Is Isaac being downplayed?

I was checking on Hurricane Isaac and the coverage actually seems to be far LESS than the situation calls for. I know I'm gonna regret this (not sure how much traffic they can handle) but here is a site with live feeds from police, fire and emergency radio broadcasts. You can listen live..............
www.radioreference.com...
I was listening earlier and there were TONS of calls coming in from Jefferson County when the feed suddenly went dead. Within minutes almost all the feeds in that area died and this was followed by other counties in the region.
I don't think it's a conspiracy or cover up, I just think these guys are getting POUNDED.

reply to post by Trublbrwing

God help them. They've taken a beating so many times...

What purpose would down playing serve? It's a CAT 1 Hurricane...anyone that's ever been through one knows exactly what to expect. I think I get what you're getting at..but really it's only a 1.It's not a major hurricane so it's not going to recieve the same amount of coverage as those. I'm in Florida and honestly when it was off our coast I felt there was TOO much coverage. I'm sure when it's over there will be plenty of coverage.

Having been through several dozens of hurricanes, both bad and mild, this one is on the tiny side. A Cat 1 hurricane is not a lot more dangerous than a really heavy thunderstorm. It just lasts a lot longer.

The situation with Katrina was really messed up -- the hurricane passed without more than normal flooding of the city. It was afterwards that a levee broke and began the flooding everyone remembers. The mayors, for decades before Katrina, always ran continuous inspections along the levees to check for damage before, during, and after any hurricane. If there was any danger of overflowing, breaking, or bubbling up inside the levee (due to increased ground water pressure), they always used sandbags to stop the damage and prevent widespread flooding. That major simply didn't do what needed to be done. He apparently thought everyone else should be doing his job for him. The flooding should never have happened AFTER a storm passed. It was a clear dereliction of duty IMO.

How do I know? I lived there and was on the disaster response teams (volunteer) in and around New Orleans under other administrations. Multiple administrations. I do know what was normally done and what was not done in Katrina.

So, in short, the coverage of Isaac is way overblown. It's probably in part political -- a convenient and to the ignorant a proper thing to do. But to me it seems the intent is to try to deflect the news from RNC convention.

New Orleans will have some flooding in the streets -- it always does in regular rainstorms. The pumps are so big, that some street flooding is required just to get them primed. Rainstorm flooding is so common, most residents have two ways home: the regular way and the HIGH way which avoids flooded streets. This one is is a big rainstorm with a bit of wind, streets will flood. If you don't have shelter or live in a shanty, it would be good to go to a public shelter. But like Katrina? Which BTW was a middle level hurricane - a mere Cat 3. No way. This is the type of hurricane where you put lawn chairs on your front porch, break out the chips and dip, and watch the power go down all around you. The blue green flashes when copper vaporizes are amazing!

2 ALARM FIRE
08/17/12 14:13 (BELLE CHASSE - 28903) UPDATE: COMML BLDG FIRE; VERY HEAVY SMOKE; INTERIOR ATTACK ONGOING; MUTUAL AID FOR MANPOWER. [LOU009]
2 ALARM FIRE
08/17/12 13:55 (BELLE CHASSE - 28903) BELLE CHASSE VFD ON SCENE MAJOR FIRE NEED MUTAL AID FROM GRETNA ,HARVEY, TERRYTOWN [LOU009]

EDIT: sorry. posting something from DAYS ago (I thought it had just happened, didn't see the date xD.). fires in a building.

Originally posted by nightstalker78
What purpose would down playing serve? It's a CAT 1 Hurricane...anyone that's ever been through one knows exactly what to expect. I think I get what you're getting at..but really it's only a 1.It's not a major hurricane so it's not going to recieve the same amount of coverage as those. I'm in Florida and honestly when it was off our coast I felt there was TOO much coverage. I'm sure when it's over there will be plenty of coverage.

edit on 29-8-2012 by nightstalker78 because: (no reason given)

I don't think they are purposely downplaying it, I just think the cat.1 status fails to take into account the speed of travel and the amount of water and sustained winds involved. Having never experienced a weather event like this I have no idea what would be normal for each category, it just sounded like the emergency response teams were overwhelmed followed by the server link going down.
I appreciate the birds eye view from someone in the area, it's hard to tell what's hype nowadays.

