how storms become "forgotten"

[docjoe]

I was reading the Rita thread that was locked and it got me thinking. Why is it exactly that storms so quickly get forgotten? Is it just the media moving on to the next story? Is it short attention span of the audience?? Successively worsening storms?? Developing a sort of numbness??Is it that the story has become the sheer number of storms versus a given storm? maybe because so many people have been affected that they can only really concentrate on the storm they had. Just think...Charley was "replaced" by Ivan which soon became overshadowed Katrina. Then came Rita...Wilma. Most likely the "weakest" of the recent majors, Dennis, would have been a huge story any other time. However it was overshadowed as was Rita in my opinion and even Wilma to some degree....any opinions on this???

docjoe

[HurricaneHunter914]

It was because Katrina was being paid more attention to so with Rita making landfall at a date close to Katrina it was forgotten. I mean most of the avatars have Katrina in them.

[gatorcane]

Katrina and Wilma caused far more damage than Rita - in particular to heavily populated areas -. she is basically like the younger sibling getting masked by the older, bigger ones.

[SouthFloridawx]

At least I can garuntee that those people affect by this storm or that storm will not soon forget those storms. I think the media plays a part in it by switching focuses from this to that. To be honest with you docjoe I think it is partly all of the above from what you said.

[Rainband]

I was reading the Rita thread that was locked and it got me thinking. Why is it exactly that storms so quickly get forgotten? Is it just the media moving on to the next story? Is it short attention span of the audience?? Successively worsening storms?? Developing a sort of numbness??Is it that the story has become the sheer number of storms versus a given storm? maybe because so many people have been affected that they can only really concentrate on the storm they had. Just think...Charley was "replaced" by Ivan which soon became overshadowed Katrina. Then came Rita...Wilma. Most likely the "weakest" of the recent majors, Dennis, would have been a huge story any other time. However it was overshadowed as was Rita in my opinion and even Wilma to some degree....any opinions on this???

docjoe

The reason why the thread was locked is clear. I agree, it amazes me how people quickly try to One better the storms...instead of realizing the personal implications tattooed on all of it's victims.

[Extremeweatherguy]

Over the last two years there have been so many storms making landfall that just as you are beginning to cover one...another hits. 2004 was one of the craziest news years I had ever seen in Central Florida. First we had Charley, then we thought Earl was going to come (and everyone was saying "yeah right! 2 storms in one year!"). Then Earl disappeared, but shortly after Frances popped up and hit, and then Ivan was a threat, but missed central Florida (though origianally it was suppose to take a track just west of Charley's), and then Jeanne came. It was pretty much a 6-7 week block of special hurricane news intros, and 24/7 weather broadcasts. What has happened this last season though was a case of a record breaking July storm being quickly forgotten about when Katrina came along. Katrina ended up being such a huge event (emotionally, politically, and physically) that it covered up Rita, and to an extent Wilma as well. If Katrina had not hit, then I would bet money that we would be focusing on mainly Rita and Wilma this season...and they likely would have recieved much more air time.

[gatorcane]

Over the last two years there have been so many storms making landfall that just as you are beginning to cover one...another hits. 2004 was one of the craziest news years I had ever seen in Central Florida. First we had Charley, then we thought Earl was going to come (and everyone was saying "yeah right! 2 storms in one year!"). Then Earl disappeared, but shortly after Frances popped up and hit, and then Ivan was a threat, but missed central Florida (though origianally it was suppose to take a track just west of Charley's), and then Jeanne came. It was pretty much a 6-7 week block of special hurricane news intros, and 24/7 weather broadcasts. What has happened this last season though was a case of a record breaking July storm being quickly forgotten about when Katrina came along. Katrina ended up being such a huge event (emotionally, politically, and physically) that it covered up Rita, and to an extent Wilma as well. If Katrina had not hit, then I would bet money that we would be focusing on mainly Rita and Wilma this season...and they likely would have recieved much more air time.

Yep I agree 100%

[Ixolib]

As for Wilma, seems to me the ONLY place I ever hear anythig about that storm is right here in S2K. Otherwise, it's nowhere to be found. Certainly, Katrina overshadowed everything - and continues to do so to this day.

On CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX - all the majors - the word "Katrina" has been uttered during broadcast at least once a day, oftentimes much more, since 08/29. I can think of no other storm - hurricane or otherwise - that has received such detailed and focused coverage... And the same probably holds true for our little forum here. I think the only other storm that seemed to garner so much attention pre-Katrina was Ivan - and rightfully so...

