I agree. The stores in Houston already (according to twitter reports) have lines around the stores and are running out or low on water and canned goods. People DO need to be careful, but this is a low end tropical storm and the concern should be centered around the FLOODING potential as opposed to massive power outages, and wind damage that a cat 1-3 hurricane would bring in. So, I agree with the NHC holding off. What a surprise - maybe some of us will actually have to GO TO WORK tomorrow and OMG drive in a pouring rain!! Sorry - I'm a bit sarcastic, because in the past - when I was growing up in Houston, people worked during tropical storms - Nowadays it seems that people expect for the city to stop running as a result of one.
/grumpiness off.
Editing to reiterate: the FLOODING potential is what should be stressed and where the concern should be placed. IMHO, of course.
collegebroke wrote:As a Houston resident thinking back to Rita, people spent hours/days in the car trying to get out of town. Even though things have been improved, I can see why the NHC is hesitant to put out an advisory because it may cause people to get out into the danger when they will probably ride this one out if they stay at home. The flooding week before last was bad in some areas. It was not a named storm and we still lost 12 souls to the waters. People around here are nervous because the lakes, rivers, and bayous haven't receded yet. I'm sure the NHC knows this because every OEM around here has probably told them. If I was the guy responsible for signing that forecast and posting it, I'd make sure I had some really good info in my pocket before I started asking all these communities to go into major event protocol. It could cost more lives by calling it (especially at rush hour) rather than not around here. IMHO. Thanks
