"We Didn't Know It would be That Bad!!!"

Wow...couldn't believe my ears today.  We all feel for the misery the folks are going thru because of Hurricane Sandy, but despite all the hype & warnings from NHC,NWS & the media, some people are still saying they didn't think it would be that bad.   My friend Bryan Norcross with The Weather Channel believes NHC should have issued Hurricane Watches and then Warnings since they carry more weight with viewers.  Perhaps, but my take from going thru these things for 40+ years is it's not the message or messenger that should be blamed. Rather, it's a percentage of people who will NEVER believe something that bad can happen to them.    In this case, it was the lack of experience or exposure to hurricanes along the New Jersey & NY coasts that led to this false sense of security.  You keep hearing..."I've lived here all my life, never seen this..."  or " If I knew it would be this bad, I would have left."  or  " Why is the power out for so long?"   Those of us who have been thru many hurricanes know the answer to these statements/questions.  Hurricanes, like climate, go thru CYCLES.  The 40s,50s & 60s brought lots of hurricane activity to the east coast.  Most of those folks have since died with several generations since having no real hurricane experience  In addition, None of those storms had a track like Sandy.  The folks now suffering from Sandy shouldn't blame any bad forecasts or warnings (Forecasts/warnings issued days in advance), rather they should vent their anger on local politicians who for years have ignored all the research reports that said NYC was at great risks if a hurricane approached and made landfall to their south.  Let's stop the blame game and focus on solutions to prevent further losses in the coming years.