Run!! Run!!! Everybody RUN!

Yawn. Another Weather Channel artificially induced hysteria. This is like an ongoing 'sweeps week' for them, so they can sell more pontifical advertising.

Businesses talking about closing Thursday and Friday for Hanna, and people glued to their TVs and radios, watching, waiting, panicking, discussing. Again, yawn. Wassa matter, you never seen rain and wind before? Never seen a flood before? Never seen a tornado before?

There are two choices in any storm - it will either be devastating, or it won't. If it is, you could lose your business, or it could be severely damaged; you could lose your house, or it will be severely damaged. Either way you will have to deal with insurance companies, FEMA, and all levels of governments' competence or incompetence. You will be frustrated and aggravated. But - you will deal.

You have two personal choices to make - to leave or to stay. Leaving means it may cost you a lot of money, time, and aggravation for absolutely no reason at all. Staying means it may cost you a lot of money, time, and aggravation, for absolutely no reason at all. Your choice. Either way, you will deal.

I watched the weather channel coverage of Gustav, and all I could think about was my friend Obnoxious Wit's "Hurricane damage" of his patio chair turned over. The folks at the weather channel make their living inciting hysteria and fear, usually for no reason - no matter how far down the cameraman kneels, that water ain't deep. A single piece of unsecured guttering in the middle of the road isn't "storm damage", it's rusted screws that gave way in the wind. A torn ad banner isn't storm damage, it's bad planning. When they show "massive flooding and storm surge" and people who have BEEN there know that it does that repeatedly in a heavy dew at high tide, they show themselves for exactly what they are - incompetent fear-mongerers.

However, if you see Jim Cantore, make sure he gets a shot of your "flooding" and "storm damage". After all, the insurance company has to believe you somehow... what better way than to be featured on national television? Wear your ripped shirt and jeans, and carry a chainsaw, it'll be more believable. Take the jonboat off of the trailer and drag it from the street into your front yard, leaving a muddy gouge. THAT oughtta wow 'em. It's all a play, and you get to be the extras on a very small, brief stage. Have fun.