Tropical Storm Edouard - 2008

[wareagle1994]

Great reporting from Galveston. I appreciate you braving such horrible weather to deliver the news.

Since I can now access radar online I don't ever pay attention to the weather reports on TV. My wife has had to put with me calling them weather terrorists. All they ever do is spread fear and panic. I flipped on the weather channel to take a quick look at the weather and they were showing Chicago which had a storm worse than what we have had so far. They actually had a PDS watch. I was stumped for a while, then he actually said it was a Potentially Dangerous Situation Watch. At that point I went ahead and changed the channel so I would not be sitting there ranting at the TV.

[20thStDad]

Ooh, I'm going to *17 and VOICE, too! I'll be restaurant stalking you.

Thanks, Niche, that was great! At least I needed it. You're earning every penny that HAIF pays you to brave to horrible conditions!

[toadfroggy]

Here's the main thing I don't get: What was with the run on bottled water yesterday?

Unless you're on well water and you're worried you'll lose power to your pump, or possibly the same issue in a high-rise, how can you see a possible Category 1 hurricane as a threat to your water supply? I realize a stockpile of water will be good to have if the big one comes during my lifetime, but why do the news folks still drum on that even when we're facing a minimal storm? It's idiotic.

[RedScare]

I agree, Editor, but at the same time, ever since Katrina, everyone has been "running scared" at every rain drop. And, we have the media to thank for it. It has shut down commerce here in Houston today, with really no reason for it. Traffic was at 25% at best. Our parking lot at our office building is empty, and it's not even raining.

I seem to recall a lot of talk after Katrina about New Orleans residents who did NOT heed the warnings. They were called stupid, at best. I also recall many Houstonians AFTER Rita complaining about the hype. They did not complain BEFORE Rita, when winds were clocked at 165 mph in the Gulf, just afterward, when it did not hit their house, as if smoeone had promised that it would. I also notice that no one in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area complains that Rita coverage was overblown.

Given the propensity of today's Americans to demand perfection from everyone but themselves, I can only imagine the howling that would occur if a storm suddenly turned INTO the Houston area instead of away. I can hear the questioning why the media and the government did not warn us of the potential for harm. The only thing for sure is that it won't be our fault that we sustained damage.

As the editor alluded to, exactly WHOSE fault is it that you watched Wayne Dolcefino clinging to a lamp post in a mild breeze? Have you not been warned that Wayne does this every time there is a storm? Are you surprised that KHOU drug Dr. Neil in to hype a tropical storm? Are you surprised at ANYTHING Channel 2 does? There are two constants during a tropical storm. One, the media will overplay the danger, and two, the portion of the viewing area that is not hit will complain that the coverage was overhyped. I am not sure which annoys me more, but lately it is beginning to be the latter.

FWIW, I didn't see or meet anyone that I thought was 'running scared' of this storm. I even thought the TV coverage was adequate, until landfall. I stopped watching at that point, since, as a 31 year veteran of tropical storms and Houston, I actually knew what came next, and did not subject myself to Wayne and the lamp post.

[GovernorAggie]

And if they underplayed a storm where people got hurt, griefers like yourself would be all over them for shirking their responsibility to inform the public. Get a grip. If you don't like the coverage -- don't listen. No one us using toothpicks to hold your eyelids open and forcing you to watch channel two.

I'm with you on this, editor.

While I agree that people shouldn't get so excited about things (notice I said "things" as in property), they do. I don't think it's the weathercasters' faults that people can't shut their emotions off. I think that they all do good jobs.

Also--someone mentioned the Katrina-effect on Houstonians, and it's true. But I would think that in the meteorologists' minds, watching Edouard so closely and adamantly was brought about by Humberto and it's development from nothing to 95-mph hurricane in the fastest time ever (as it sat right on the coastline!) last year. Which makes me wonder, had Humberto hit Houston head on, would we be so critical of these peoples' performances today?

