Re: Here is scan of the article that had Gloria as a Cat 4 here on L.I
Posted by
Gianmarc on 7/3/2010, 3:34 pm
Perfect illustration of something many of us on this board have expressed frustration over for years--the carelessness with which journalists handle information about the impacts of hurricanes. Yes, Gloria was once a cat 4 with a once-record pressure of 919mb, but that was well before it ever made landfall anywhere in the United States. It was barely hanging on as a cat 2 even when it struck North Carolina, and by the time it accelerated toward Long Island it was an utter shell of its former self. But yes, many people who read that newspaper story will come away from it thinking that the northeast was struck by a cat 4 'cane in 1985. And that to me is a very big reason why nothereasterners have such a hard time believing that they spend each hurricane season in one of the most vulnerable stretches of coastline in the country.
Now, I will say this, however: I have visited Ocracoke, North Carolina several times in the past 9 years, a small island that took the brunt of Gloria when it made landfall there, and even as a struggling cat 2 storm, the surge under which it submerged that island was remarkable. The island is replete with historic storm surge markers that document how high the water was at Gloria's landfall--it was between 8-15 feet. And that was STRUGGLING CAT 2! THAT is the kind of information people up in the northeast might benefit from.
But then again, as I said yesterday, nothing will persuade people up there of the dangers they face other than the real deal. Only that will change perspective, as is usually the case, sadly. |
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