The sooner some cataclysmic event comes along and swallows up the news media and most of the entertainment business, the more comfortable I'll be. ;-)

Although I join my friends in laughing at this situation, it draws immediate focus on the overblown media hype we can expect to be subjected to in any disaster situation. Each of us needs to be prepared to not only deal with the disaster, but also the barrage of misinformation the "media" will churn out at light speed.

Case in point, Andrew was one of the worst and most devastating hurricanes to ever hit South Florida. South Florida had enjoyed many years of quiet summer topics, and Andrew put a deep scare through anyone in the area. It was, however, a rather unique Category 5 storm, the likes of which was not seen again anywhere in the US until over a decade later, Katrina.

But for years after Andrew, anytime a wisp of air did anything more than counterclockwise quarter turn south of Key West, the local news casters would use the "A word" (Andrew) whipping the public into a hysterical panic and causing people to pile onto I-95 and head for Jacksonville. These were all weak tropical storms and category 1 storms which did not end up making landfall in South Florida. But this irresponsible journalism cost lives. People died in car accidents on I-95 fleeing from weak storms that they could have easily waited out in their homes (storm surge evacuation zones being the exception).

My point is not only prepare for the event, prepare for irrational and inaccurate information overload that will come during and after the event. Make note of the "tabloid" news outlets and stay away from them. Realize that not everyone that posts on Twitter or Facebook is looking to be helpful. I don't know who I will trust when the "big one" hits South Florida, but I do know I am going to take everything that is presented with a grain of salt.

There's media and there's media. The Los Angeles TV stations lead the pack in providing vapid, silly "news" about the sheanigans of the latest "bimbo of the month", interspersed with car pursuits, to the point that the typical news hour is a waste of time.

However, in quake events they steady down and provide good decent information about the situation. This was partiularly true in the '94 Northridge event. They also gave plenty of air time to competent geologists who provided really good background information.

I am sure to get into heaven. I actually said something nice about LA media!

[censored] about news reporting in the media, are we? You mean we can't expect good sense and accuracy from reporters who:

- stand in flooding water to show us how deep it is, since we viewers apparently cannot appreciate standardized weight and measurement;

- walk against the wind in a hurricane, so we can see how rotund newsmen can tumble in the tumult;

- summarize Facebook and Twitter remarks in place of actual news and analysis;

- stalk celebrities so we can improve ourselves by learning about their sex habits;

- substitute yelling and verbal abuse for thoughtful analysis and discussion;

- treat us with a profound disrespect for our intelligence?

Bad TV journalism does not belong to one particular region, political leaning, or station. It is universal.

Print journalism is going downhill, too. Many journalists no longer write in paragraphs. Apparently today's readers cannot handle more than one sentence at a time.

If this keeps up, I will sell off all my survival equipment in the hope that the next emergency will mercifully and permanently put a barrier between me and this so-called civilization.

Da Bing

Doug, thanks for the article. I read it on The Outdoor Wire today. I enjoy his commentaries.

A reminder to be prepared is good. Come to think of it, the case of water in the back of my truck is growing amoebas and probably should be replaced soon.

I also get most of my news from my digital scanner. On the way home today I was listening to the constabulary on a TAC frequency north of here. Things were slow on their stake-out so they were following around a bicyclist waiting for him to break a law.

When I got the text there was a Quake back home I thought it was a joke when I found out it was real I barely reacted or even turned on the news since the text's had no urgency or panic in them. Sometimes its best to use common sense and realize hey no one I know that felt it is going apes***t over it sooooo why flee to the news anchors like they are more trustworthy.

Im just wondering now is there any trustworthy news station to obtain real information on such events? I can Understand wanting the full story for the just to be sure reaction but from the looks of it if I ran to the television I woulda thought Id be returning home to ruble and mayhem.

This reminds me of my youth. A local neighborhood tavern and pizza place was right next to a creek that flooded during major storms. A bunch of us teenagers would head over when the water receded to help clean up. In exchange the owner would give everyone free pizza and beer. The legal drinking age was 18 back then, but I don't recall him ever checking ID's.

Now Irene is bearing down on us. If it tracks anywhere in the cone the NOAA is predicting, we'll be well within range of hurricane-force winds. In preparation for this monumental occasion, my son and I got haircuts, ate sushi for dinner, and stopped by the liquor store to replenish the emergency beer and scotch supplies. We just went camping last weekend with a bunch of Jeepers, and because of rain we had a lot of food, water and soft drinks leftover due to no-shows. Added to my normal emergency supplies, the two of us could go for over a month without leaving the house. Of course living on burgers, hot dogs and chips would get boring, which explains the alcohol. Alas that tavern is a distant memory, both in time and miles.

Oh yeah, we also checked the trees near the house for dead limbs, stowed any outdoors items that might get blown about, made sure the generators started and the all the gas cans and vehicles were full of gas. I've also got a couple sheets of plywood in case a window breaks. Being uphill, my biggest concern is wind damage and extended power outages.

My other concern is my daughter. I just dropped her yesterday for her freshman year at college. I'm not happy with the limited preparedness items she agreed to bring with her. But that's another topic.