Ryan Bridge: Did we over hype Cyclone Vaianau?

The storm for the most of the North Island was a fizzer.

The TV news struggled to find pictures of anything actually happening other than a few trees down and reporters breathlessly doing pieces to camera in the wind.

In Auckland where I live most shops were closed and they didn’t need to be.

There is a risk of the boy who cried wolf.

But I also don’t think need to have an existential national conversation about whether this was over-hyped.

The forecasters do their thing. They tell you what is coming. Or their best guess of what's coming. Then it’s up to us to make our own decisions based on the information, our own experience and personal judgement.

The businesses who decided to close yesterday before anything had actually happened lost a day's trade. The one's who didn't, didn't. 

Maybe next time they’ll make a different call. After all, Auckland was only under an orange watch.

The media coverage was over the top. It always is. Remember they make money off events like this. Eyeballs on screens. I noticed before every video on the stuff site yesterday showing ocean lapping at sand dune, there was an ad for Tower Insurance playing. 

They do what they do.

But you can’t tell MetService to not to report the weather. 

They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

We’re all responsible for our own lives. Ultimately we can decide if we’re safe enough to stay home or go to get a flat white from the local Robert Harris.

And if you want to go out kite-surfing or surfin in their storm, all power to ya. You might die, or you might have an awesome Sunday, wither way it'll be your informed choice to do so.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The storm for the most part, for the North Island
was a fizzer. The TV news the only thing they
were battling was the battle, the struggle to find pictures
of anything actually happening other than a few trees down
and reporters breathlessly doing pieces to camera in the wind
and Auckland or Isle of Most shops were closed in
my particular area, and they didn't need to be. There

(00:20):
is a risk here of the boy who cried wolf,
But I also don't think that we need to have
an existential national conversation about whether this was overhyped or not.
The forecasters do their thing, They tell you what is
coming or their best guess of what's coming. Then it's
up to us to make our own decisions based on
the information, based on our own experience and our personal judgment.

(00:41):
That's life. The businesses who decided to close yesterday before
anything it actually happened lost to day's trade. The ones
who didn't didn't. Maybe next time they'll make a different call.
After all, Auckland was only under an orange watch. The
media coverage was over the top. It always is. Remember
they make money off events like this. Eyeballs on screens.

(01:03):
I noticed before every video of on the stuff site
yesterday of the ocean lapping at a sand dune, there
was an ad for Tower Insurance paying for it. This
is what they do, and they will do what they do.
But you can't tell Met Service to not report the weather,
can you? Otherwise? What's the point in met Service? Now?

(01:23):
Damned if they do, and damned if they don't. Those forecasters.
We're all responsible ultimately for our own lives, and ultimately
we can decide if we're safe enough to stay home
or to go get a flat white from the local
Robert Harris and the Robert Harris can decide whether they open.
And if you want to go out kitesurfing or surfing
in the storm, all power to you. You might die

(01:44):
or you might have an awesome Sunday. Either way, it'll
be your informed choice. For more from Early Edition with
Ryan Bridge, listen live to News Talks it Be from
five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio