I Think I’m Turning Into A Curmudgeon

I’m sitting here watching Hurricane Sandy updates, which is so much better than watching political updates at this point, and I have to say, I’m confused.

Meteorology is the only profession that I know of where you can be wrong 50% of the time and still be taken seriously. They can create the most technologically advanced models and trackers and whatever; they’re still competing against Mother Nature, and Mother Nature is unpredictable.

We know this. We see this all the time. From predictions about huge blizzards where we end up getting a sunny day, to predictions of sunny skies where it rains for hours, the weather reports are often wrong. I’m not trying to bash meteorologists; they’ll be the first ones to tell you how much of a guessing game it is. And yet, we fall for it every time.

Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned about the storm; we should. Forecasts show catastrophic damage. But, I think we need perspective. Showing damage to South American countries, which don’t have the building infrastructure that we do, does not demonstrate the amount of damage we will suffer.

There are other stories that need to be told. Like this one: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/soldiers-stand-guard-at-tomb-of-unknown-soldier?fb_action_ids=4575429425055&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

I think we need balance. There has to be a way to prepare people for the worst without scaring people unnecessarily. We need to leave politics out of it. It would be nice to see preparations based on what the public actually needs, rather than the idea of limiting the amount of voter anger. And I’m going to take warnings from experts a lot faster than I will from politicians, no matter how well-meaning.

“Hurricane Sandy is a powerful storm,” says President Obama. Really? Thanks.

Mitt Romney’s campaign canceled his event in Wisconsin tonight “out of sensitivity for the millions of Americans in the path of Hurricane Sandy.” Really? More likely because fewer people will be able to watch.

I don’t need unnecessary updates that rehash old information and fill the gaps with irrelevant old storm information. I don’t need my area compare to third world countries where a ¼ inch of rain causes massive mud slides—that’s not relevant. Silence, as long as it doesn’t last too long, is not the end of the world. My youngest daughter, who talks non-stop, is in the process of learning that talking and breathing are not interconnected. You can be silent and still breathe. The news media and politicians would do well to learn that lesson.

We’ve been hearing about the potential of this storm since Thursday. We’re as prepared as we’re going to be. I’ve bought supplies, I’ve secured my home, my kids are home and I’m going to hunker down with my family. And more importantly, I’m going to manage expectations and fears. We’re going to do the best we can. The end of the world is not coming, no matter what the media says. We’ve survived storms before and we will do so again.

I wish my friends and family the best through this storm. Stay safe.