This seems like a useful article about the "hype" around Irene:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti...a5193b1252af0c5

It makes the crucial observation that much of the storm reporting was focused on New York City. When it turned out that Irene did not destroy the city, people were in a sense let down. The extensive damage Irene caused in other areas got relatively little attention.

There is always a degree of gambling involved in emergency preparation. Alas, "better safe than sorry" isn't always popular.

Da Bing