[AussieMark]

sometimes storms will overshadow other storms from a given year if there are multiple bad ones.

i.e 1988 we all remember Gilbert but Joan kinda gets forgetten in comparison

[CHRISTY]

hurricane katrina was very tuff for me and my family.my sister lived in new orleans and while katrina was still in the gulf gaining force i thought there was a chance i may never see my sister again...i went threw moments with that hurricane i will never forget somehow i feel katrina affected many many people in different kind of ways for example to this day we have never heard from my sister again..may she rest in peace,but my point is hurricane katrina tought me alot of things and the most important thing that i learned always be thankful for the moments u have with your love ones because u never know what life may bring tommorow.

[f5]

Katrina put a major US city under 20 ft of water thus she got all the attention but suprising that mississippi got very little attention it was NO all the time

[SouthFloridawx]

hurricane katrina was very tuff for me and my family.my sister lived in new orleans and while katrina was still in the gulf gaining force i thought there was a chance i may never see my sister again...i went threw moments with that hurricane i will never forget somehow i feel katrina affected many many people in different kind of ways for example to this day we have never heard from my sister again..may she rest in peace,but my point is hurricane katrina tought me alot of things and the most important thing that i learned always be thankful for the moments u have with your love ones because u never know what life may bring tommorow.

So sorry to hear about your sister? Did you find out what happend to her? That is really sad Christy!!

[CHRISTY]

hurricane katrina was very tuff for me and my family.my sister lived in new orleans and while katrina was still in the gulf gaining force i thought there was a chance i may never see my sister again...i went threw moments with that hurricane i will never forget somehow i feel katrina affected many many people in different kind of ways for example to this day we have never heard from my sister again..may she rest in peace,but my point is hurricane katrina tought me alot of things and the most important thing that i learned always be thankful for the moments u have with your love ones because u never know what life may bring tommorow.

So sorry to hear about your sister? Did you find out what happend to her? That is really sad Christy!!

no we never heard from here again but she is in a better place now.thanks for careing!

[SouthFloridawx]

bump for Christy and her Sister.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Something much like that happened in 1954 when Hurricane Edna hit New England within roughly two weeks of Hurricane Carol. Even though Edna was stronger, killed even more people, and caused more damage in Eastern areas. Carol is the better known of the two, and thus was remember much better around these parts than her sister:





Also the Saxby Gale of 1869 is much better remember than the September Gale of 1869, which hit two weeks before again, mainly because the flooding was worse due to the heavy rains that already fell in the first storm, and because it hit at high fall tide causing huge amounts of coastal surge.

[GeneratorPower]

Most likely the "weakest" of the recent majors, Dennis, would have been a huge story any other time. However it was overshadowed as was Rita in my opinion and even Wilma to some degree....any opinions on this???

docjoe

I was in Santa Rosa county two days after Dennis and the damage in Pace, Milton, and Bagdad was really bad. I went through Atmore, AL on the way to Santa Rosa county and it looked like tornado damage. It will take that area a long time to recover from Ivan and Dennis. The sad part is that Dennis was quickly forgotton, even though the impact on the panhandle was so significant.

I say all that to say that I remember Dennis and always will.

[Jim Cantore]

I was reading the Rita thread that was locked and it got me thinking. Why is it exactly that storms so quickly get forgotten? Is it just the media moving on to the next story? Is it short attention span of the audience?? Successively worsening storms?? Developing a sort of numbness??Is it that the story has become the sheer number of storms versus a given storm? maybe because so many people have been affected that they can only really concentrate on the storm they had. Just think...Charley was "replaced" by Ivan which soon became overshadowed Katrina. Then came Rita...Wilma. Most likely the "weakest" of the recent majors, Dennis, would have been a huge story any other time. However it was overshadowed as was Rita in my opinion and even Wilma to some degree....any opinions on this???

docjoe

The reason why the thread was locked is clear. I agree, it amazes me how people quickly try to One better the storms...instead of realizing the personal implications tattooed on all of it's victims.

AMEN!

[Dr. Jonah Rainwater]

Rita gets forgotten because this thread is entirely about Katrina and Dennis (and Edna) from what I've read.

[southerngale]

Katrina and Wilma caused far more damage than Rita - in particular to heavily populated areas -. she is basically like the younger sibling getting masked by the older, bigger ones.

Katrina caused far more damage than Rita and Wilma but Wilma but didn't cause far more damage than Rita. In fact, if property values were the same, I think Wilma's would be quite a bit lower than Rita's. This isn't a "my storm was worse than your storm" comment by any means, but in the spirit of the thread, I think comments like that are part of the reason Rita has been labeled "the forgotten hurricane." It is consistently downplayed. See this post for what I'm talking about with property values. I was a bit amazed.

With that said, if you have been affected by any hurricane, that one will be the most devastating for you and if you've suffered damage, it is devastating no matter what any storm totals are.

[docjoe]

Rita gets forgotten because this thread is entirely about Katrina and Dennis (and Edna) from what I've read.

This thread was not meant to be "about" any one storm but rather how certain storms get fixed in the minds eye of the public in general and how others get "lost in the shuffle" and why that might be.

docjoe