June 1 is always a day I look to with mixed emotions. Today marks the beginning of a period many people, especially along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, have come to dread - hurricane season. From now until November 30, residents across this country will be watching with bated breath every blob that develops from Alabama to Africa.
I hope everyone is prepared.
No longer are hurricanes just a worry for residents within a hundred miles of the ocean though. The next hurricane to threaten the U.S. will have all of us reaching for our remotes to get the latest from the television news media. And if it happens this year, the media will need to cover much more than just the potential impacts from the wind, rain, and the storm surge. The impacts of a strong hurricane will hit each of us in the pocketbook -- hard. As you know, gas prices are already at record highs with no end in sight. A hurricane or a tropical storm anywhere near the US mainland will send crude oil through the roof.
I hope everyone is prepared.
No longer are hurricanes just a worry for residents within a hundred miles of the ocean though. The next hurricane to threaten the U.S. will have all of us reaching for our remotes to get the latest from the television news media. And if it happens this year, the media will need to cover much more than just the potential impacts from the wind, rain, and the storm surge. The impacts of a strong hurricane will hit each of us in the pocketbook -- hard. As you know, gas prices are already at record highs with no end in sight. A hurricane or a tropical storm anywhere near the US mainland will send crude oil through the roof.
The results? Much higher gas prices, which will in turn increase the price of everything you buy from your morning cereal to your ice cream sandwich you eat for a midnight snack. It won't just be the food you eat that will be impacted. With higher fuel prices, the cost of shipping anything will also increase. With an economy teetering on the brink of a meltdown, this is something we simply can't afford.
I hope the media is prepared to do more than just stand out in the wind and tell everyone else to stay inside. I hope they are prepared to do more than prove to us they can position the most reporters in harm's way. I hope the media is ready to analyze the storm, give those in the direct path the very latest information to help reach safety, and then provide the rest of us with the no-frills analysis of what lies ahead for those who will never have to board up our windows or evacuate because of Hurricane Bertha or Tropical Storm Renee's gale force winds and flooding rain squalls. We will need the media to rise to the task if that time comes. I hope they don't let us down.
June 1st marks the beginning of the hurricane season, but it is much more than that. It begins an anxious 6 months for all of us. I hope we are all ready! For if we aren't, we have no one to blame but ourselves. News networks --- are you listening?
I hope the media is prepared to do more than just stand out in the wind and tell everyone else to stay inside. I hope they are prepared to do more than prove to us they can position the most reporters in harm's way. I hope the media is ready to analyze the storm, give those in the direct path the very latest information to help reach safety, and then provide the rest of us with the no-frills analysis of what lies ahead for those who will never have to board up our windows or evacuate because of Hurricane Bertha or Tropical Storm Renee's gale force winds and flooding rain squalls. We will need the media to rise to the task if that time comes. I hope they don't let us down.
June 1st marks the beginning of the hurricane season, but it is much more than that. It begins an anxious 6 months for all of us. I hope we are all ready! For if we aren't, we have no one to blame but ourselves. News networks --- are you listening?
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