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If you don’t understand the “hype” being spun by local and national meteorologists for ratings-— that is to say increasing the “woo-woo” factor to scare the shut-ins and raise ad revenue rates (which weather channel does btw during storm coverage)— then you can give ad hominems all you want. And still be wrong.

While it is good tactics to “err on the side of intensity” in media’s assist of the governmental types trying to evacuate areas snd maintain rule of law, it is foolish not to see the upside on the revenue scheme that attaches to this concurrent civic assist.

And no- it will not be the worst possible hurricane in US history, until the millibar meaasured at sea level landfall reads 892 mbar (hPa) or 26.35” Hg (ie. the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, which parents survived and helped burn the bodies of the WPA and WWI Veterans on Islamorada)- and we as a family unfortunately were there for Camille in MS and Andrew in Kendall.
Some people in their dreary lives like the excitement of the danger, and the thrill of yelling “uh-oh” or rubbernecking the roadside carnage, and gin up website traffic in the internut age. Professionals of long experience do not do this, not even for major media bosses, thank goodness. www.nhc.noaa.gov NWS and the US Navy for example. Deo Vindice.

.....And some people just find it of interest to see how things will go and how hurricanes operate....all kinds of folks are zeroed in on this unusual happening....some with family members in the line of fire or potential of...others who study and inform us.......it’s a national event that doesn’t occur often and certainly not in the way this hurricane has shown itself and as as we’ve watched this develop......which is also of interest to thousands if not millions.....

So....nobody can dictate how others should react nor see this event....and yes some will “feel” the emotion of the event more than others. Those who are stoic won’t...but we’re all in just the same.

There are factors here well beyond wind speed. Katrina was 'only' a Cat 3 but had so much surge that it caused more damage in Mississippi than Camille. Likewise with Ike - it wasn't technically a major hurricane at landfall but it was the third most damaging hurricane prior to Harvey and Irma this year. Sandy wasn't even technically a hurricane at landfall. Also, the overall size of the storm matters a lot also. Camille and Labor Day were fairly compact, intense storms. Katrina and Ike and Sandy were large, so is Irma. And finally, there are far more people (and real estate) in the Gulf than there were for Camille and Labor Day. You cannot view storms through the single keyhole of wind speed.

Are the TV mets hyping this? Of course. Does that mean the underlying danger is not real? Of course not.