All the MSM were as bad, but the BBC, as usual, was a cheerleader in whipping up a major storm in a teacup over hurricane Irene. Of course severe bad weather on the eastern seaboard of the US is potentially news. But the BBC is now so determined to ram down our throats that all climate events prove its alarmist narrative that coverage of such events loses all proportion. By the time Irene hit New York it was not a hurricane but a storm with 50mph winds. And of course, 21 lives lost is always tragedy, but it is not a catastrophe or a disaster. It’s a shame that the corporation can’t spend more time frothing at the cause of most climate-related deaths – bitter cold.
A disaster it is. That’s how the BBC is still casting it this morning:
The BBC’s Laura Trevelyan in New York says Irene threatened 65 million people along the US east coast – thought to be largest number of Americans ever affected by a single storm.
The clear intent is to raise Irene to the level of the worst storm in US history. What utter tosh. Try these, for starters, nine out of 10 from the days when alarmists say that CO2 levels were safe. The entire feature is larded with the same immoderate language: “deep scars”, “billions of dollars”…and so on, and of course, there’s an obligatory warning that another such catastrophe could be on its way. Plus – the ultimate BBC bonus – the sainted Obama says the worst is not yet over.
Alan Caruba of the Canada Free Press has coined a word for it – a newsgasm.
The reality is that the US has always been subject to the risk of hurricanes. This one was bad weather but it was not anywhere near as devastating as the alarmists predicted, thank goodness. The BBC can’t acknowledge this because it is locked in an end-of-the-world narrative.
I wished I had screencapped it at the time, but the BBC news site at some point yesterday afternoon had the ‘Raining Quite A Bit in NY’ story at the top, with ‘8 Killed in Phillipines Typhoon’ (now at least 12 dead, btw) way, way, way down below.
Who pays these morons? Oh yes, I forgot…
I hear the BBC has just downgraded the Notting Hill Carnival to Tropical Storm status.
I think it was downgraded from potential riot to a few local disturbances.
We’ll see if the climate changes today, lol.
Hmm so ‘biggest ‘ ‘worse ever ‘ Blah blah methinks the 1938 one was a might more powerful =
‘The majority of the storm damage was from storn surge and wind. Damage is estimated at $6 billion (2004 $] making it among the most costly hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland. It is estimated that if an identical hurricane struck today it would cause $39.2 billion (2005 USD) in damage.
Approximately 600 people died in the storm in New England, most in Rhode island, and up to 100 people elsewhere in the path of the storm.An additional 708 people were reported injured.
In total, 4,500 cottages, farms, and other homes were reported destroyed. An additional 25,000 homes were damaged. Other damages included 26,000 automobiles destroyed, and 20,000 electrical poles toppled. The hurricane also devastated the forests of the Northeast, knocking down an estimated 2 billion trees.
Wind gusts up to 75 m.p.h. blew throughout Manhattan causing the East river to flow three blocks inland. The winds reportedly caused the Empire state building to sway’
Mind no CC/globular warnings /end of the world link so not a hurricane worth mentioning even as a historical ref at BBC??
This was wierd, clearly bigging up the event, I wonder if it was more to take mind off the economy or a good few days to bury bad news: pounce-uk ripped the BBC a new one on the previous open thread but it appears most news outlets were joining the hysteria. look at this comment on the WOWT thread:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/08/28/hurricane-irene-2011/#comment-730132
The BBC continue to look under fallen trees in the hope that there is a bigger body count than the one on offer from the States…presumably if they`re Mardell-size,then they count as two!
The Beeboids over there will be doing their rain dances and communing with the Great Spiwit of Wichard Dawkins in the hope that they can stay out there another month…apparently there`s not much telly in the US, so we need “our guys n gals” to give us the real picture of things global and weathery!
Who will forget BBC Norwich etc a few years ago-and all the big people from London-all hoping for a tsunami event on Norfolks coast, though they`d have been happy for Essex to be swept away too!
Poor little lambs hardly got their wellies wet, but that would have been “global drying”…which Cox and Jones will tell us is as real a threat to the “watercress community” as is global wetness!
How long can I make my string of worry beads then?…
While it was nothing more than a bad summer storm where I live, New Jersey had lots of flooding and damage, to the tune of at least $7 billion. Not a walk in the park by any means. There may have been more loss of life if Gov. Christie hadn’t ordered evacuations and warned people. The actual deaths were spread across a few states, not all in one spot, which makes a difference.
But everyone has now proved that The Obamessiah is better than George Bush at handling a hurricane, so all is well (no stupid Democrat Mayors or Governors sitting on their hands this time). Nothing else mattered in the media’s reporting and government officials’ behavior. The Obamessiah is not George Bush, and that’s all the BBC cares about.
Of course, one ought to consider whether or not the public’s behavior this time was more intelligent than the people of New Orleans and environs, having absorbed the lessons of Katrina. But the BBC wouldn’t be interested in examining that, as all praise must go to Him.
Yes, the BBC News Channel in full Praise Him mode for His handling of the storm. He cut short His vacation, was in charge of everything, “got out ahead” of things early. No mention that it was actually Gov. Christie and Gov. Cuomo who declared their states of emergency before the President even left the golf course. But the important thing is to make sure that the public knows He’s better than Bush.
Beeboid newsreader asks Steve Kingston in Washington (just how man of them are in the US these days?) what the US public thinks of how the President handled the situation. Was it good for His Presidency, he wonders? It’s all good, Kingston assures us.
During Katrina, there was “a woeful response from the various authorities”. Which authorities were they, BBC? Nice vague terminology, don’t want to give the public any reason to shift blame away from Bush, right, Kingston?
Praise Him! Even Mardell says He was “in charge”. Of what? Making speeches? What about the Governor of North Carolina, BBC? Even the ludicrous Mardell forgot to mention Cuomo, so focused was he on giving all praise to the President. As anyone who does not rely on the BBC for their news on US issues will know, Governors act on their own, independent of the President. The actions of local officials are not a reflection of how awesome the President is. Yet the BBC doesn’t want to create that impression.
One thing the BBC has forgotten to tell you while praising the President for His wonderful handling of the storm: the worst-hit state of all was Vermont.
That’s right, Vermont, which isn’t even coastal. So why does it have the worst flooding? Storm surge moved water up the rivers. Guess which state was the last one to declare a state of emergency.
And no prizes for guessing the political party of the Governor.
So the state which was hit hardest was the last one to declare a state of emergency. And weather mavens were warning the whole time that flooding from storm surge was going to be more of a problem than wind damage on the coast. How “in charge” can the President be, then? Why hasn’t the BBC even mentioned Vermont?
Oh, that’s right: the insular, parochial Beeboids are only interested in what’s immediately around them: New York and the East Coast near DC.
Still, Praise Him! He gave several speeches and cut short His vacation to visit the control center and scowl. To the BBC, that’s a success.
I see the BBC finally got around to noticing that Vermont was hit the hardest by the storm, and is facing serious flooding damage. They even included a quote from the heroic Governor about how they “prepared for the worst and got the worst”.
Why no mention that Vermont was the last state to declare an emergency, BBC? Not helping the Narrative, perhaps? Or are the legion of Beeboids dedicated to covering the US simply that uninformed?