But he gave me permission to use it, just this once. Because Saturday was a slow news day. There were no other looming disasters with which to alarm the viewers. No unapprehended serial killers stalking five-star restaurants, no cruise ships missing the dock and plowing ashore to threaten pedestrians in outdoor cafes, no contaminated seaweed being served in local Japanese miso soup bars. They needed a potential disaster Saturday, and weather is one of the few truly reliable disasters left.
Disasters are the mother's milk of local news.
In lieu of an actual mauling, shooting, or inferno, the threat of an impending natural disaster is the next best thing. But on Sunday night, a funny thing happened. The hurricane, he said, was at least a week away from getting here, if it ever gets here. Ah, I thought, a breath of fresh air. They've realized that they're needlessly scaring people with all this hype.