Originally posted by novemberecho

2 ALARM FIRE
08/17/12 14:13 (BELLE CHASSE - 28903) UPDATE: COMML BLDG FIRE; VERY HEAVY SMOKE; INTERIOR ATTACK ONGOING; MUTUAL AID FOR MANPOWER. [LOU009]
2 ALARM FIRE
08/17/12 13:55 (BELLE CHASSE - 28903) BELLE CHASSE VFD ON SCENE MAJOR FIRE NEED MUTAL AID FROM GRETNA ,HARVEY, TERRYTOWN [LOU009]

EDIT: sorry. posting something from DAYS ago (I thought it had just happened, didn't see the date xD.). fires in a building.

edit on 29-8-2012 by novemberecho because: (no reason given)

Those are just the selected text feeds. You have to find an active link and click the little speaker icon on the left side to hear live action.
There are only a few feeds left, all the ones flagged in red are down.

reply to post by BayesLike

I agree about the RNC thing. Nowadays I find myself asking "what's your agenda?" every single time a reporter (sic) opens their mouth.
On a side note I thought it was hilarious when they announced the Supedome, convention center and airport were NOT shelters, that forces people to take personal responsibility instead of costing taxpayers millions to clean up their mess.

reply to post by Trublbrwing


I get ya. I think because it's moving slowly it's going to be a little bit worse then a faster storm would be. I think it's currently(last I heard) moving at 7 mph. Which is really really slow for a hurricane.It made landfall I think around 745 PM EST...so I think the authorities there are dealing with a prolonged event. There's lot of panic down here,I'm not sure where you're at..but here in Florida it's been constantly on the news and we didn't even get the brunt of it. Just now on the news they were saying they're expecting up to 20 inches of rain.

Originally posted by nightstalker78
reply to post by Trublbrwing

I get ya. I think because it's moving slowly it's going to be a little bit worse then a faster storm would be. I think it's currently(last I heard) moving at 7 mph. Which is really really slow for a hurricane.

Before the eye comes onto land around the New Orleans area, the hurricanes often stall for several hours sometimes longer. When they start moving, they sometimes head in a totally different direction. If the eye is supposed to track near where you live, a stall can be a good thing.

What is an unforgettable experience is a cat 5 storm, like Camille and Betsy. Those were incredible! The power of such storms is majestic and humbling. In both, the eye came fairly close to my house. I've only been in the actual eye once -- and didn't hesitate to go outside to experience the calm at the center. In both Camille and Betsy, the gusts were being reported at over 200 Mph -- before we lost power. Katrina was much, much smaller and shouldn't have caused a problem if the mayor did what was normally done, but you get the level of competence the people vote for!

In Camille, I wondered for about 12 hours if the house was going to come apart. In storms that strong, your entire house shakes as if it were in an earthquake the entire time -- but the floor doesn't move. The frame just vibrates and rattles constantly, at times quite intensely. Watching shingles and then plywood come off of the roofs of the houses around you is a little unnerving. As is seeing entire trees, roots and all, flying through the air... Makes you wonder if you made the right decision to stay home and then you realize there is now no other option -- getting to a shelter just isn't going to happen. Between that worry, the vibration all around you, and the constant loud, howling wind-noise it's hard to get much sleep.

BTW: a few weeks to a month without power was quite normal when I lived there. Fresh water is a real problem for a while if you haven't stocked up. It's good to have some extra water for your neighbors, just in case. Usually, after your first storm, you learn what to buy and not buy at the grocery. Inexperienced people buy lots of frozen food and perishables like lunch-meat, mayo, and milk. Ice is nearly impossible to find for days afterwards. Among the more experienced you will find homes well stocked with canned goods and water, manual can openers in good working order, candles for light, and plenty of charcoal or propane for cooking (and matches) to get the grill going. Plus, their cars will be fully gassed; filling stations don't work well without power.

BTW: just like in Katrina, you will be on your own for a few days before help arrives. It takes the National Guard time to move downed trees off 60 to 90 miles of the interstate and major roads so food, water, and medical supplies can be provided. Usually, neighbors help clear paths through neighborhoods before outside help arrives.

i might get crapped on for this reply,but i got big shoulders. i can handle it!
Isaac being downplayed?!!!
i think if anything its being sensationalized!
now,first off,i wanna say my heart goes out to the people dealing with this storm,and i hope everyone stays safe.
but,its only a category 1 storm!
cnn is broad casting like its the storm of the century!!!!
very little evac. has been ordered. ya,some areas will be affected more than others,but its still a pretty weak storm.
don't hurricanes get weaker as they hit land?
here in ontario we have pretty calm weather in general,but once a month in the summer we get at least 1 thunderstorm that easily has 75 mph winds,torrential down pours and tornadoes.
and yes,this happens in our winters as well,just replace the rain with snow and freezing rain!!!
(yes there is tornadoes and lightning storms in a blizzard,i've seen them!)
so again,i hope the people in the south are all safe,but i think the news is making WAY more out of this storm than it actually is! just mu opinion

One of the local meteorologists in my area just posted this on his facebook...

