Again, at least I hope.
are you kidding me?? weren't the words "facing certain death" used a whole lot by the weather services, urging people to get the hell out?
survival of the fittest, indeed. posted by killy willy at 6:45 AM on September 13, 2008
Yesterday on NPR a man gave his reason for staying through Ike - his wife had just died and he had planned to bury her this weekend, and he wasn't leaving until that was done. Maybe he just wants to join her sooner rather than later. :-(
Still, death by hurricane? posted by killy willy at 6:49 AM on September 13, 2008
This is horrible. Very real death and destruction is imminent, some clown shows up dancing around in a bear suit, and that's what the news camera focuses on.
That reminds me of the people wearing animal costumes in ' The Shining'. posted by doctorschlock at 8:17 AM on September 13, 2008
weren't the words "facing certain death" used a whole lot by the weather services, urging people to get the hell out?
Although there will always be dimbulbs who will choose to ride it out, let's not forget what we should have learned from Katrina: there are a lot of folks who, if told to "get the hell out" have no place to go and no way to get there, plus no insurance to just leave fate to. They're not stupid, they're just poor. And they didn't "choose" to ignore the warnings; I'm sure they wouldn't mind being in a situation where they have an option. posted by Legomancer at 8:31 AM on September 13, 2008
there are a lot of folks who, if told to "get the hell out" have no place to go and no way to get there
the city had buses ready to take them and there were shelters open for them - they CHOSE to ignore the warnings
this isn't katrina - the government actually seems to have been prepared, at least so far posted by pyramid termite at 9:21 AM on September 13, 2008
I have lurked here for a long time, but I didn't want to sign up until I had something to contribute. posted by vibrotronica at 9:24 AM on September 13, 2008
I don't know if this will become the Hurricane Ike thread or what, but the reports I'm hearing about Galveston (for those who ae familiar with Galveston) say that Brennan's Restaurant has burned down, and the the Balinese Room has been destroyed. posted by Navelgazer at 9:35 AM on September 13, 2008
That was my first thought. posted by taursir at 1:25 PM on September 13, 2008
I watched a lot of storm coverage last night because we've got family in the area, none of whom evacuated. (The state told Houstonites to stay put and leave the roads open for the people coming north.) I flipped through various channels, and I have to say that CNN may be the most annoying channel of all time. Good lord, it's like the Attention Deficit Channel. On the upside, they sent all of their hurricane reporters out in red shirts. Which made me laugh.
The funniest meta-moment of the coverage so far was when some red-shirt was standing somewhere wet and someone walked through the frame and the anchor told the red shirt to go grab the passer-by and ask them why they were staying. It was another reporter. Hee!
As to damage, it's insane how badly stuff is damaged, and for how far. Almost 3 million people are without power. Last I heard, and I'm not sure where they got this number, but a CNN talking head said that 24,000 people were unaccounted for. Again, I missed how they arrived at that number though, so I may have misunderstood. posted by dejah420 at 5:57 PM on September 13, 2008
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posted by raysmj at 1:21 AM on September 13, 2008