The idiotic media coverage of Rita
The coverage wasn't even over before the simplistic, small minded media analysis began. Among the illogical conclusions:
Evacuations for Rita were handled more responsibly
Over and over I have heard praise for the fact that the evacuations in Texas were issued 72 hours ahead of time. True, but 72 hours before Katrina hit New Orleans, no one even knew she was coming. Similarly, Lake Charles, a much smaller town, was held as an example for having successfully evacuated 90% of the population. That's not much different from the evacuation rate of New Orleans, which did 80% in even less time.
Rita had few casualties because people were better prepared
Yes, because the storm announced itself. But it also dipped down to a category 3 and hit less populated areas.
It's curious that no one is reporting much on the 10% that weren't evacuated in TX. Who are they? Why were they unable to leave? We may never know. Also, while many reports are being filed on how impossible it was to evacuate large cities by car, no one is making the connection between those horror stories and the reluctance of people to flee New Orleans last month.
UPDATE: Now they are actually warning viewers about the dangers of post traumatic stress disorder. Not for actual victims, but for viewers of the news. It is called "Vicarious Post Traumatic Stress."
Evacuations for Rita were handled more responsibly
Over and over I have heard praise for the fact that the evacuations in Texas were issued 72 hours ahead of time. True, but 72 hours before Katrina hit New Orleans, no one even knew she was coming. Similarly, Lake Charles, a much smaller town, was held as an example for having successfully evacuated 90% of the population. That's not much different from the evacuation rate of New Orleans, which did 80% in even less time.
Rita had few casualties because people were better prepared
Yes, because the storm announced itself. But it also dipped down to a category 3 and hit less populated areas.
It's curious that no one is reporting much on the 10% that weren't evacuated in TX. Who are they? Why were they unable to leave? We may never know. Also, while many reports are being filed on how impossible it was to evacuate large cities by car, no one is making the connection between those horror stories and the reluctance of people to flee New Orleans last month.
UPDATE: Now they are actually warning viewers about the dangers of post traumatic stress disorder. Not for actual victims, but for viewers of the news. It is called "Vicarious Post Traumatic Stress."
Comments