The after-Irene hype is that Irene was overhyped.
Yes, maybe in the big cities Irene was no biggie. It’s easy for a Philly Inquirer columnist to refer to Irene as a “Category Feh” hurricane.
But in those areas of the northeast which city dwellers normally only train or drive through, it was a disaster.
As of this writing, over 250,000 people in my home State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations still are without power. You remember Rhode Island, the place you will miss if you blink on the road to Boston and Cape Cod.
Vermont is suffering historic flooding (other than the loss of the covered bridges, do you care?), as is upstate New York (where the hicks and state workers live).
The part of Connecticut beyond Greenwich (yes, there is such a part of Connecticut) was hit hard. Western Massachusetts (you know, the part where the Berkshires seemed dream like on account of the frosting) is a mess.
So don’t tell me Irene was the perfect storm of hype. The post-hype anti-hype is way overhyped.
Update: The death toll from Irene is up to 25 people as of this afternoon.
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