People like to mention "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" as part of their irritation with the way the weather is handled here. But I have to ask--why do people use that as a parallel? If I remember correctly, the boy cried "wolf" as a joke. These people are scientists and are not joking. They're following multiple computer models and trying to best interpret them. We mainly are shown lines on a map, but they also have to read formulas, algorithms, etc. in order to read these storms. Also, why does it have to be that they're showing the weather to sensationalize and further their careers? Could it be that they don't want it to come back on them that they didn't report the news as much as possible?

Sadly, I think that Houston is going to have several more near-misses with little storms, which will feed even more skepticism. The weather folks will keep doing their jobs, but fewer will listen. That will be right about the time that a serious storm comes to play. I wonder how many of the skeptics will play the blame game if/when that happens?

No as far as the news reporters go--that's another story. THey were not very good. But the meteorologists are just doing their jobs, IMO.

[GovernorAggie]

I seem to recall a lot of talk after Katrina about New Orleans residents who did NOT heed the warnings. They were called stupid, at best. I also recall many Houstonians AFTER Rita complaining about the hype. They did not complain BEFORE Rita, when winds were clocked at 165 mph in the Gulf, just afterward, when it did not hit their house, as if smoeone had promised that it would. I also notice that no one in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area complains that Rita coverage was overblown.

Given the propensity of today's Americans to demand perfection from everyone but themselves, I can only imagine the howling that would occur if a storm suddenly turned INTO the Houston area instead of away. I can hear the questioning why the media and the government did not warn us of the potential for harm. The only thing for sure is that it won't be our fault that we sustained damage.

As the editor alluded to, exactly WHOSE fault is it that you watched Wayne Dolcefino clinging to a lamp post in a mild breeze? Have you not been warned that Wayne does this every time there is a storm? Are you surprised that KHOU drug Dr. Neil in to hype a tropical storm? Are you surprised at ANYTHING Channel 2 does? There are two constants during a tropical storm. One, the media will overplay the danger, and two, the portion of the viewing area that is not hit will complain that the coverage was overhyped. I am not sure which annoys me more, but lately it is beginning to be the latter.

FWIW, I didn't see or meet anyone that I thought was 'running scared' of this storm. I even thought the TV coverage was adequate, until landfall. I stopped watching at that point, since, as a 31 year veteran of tropical storms and Houston, I actually knew what came next, and did not subject myself to Wayne and the lamp post.

GREAT POST! Where's the Thumbs Up emoticon when you need it?

By the way, I spent a few days in Port Arthur after Rita. I saw a brick building that lost its stability due to the storm. I also saw a barge that was in someone's backyard--and it was so far from a body of water that you couldn't tell where it may have come from.

Not to mention the bite-you-through-your-shirt moqsuitoes that were blown in by Rita and were so bad that the Air Force was called in to spray. And I won't forget the smell of rotting food in the Super Wal Mart that was running on generators and only let a few people in at one time.

[sheeats]

Thanks, Niche, that was great! At least I needed it. You're earning every penny that HAIF pays you to brave to horrible conditions!

[20thStDad]

No as far as the news reporters go--that's another story. THey were not very good. But the meteorologists are just doing their jobs, IMO.

I'm with you here - I have no problem listening to a meteorologist point out things on a map and explain the models they are running. It's that a-hole standing in the rain outside the Denny's while everyone else is doing their normal daily thing that I turn off the tube for.

EDIT: grammar freakout

[RedScare]

Please note that none of my post was meant to impugn the integrity of our intrepid reporter Niche, who risked life and limb to bring photo documentation of the horrible conditions endured by our garbage cans to the south of us.

And, yes, the Dennys incident was when I knew we were safe and turned off the TV and went to bed. I haven't turned it back on yet. Is it safe to assume they are still showing various breakfast eateries around Harris County?

[ricco67]

Is the storm over? I just woke up.

Reading over this entire post, I'm quiet disappointed with some people's attitude (as well as the reporting). As it has been stated originally, it is always best to play it safe, but not the sensationalism that seems to pervade the local media when it comes to the weather. Personally, I knew it wasn't going to be a big deal for those living in the greater Houston area (except for those idiots that like driving in high water), I knew the biggest impact was going to be in the north and those towards our east when I saw the latest headings before I went to sleep.

The precautions that I took for today? Making sure I had enough stuff on my TIVO in case the cable went out, a book and some ice for water.

so there!