"We're looking at a very dangerous situation across Louisiana...In Plaquemines Parish, LA storm surge is 9-13 feet; levees are only 8.5 feet high. Water will continue to spill over for 6-12 hrs"

Doesn't sound good Prayers for everyone down there.

Is Isaac being downplayed

Just the opposite. I think it was played up. At least, the Florida part was. The Weather Channel (run by left wing NBC) kept saying how dangerous it was for Florida and especially for Tampa .. that it was going to be a two or three level hurricane .. that it was going to be bad bad bad. And yet, all it was for Florida was a raggedy tropical storm. It wouldn't surprise me if left wing NBC - which runs the Weather Channel - played it up on purpose to get the Republican National Convention to either be cancelled or cut back.

THAT is a conspiracy! And it's fully believable! (and probable!!)

The worst part of dealing with Chicken Little is actually getting Chicken Little to understand the sky is not falling. There has been a decided overstatement in regard to all coverage regarding weather and is designed to drive profit, especially when it comes to BIG OIL.

I think you wish for the reporting to go FULL SCALE so you can reap profit, perhaps?

Originally posted by nightstalker78
reply to post by Trublbrwing

 

I get ya. I think because it's moving slowly it's going to be a little bit worse then a faster storm would be. I think it's currently(last I heard) moving at 7 mph. Which is really really slow for a hurricane.It made landfall I think around 745 PM EST...so I think the authorities there are dealing with a prolonged event. There's lot of panic down here,I'm not sure where you're at..but here in Florida it's been constantly on the news and we didn't even get the brunt of it. Just now on the news they were saying they're expecting up to 20 inches of rain.

edit on 29-8-2012 by nightstalker78 because: (no reason given)

edit on 29-8-2012 by nightstalker78 because: (no reason given)

You are correct. It is how slow this is moving which is why they wont see the worst of the flooding until tomorrow. It is a smaller storm, and just a category 1, and barely at that, but it is the amount of rain and storm surge that is the problem.

Is the media overblowing this? Hmm, debateable for sure. But either way there is danger, which should be reported.

I imagine the people being rescued down in Plaquemine parish believe this is a monster of a storm with 12 ft of water in the neighborhood.

reply to post by nightstalker78


In a word - yes.

Levee breached in Plaquemines Parish...pumps affected by power outages...trees and power lines down all over...Isaac mostly stalled out....people stuck on roofs and attics AGAIN...winds
higher than expected.

National news mostly dedicated to GOP convention.

It looks big from space to me:



That is from the ISS.

Hard to say actually. I thought it was a bit overhyped at first when the first few models had it heading straight for Tampa. Having a major hurricane hit a political convention would have been epic and to be honest I would have much rather seen it hit Tampa than New Orleans,

Now every time I check any of the cable news networks they are talking about the convention, not the storm. I don't really see the storm getting that much more airtime than non-convention stories.

I think there is also a perception that tropical storms and Cat 1 and 2 hurricanes can't cause massive damage. This storm will probably drop more rain than Katrina and is going to continue saturating the area for quite a while and also move up the Mississippi so waters will rise even after it moves on. Some of the worse flooding I'm aware of occurred after a dying hurricane stalled out as a tropical storm inland and caused major flooding.

I think the thing to really watch, is what happens in New Orleans. At first it looked as if Katrina had left them in alright shape, but when the levies failed the real tragedy happened.

Time will tell and within the next week or so if the hype was too much, too little, or justified. We all have a stake in New Orleans after Katrina. A HUGE AMOUNT OF BORROWED MONEY has been used to reinforce the area after Katrina. How well it holds up speaks both to the power of nature, and the wise use of the money that our children will be paying interest on.

reply to post by Trublbrwing


The last decade has been such a natrual disaster rich environment. Just hard to get up for another big fire or twister.....what have you.

reply to post by kosmicjack


Timing is crazy. Some are already trying to put POTUS in hot seat over reaction to storm. What a time for comes around goes around. Strange.