a sad day . . .

[stevehull]

Like many of you, I am watching the development of a killer hurricane. Tomorrow (Friday) at this late afternoon time, the storm will be hitting - and those individuals not off the barrier islands or out of the storm surge will likely die.

How many? It is hard to say, but FEMA hopes that 98% of those east of I-95 will evacuate. But of this 1.5 million, this means that some 30,000 will remain.

I just listened to a TV interview of an elderly couple off Jupiter Inlet (on a barrier island) that "have weathered many storms and the house has always been here for us". But here was the kicker when they were asked if they didn't believe the many people including FEMA and NWS, their reply was; - "well, you know that you can't trust those people in charge".

Why the feeling that these people know more than FEMA, the Weather Channel, the National Weather Service, NOAA, the National Hurricane Prediction Center, etc?

The wave of anti science, anti rational thinking (anti-intellectualism) is simply astounding. I don't trust you because you have "X" degrees or understand a polynomial . . . . .

Note that < 200 people died due to Katrina - and sadly I believe at least an order of magnitude more will die in the next 48 hours. We blamed the Katrina deaths on the poor and unfortunate that could not get out. But those on expensive beach front homes/condos, etc are NOT the inner city urban New Orleans unfortunates.

But what of this next TV interviewed couple that had two little kids. They said that they could not find a hotel within two-three hours driving time of Daytona but "didn't believe that the storm surge was going to be as bad as predicted and we have lived here for seven years". "After all, we are more than 1/2 mile from the beach . . . . "

They are predicting 10 foot storm surge with hurricane height waves on top of that!

Am I the only one that sees this tragedy unfolding before my eyes? All these people are not stupid, but somewhere they have drunk the cool aid . . . .


Steve