Hurricane Coverage

I know that another huge and devestaing hurricane is bearing down on the Gulf Coast again, but I have to tell you about the hurricane coverage we got here as Rita came "close" the Key West. I was listening to my morning radio show on the way to work this morning and I was laughing hysterically. People always make fun of how reporters over-dramatize things and try to make the storm seem worst than it is. So this morning, they were playing the Top 5 news clips from local reporters as they were reporting on Rita as it hit South Florida. We were very fortunate that no major damage was done and Rita was bearly a hurricane when it hit, but the reporters have to do there jobs and "cover" whats going on, even when nothing really is.

One reporter was in Key West and the clip went something like this: "I'm here now on Carolina Street and the wind is just howling and I can see the street sign spinning in the wind and the top screw is loose and the sign is hanging on for dear life!" I had no idea signs hung on for dear life.

Another reporter was at Haulover Beach (just south of where I live, and trust me, we did not get a whole lot of weather) and this guy reported: "The wind is really picking up now, the sand is stinging my flesh. No one should be out here in this, the wind gusts are in the 30s!"

My favorite was a reporter on US 1, somewhere in the Keys: " As you can see, this part of US 1 is flooded as waters pour in from The Atlantic. The water is knee deep in some places and...wait...whats that? A cooler, A COOLER, is floating over what is normally US 1. That could be tretcherous should someone not see that." I've never had any problems with my cooler and had no idea of the potential danger.

I also watched an interview with the mayor of Key West Tuesday afternoon, and I swear to God, the man was drunk. He was being interviewed at a bar and his speech as slurred! The reporter even commented on the fact that he did not seem overly concerned about the storm and the dude was like, "We have people who take care of all that emergency stuff!"

Anyway, I am very happy that Rita was not yet what it has grown to be, and I don't mean to make light of what will be a serious situation for Texas and potentially Louisiana again, but sometimes the coverage can be ridiculously stupid...