[HoustonianInColorado]

Some of these tropical storms are much more compact than their cloud bands. I recall one back in the '80s that came through downtown Houston during the day. We got a bit of rain and winds, but by 5 PM, the worst was just some minor street flooding and heavy traffic going home. I lived in Pecan Grove, and by the time I got their, it was a beautiful sunny day, and not a drop of rain had fallen.

[TheNiche]

Please note that none of my post was meant to impugn the integrity of our intrepid reporter Niche, who risked life and limb to bring photo documentation of the horrible conditions endured by our garbage cans to the south of us.

I've apparently joined the traditional media.

http://www.chron.com/news/photogallery/The...TS_Edouard.html

*poof* Damn, there went my integrity...

[RedScare]

I've apparently joined the traditional media.

http://www.chron.com/news/photogallery/The...TS_Edouard.html

*poof* Damn, there went my integrity...

Saw that after I read your post.

Sellout.

[Fringe]

I am at Rice, which is officially closed, but I came in to catch up on work and deal with any facility problems if we got high wind and water. Right now, light rain. An hour ago it was barely sprinkling. No traffic to speak of. A wasted work day.

LOL. That's where I would have been today. I meant to go in but never made it. Ay least Valhalla didn't flood.

[cottonmather0]

It's amazing watching the non-stop media circus coverage. The reporters get all excited when they see a 6 inch puddle of water or a tree limb on the ground that undoubtedly fell because it was probably dying, not from the storm.

Oh well. If this keeps up I may have to go seek shelter at the Ginger Man.

Marisa Reyes on Channel 2 was in a parking lot this morning and commented that, "if there was more rain, this whole area would be flooded!"

She is also the one who commented during the great "ice storm" of 07 that if the temperature were colder, the bucket she was standing next to would have frozen over.

She is so consistent in her professionalism!

I think we're going to need to drag out this joke all over again.

[Disastro]

Marisa Reyes on Channel 2 was in a parking lot this morning and commented that, "if there was more rain, this whole area would be flooded!"

She is also the one who commented during the great "ice storm" of 07 that if the temperature were colder, the bucket she was standing next to would have frozen over.

She is so consistent in her professionalism!

I think we're going to need to drag out this joke all over again.

Did any of you see the story on Ch 13 today about the clown who went to the shelter in Humble (he was the ONLY one!)?

[Pumapayam]

Here's the main thing I don't get: What was with the run on bottled water yesterday?

Snobs, just get your pots and tupperware out and fill them up. Stupid people fall prey to the media hype.

[TheNiche]

Stupid people fall prey to the media hype.

Ah, that reminds me...

Attention! May I have your attention please! This is a reminder to HAIFers to continue paying attention to me, TheNiche, continuing to report to you LIVE from a breeze-ravaged Galveston island. If you don't, you might somehow be inconvenienced.

Coming up in the evening typecast, a recap of the day's events and further discussion on how you and your loved ones may have died but managed not to.

[RedScare]

Snobs, just get your pots and tupperware out and fill them up. Stupid people fall prey to the media hype.

Not quite that complicated or sociological. During widespread power outages, water pumps do not operate. Additionally, severe flooding can cause untreated water to infiltrate the potable water supply. Bottled water is safe, and stores easily. True, filling water jugs is cheaper and greener, but for those who did not prepare for hurricane season back on June 1, that pallet of water next to the batteries looks very tempting. Myself, I am still drinking last summer's water stock. Once it is gone, I plan to invest in 3 or 4 2.5 gallon water jugs and a portable water filter, which store better, don't waste landfill space, cost far less than an equivalent case of water, and has many more uses. But, that still won't stop the thousands of others from swarming WalMart for a case of water next time a storm forms in the Gulf....just that I won't be among them.

[ricco67]

Seems like even the Mainstream media is making fun of the storm. They mentioned the "catastrophic" tossing of trashcans (in a picture).

[Pumapayam]

Seems like even the Mainstream media is making fun of the storm. They mentioned the "catastrophic" tossing of trashcans (in a picture).

All I know is I enjoyed my day off. . .

