The Worst Has Passed: Post Hurricane Irene Commentary

Good afternoon everyone! The New York area has just endured Hurricane Irene with things not being nearly as bad as we all imagined it could have been. A Category 1 Hurricane came through the East Coast, doing damage in the Virginia/North Carolina area especially. New York was prepared, and as of yet there are no reported casualties because of the storm. Some may say that it was much hoopla about nothing, and that the city and news media may have over-reacted. Let’s just all be glad that things didn’t play out bad, as it could have been much worst. Personally, I have a healthy respect for forces of nature, and don’t take it lightly. With the memory of Hurricane Katrina seared into our collective consciousness, there is little room for a casual attitude in matters of man vs. nature.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend Mayor Bloomberg for showing leadership throughout this whole ordeal. While making the call to shut down the subways and evacuate people may have looked unnecessary, its better to have made such preparations. Nature is unpredictable, and while we will all have a joke or comment about it after the fact, at least we can do so knowing that the city state and federal agencies in this area are equipped to deal with matters.

I do have one more thing to say. I noticed that some of folks were saying that the whole thing was overblown, and that the storm wasn’t all that serious. Seriously, what did y’all want, some Day After Tomorrow type stuff? I am relieved that this thing was underwhelming, cause not all excitement is good. No power loss, still got plenty of food, and everyone I called answered. I have water for about a week, but I don’t regret buying it. LOL. Better to be safe than sorry. Plus, when you see folks buying up all the water, you really don’t wanna take a chance and be the only one without.

What do you think? Did the Mayor and the Governor overreact? Did the news coverage scare the daylights out of people?

Marc W. Polite

Hurricane  Survivor

4 comments

  1. So yeah, I don’t think that he overreacted but I do believe that he did make up for that hot @$$ mess he called “leadership” for the snowstorm on my birthday. (still tight about that) Anyhoo, I’m glad that nothing serious happened, and that the majority of people are okay & that we will go back to our normal lives quicker than we expect. #goodjobbloombito

  2. I agree Que-ne. I think that Bloomberg learned his lesson from the snowstorm this winter. Leadership means reacting to crisis as well as telling people what to do. LOL. Folks are still going in on the Bloomblizzard. Ha. You’re right tho. We should be back to normal before we even notice. I am just glad it was not serious. Thanks for your comment.

  3. We should be grateful that we were spared from what could have been a disaster. 6,000 people in the Bronx lost electricity, and I literally did not sleep until after 4 a.m. because of the strong winds hitting my windows (thank God they were strong enough to withstand the pressure). In the beginning, I wasn’t too concerned about the storm, but after 2:00 a.m., things began to intensify (It also did not help living on the 16th floor of my building). I did not think the Mayor overreacted, and MTA was right in shutting down the system, considering damage that was done to the tracks (falling trees and massive flooding). No one knows when the subway system will be up and running again. Forces of nature should NEVER be taken lightly because man is just a mere peon in comparison. One can never be too prepared. We are very fortunate.
    -Reporting from the Bronx

  4. I for one am grateful. We got off easy. There were worst storms in our lifetime that one would never want to be in the way of.

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