I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't been following the story of Hurricane Dean at all — it's far away, and I've been busy traveling and trying to get my classes organized — but Chris Mooney has. In a short summary on his blog and a longer article on the Daily Green, he explains why I'm a bad person for failing to note the significance of this storm. It's been a horrific decade for hurricanes.
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More articles by PZ Myers can be found on Freethoughtblogs at the new Pharyngula!
Ominous Dean
Category: Environment
Posted on: August 21, 2007 8:30 AM, by PZ Myers
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Posted by: Mrs Tilton | August 21, 2007 8:50 AM
It's been a horrific decade for hurricanes
Yeah, it's getting so bad that you can't even make them go away through prayer any more.
Posted by: Bruce | August 21, 2007 9:48 AM
Mrs. Tilton, prayer doesn't make 'em go away, it just points 'em at homoseculars.
Posted by: Mrs Tilton | August 21, 2007 10:05 AM
Bruce, I meant "make them go away from decent people", of course.
Posted by: dorid | August 21, 2007 10:09 AM
I think people are just raw from Katrina still, just as some of us were raw from the battering of the 2004 season. Sure, Katrina put a lot of public attention on hurricanes because it hit a major US city. Hurricanes have been trashing smaller cities, small towns, and cutting swatches of devastation through FL for a long time. Sure, some cycles the storms are worse, some times better, and I have absolutely no doubt that global warming has a lot to do with it, but it also seems that the only thing that's really changed is that now somehow we are frightened and horrified, when we wouldn't be before.
During hurricane evacs or warnings, I've found that people who live in hurricane prone areas have a great deal more calm than we seem to have outside the zone. Sure, there are runs on gas, and the Home Depot is a mob scene because people wait until they see the big one coming to get plywood, generators and so on. Bottled water is missing from the stores, but people mostly talk about the storms with either irritation or cynicism.
The problem is in part that cities build in areas prone to hurricanes and flooding (Tampa's major hospital is along the bay in an area that would be underwater in a cat 3 hurricane, increasing the problems the city could face if a larger storm rolled in) and the barrier islands of Florida are covered with buildings that are routinely flooded out during storms, even when there is little or no storm damage. I recall in particular, hurricane Dean, which didn't come threateningly near Tampa Bay, yet there was water over the main streets and several homes were flooded on the barrier island of Madeira Beach (where I lived)
I guess what I'm trying to say is that no ONE hurricane is THE ONE, and that we need to be more intelligent about city planning and emergency planning in general.
Posted by: Dianne | August 21, 2007 10:33 AM
Hurricanes have been trashing smaller cities, small towns, and cutting swatches of devastation through FL for a long time.
Not to mention smaller and larger cities in Central America and the Carribean. But, US press being what it is, that hardly gets mentioned either.
Posted by: llewelly | August 21, 2007 10:42 AM
If only our New Atheist Noise Machine wasn't such a flop. We could use it to heckle the hurricanes away.
Posted by: Crosius | August 21, 2007 12:23 PM
Not to be alarmist, but why would the current administration want America "ready" for another hurricane, now that they've got that nice Directive 51 all ready to go?
Beware the "Enduring Constitutional Government."
Posted by: Pierce R. Butler | August 22, 2007 12:08 AM
Sue him!
Posted by: Scotty B | August 23, 2007 10:29 AM
"It's been a horrific decade for hurricanes."
Well, actually its been a wonderful decade for hurricanes. It has been a horrific decade for those affected by hurricanes.
;p (Sorry, I probably shouldn't make light of this, but if I don't, who will?)