[crunchtastic]

Damn, no power outage. The beefaroni and spaghettio's get to sit on the shelf a while longer. I might have to break into my stash after all. So good straight from the can, with fritos.

This was a very lucky miss. I just realized I'm nearly out of food for the cats.

[houstonmacbro]

Here's the main thing I don't get: What was with the run on bottled water yesterday?

Unless you're on well water and you're worried you'll lose power to your pump, or possibly the same issue in a high-rise, how can you see a possible Category 1 hurricane as a threat to your water supply? I realize a stockpile of water will be good to have if the big one comes during my lifetime, but why do the news folks still drum on that even when we're facing a minimal storm? It's idiotic.

At the Sam's Club on I-45 @ Richey Road they were snatching up bottled water like it was earth's end. They were even running in new pallets full of water.

It was all very dramatic.

I seem to recall a lot of talk after Katrina about New Orleans residents who did NOT heed the warnings. They were called stupid, at best. I also recall many Houstonians AFTER Rita complaining about the hype. They did not complain BEFORE Rita, when winds were clocked at 165 mph in the Gulf, just afterward, when it did not hit their house, as if smoeone had promised that it would. I also notice that no one in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area complains that Rita coverage was overblown.

Given the propensity of today's Americans to demand perfection from everyone but themselves, I can only imagine the howling that would occur if a storm suddenly turned INTO the Houston area instead of away. I can hear the questioning why the media and the government did not warn us of the potential for harm. The only thing for sure is that it won't be our fault that we sustained damage.

As the editor alluded to, exactly WHOSE fault is it that you watched Wayne Dolcefino clinging to a lamp post in a mild breeze? Have you not been warned that Wayne does this every time there is a storm? Are you surprised that KHOU drug Dr. Neil in to hype a tropical storm? Are you surprised at ANYTHING Channel 2 does? There are two constants during a tropical storm. One, the media will overplay the danger, and two, the portion of the viewing area that is not hit will complain that the coverage was overhyped. I am not sure which annoys me more, but lately it is beginning to be the latter.

FWIW, I didn't see or meet anyone that I thought was 'running scared' of this storm. I even thought the TV coverage was adequate, until landfall. I stopped watching at that point, since, as a 31 year veteran of tropical storms and Houston, I actually knew what came next, and did not subject myself to Wayne and the lamp post.

LOL

This is hilarious.

The problem is what happens when/if the big one comes. I think these little piddly storms get us riled up to the point that when a Cat 3 comes we'll be thinking "Oh, the last one wasn't so bad ... I think we'll ride this one out."

That could be a big mistake.

I will say this ... KHOU looks great in HD (and I don't even have an HD televisions).

[TheNiche]

Seems like even the Mainstream media is making fun of the storm. They mentioned the "catastrophic" tossing of trashcans (in a picture).

My picture.

[Pumapayam]

At the Sam's Club on I-45 @ Richey Road they were snatching up bottled water like it was earth's end. They were even running in new pallets full of water.

It was all very dramatic.

It was sad, I mean, as least let it be a Cat 3 before all the fuss with plywood and water starts.

I understand we had floods with Allison, but we flood with most any heavy storm, especially when that are back to back.

This one, especially since it shifted a bit north, pretty much missed Houston.

[cottonmather0]

Damn, no power outage. The beefaroni and spaghettio's get to sit on the shelf a while longer. I might have to break into my stash after all. So good straight from the can, with fritos.

This was a very lucky miss. I just realized I'm nearly out of food for the cats.

Yeah, my can of spam will have to wait but I went ahead and broke into the scotch last night anyway.

[TheNiche]

Yeah, my can of spam will have to wait but I went ahead and broke into the scotch last night anyway.

I was hoping for a power outage, myself. The bar on the corner had been planning to just give all its beer away to the neighborhood drunkards (and myself) if they lost refrigeration.

[MidtownCoog]

Old Ed and Bill can sleep happy tonight.

[sarahiki]

I will bravely save my hurricane oreos until the next storm.

maybe.

[MidtownCoog]

Save the oreos while ye may...

Dr. Frank is hungry!