Hurricane Wilma

[jenniferkind]

Are the media blowing it out of proportion because of a lack of "real" news to talk about ... Grrr makes me mad.. All of the time they spend fear-mongering, and I bet it has an effect on tourists going to Florida.. I don't have the money right this moment to go to MGM (I'm in Canada!) , but if I did I'd have no problem going to visit Mickey and Minnie!

Your neighbor to the north,

~JenniferK~

 

[Goofy4]

Generally speaking I avoid television news for that reason.

The decision to go becomes more difficult when you add children and parents and other friends and relatives to the equation. And when the kids see the news, well, it's hard to say "don't worry, it will be ok (I think)"...

 

[lyncruiser]

Can a hurricane be blown out of proportion after Katrina? That was a pretty devasting blow to the Gulf Coast it seems to me. Recovery is going to cost billions.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I don't think they are blowing it out of proportion, they just don't know what path the storm will take. So they have to report every possible location that it could affect. Or else everyone will be pointing fingers in the end.

This storm is so unpredictable.

We all take what the media says in our own way. I am not boarding up my windows or anything until Wilma figures out what way she is going to do.

We all have to do what is best for us.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

Can a hurricane be blown out of proportion after Katrina? That was a pretty devasting blow to the Gulf Coast it seems to me. Recovery is going to cost billions.

Well said! After Katrina I would not take the risk to take my family anywhere a major hurricane was forecast to hit.

 

[Livie's Mommy]

Can a hurricane be blown out of proportion after Katrina? That was a pretty devasting blow to the Gulf Coast it seems to me. Recovery is going to cost billions.

I don't think the OP was making light of Katrina. I do agree that the media blows EVERYTHING out of proportion and I also do not watch the news for that reason. I don't want to be ignorant to what is going on in the world, but I also don't want to be depressed. I would rather keep the TV off. I am leaving for WDW tomorrow , and watching the news about Wilma will only dampen my excitement. I would rather leave for WDW with a positive outlook, than sit in front of the TV and hear about the possiblity of Wilma ruining my vacation.

 

[ducklite]

I have Storm Stoppers for the windows, all I have to do is stick them up (everything is prepped). I can cover all 28 windows in the house plus the front door and sidelights in under two hours by myself.

I'd have to bring in the lanai furniture, windchimes, and a few other items on the lanai. That's it. Total prep time is under three hours. I'm not doing a darn thing until it makes landfall someplace and I see where.

Anne

 

[SamSam]

We're also heading to WDW tomorrow. The weather forecast seems to change several times a day, so I'm just planning on lots of rain for a couple of days. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than WDW, even (or maybe especially) during a storm. The crowds are extremely manageable during heavy rain.

 

[DisFlan]

We're going tomorrow (Fri), too. We'll be at BWV. We'll let it blow by and enjoy the rest of the week. We moved our flight to Tampa up from Saturday to Friday to get in well ahead of time and get food and water into the villa. I'm not all that worried about losing power. Disney has their own power grid and generators.

We'll be taking ponchos, flashlight and a battery powered radio. If anything more drastic needs to be done, Disney will inform us. We'll have a rental car, so we'll be mobile if necessary.


DisFlan

 

[russtwinsmom]

(Chuckling). Well, we are leaving on our WDW trip tomorrow, arriving a day early. We have managed to add another day to our WL reservations aftering failing for most of the week because it was sold out. Our good fortune is probably the result that some may be cancelling, which is understandable if they have little ones or have been saving for a sunny trip.

The Ironic thing is that we are going into this crazy (path tough to predict) storm because DH and I have just wrapped up several weeks of animal rescue work from Katrina, had our home seriously damaged in Ivan (and less so in Dennis) and felt like we needed to reward our kids with some enjoyable family time. Nothing like heading into yet another hurricane for vacation!

From another thread, some of you know that we are surprising our kids with the trip. They won't know until we are well on our way that we are going to WDW. We will try to get a snapshot of their reaction when we finally tell them and will post once we get back. The bad news is that the beginning of their trip may be spent in the hotel, which in our minds just adds to the adventure.

Wishing you all safe travel, and if you are postponing that you eventually get the vacation for which you have been hoping!

Flying to the world tomorow!

 

[DukeStreetKing]

We're driving up from Tampa tomorrow for the weekend and leaving on Sunday. We will probably be leaving just as Wilma is hitting the coast and have to deal with all the rain on I-4. Whether we stayed home or went to Disney, the hurricane is still coming, so we might as well stick with our plans and enjoy the F&W Festival.

 

[crazy4disney01]

I don't think the media is making it to be bigger than what it is. Look at what a Cat 4 hurricane did to New Orleans and parts of Mississippi. People need to be warned so they stay away.

But look what happened when the people stayed and the unbelievable stories they told just to survive. Why someone would deliberately go to WDW when a Cat 4 hurricane is headed that way is beyond me.

C

 

[shelby_36]

Are the media blowing it out of proportion because of a lack of "real" news to talk about ... Grrr makes me mad.. All of the time they spend fear-mongering, and I bet it has an effect on tourists going to Florida.. I don't have the money right this moment to go to MGM (I'm in Canada!) , but if I did I'd have no problem going to visit Mickey and Minnie!

Your neighbor to the north,

~JenniferK~
Million Dollar Sweethearts

I'm not sure what is "real" news " if you don't consider a cat 5 hurricane hitting the US. Isn't it amazing that the country was in an uproar with Katrina and nothing was done in advance and now everyone wants the US to back off this storm. I just don't understand. ANd no I don't agree that it is fear mongering..I think it is a deadly storm and they are trying to save human life.

 

[DVCajun]

I do agree that the media blows EVERYTHING out of proportion and I also do not watch the news for that reason. I don't want to be ignorant to what is going on in the world, but I also don't want to be depressed.

ITA!!!!!

 

[Livie's Mommy]

But look what happened when the people stayed and the unbelievable stories they told just to survive. Why someone would deliberately go to WDW when a Cat 4 hurricane is headed that way is beyond me.

C

Because we have planned for a long time and have made many arrangements that cannot be resheduled. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of scheduling and rescheduling their trips around the weather. So far, we have heard of no warnings from WDW, the state of Florida, or the federal government to stop travel plans. We plan on riding out the storm (whatever effects will be felt in Orlando) at our hotel, if we have to, and then enjoy the rest of the trip to the fullest !

 

[DukeStreetKing]

Why someone would deliberately go to WDW when a Cat 4 hurricane is headed that way is beyond me.
C

The hurricane is on path to hit far enough away from WDW that it shouldn't be a major concern. I'm not a hurricane expert but www.noaa.gov is usually on the money as far as their track predictions and the Orlando area should not be a concern.

 

[MrsNick]

Well, there are different ways that people define "newsworthiness," but since this storm is by measure (882 mb) the most powerful hurricane to form in the Atlantic basin since records have been kept, I would say that the hurricane is newsworthy.

In light of the fact that two other destructive hurricanes also developed overnight from tropical storms into Category 5 hurricanes, causing death and destruction, it is worth noting.

It is noteworthy that this is the twelfth Atlantic hurricane for the season, meaning that this season is tied with one other for the most hurricanes in one season.

Personally, I'd rather have the information available to me, and make my choices based on it, rather than be completely unaware of a potential natural disaster. Some people might choose to ignore the reports, chalking it up to fear-mongering, some people might go over the top and start building a bomb shelter. And some of us fall in between, somewhere. But at least, since the information is available, you have a choice to do something with it, or nothing at all. Without that information, you're pretty much defaulted to doing nothing since you have no idea that there's a problem (like the poor folks in Galveston and Key West prior to technology which forecasts hurricanes).

Just my 2c.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I don't think the media is making it to be bigger than what it is. Look at what a Cat 4 hurricane did to New Orleans and parts of Mississippi. People need to be warned so they stay away.

But look what happened when the people stayed and the unbelievable stories they told just to survive. Why someone would deliberately go to WDW when a Cat 4 hurricane is headed that way is beyond me.

C

A lot of the damage to New Orleans was from the storm surge and flooding. That would not be the case in Orlando. Yes the winds would be bad but WDW will do everything in their power to protect their guests. But right now the projected path will take it across the lower part of the State. Trust me I am sure everyone is watching and waiting to see what happens.

 

[Goofy4]

From another thread:

"I vividly recall one newscaster reporting from Galveston TX just prior to Rita. With the most solemn expression he could muster, he said: "And tomorrow morning, Galveston as we know it will cease to exist".

In that sense, yes, the media can get a bit ahead of itself and assume the worst.

 

[jwfla422]

If you're planning to go tomorrow or even early Sat. and you can stay a few days past Tuesday, don't cancel.

We were supposed to leave today and come back Sunday, but now that it's forcasted to make landfall Sunday I think we'll be canceling all together as I won't be driving home for 3 hrs in a hurricane.

But, my point it is, if you'll be in WDW thru Tuesday it should be gone by then as the front that's pushing it thru FL will make a major change in the weather. Next week you'll see highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's!!

Well worth a few days of rain for that awesome FL weather (not to mention shrinking crowds from all the cancellations).