American Elephants

We keep getting “confirmed death tolls” but they keep changing, so “confirmed” seems to be the word that is totally confused. Apparently everybody has different ideas, so it’s going to be some time before we have accurate numbers, which must be devastating for those trying desperately to find out if their relatives survived. It will gradually get straightened out, but very hard on those who just want to know if their family members survived. The idly curious tie up the lines, so unless you have a relative there, stay off the phone!

Everybody wants to claim that THEY have the correct answers, which seems to be incorrect. A lot of people apparently found a place where they felt safe and they are staying put until they hear all-clear that they feel really confidant is absolutely true, which hasn’t happened just yet, Scary times make one want to stay put, just to be on the safe side. The popular number seems to be 97, but why take chances? Very hard on stateside folk who want to know if their family in Hawaii is OK. It would help if the merely curious would stay off the telephone, and turn on their TVs.

Complicated business! All reporters want to be The First, with the Most Accurate News, which will enhance their reputations. But the two goals don’t always match easily. Getting confirmation is a tricky business, and it’s ea;y to get over-zealous on one end and over-cautious on the other. And then sometimes it takes quite a while to get a for-sure correct answer. Probably wise to acknowledge the degree of uncertainty. There are always those who have loved-ones involved in some way, and just desperately want to know that they are all right, and the more uncertainty there is, the more the likelihood of being wrong. So there you go. That’s exactly why there’s that old saying: “Patience is a Virtue!” Easier said than done!

Seems to hold steady at 97 people. Lots of DNA testing to try to sort things out and get accurate answers. All this must be very hard on folks who are trying desperately to find out about their family members there. Very strange situation. “Not knowing” is clearly the worst, and waiting for information.

When the hurricane hit, people took shelter where they could. Good choices, bad choices, some did not find safe places. Those who found safe shelter are reluctant to come out for fear that there may be more storm. Going to take time to find out who survived and where they took shelter, which is hard, hard indeed. If you are just curio;us, listen to the radio or TV, but try hard to stay off the lines needed so desperately for those frantic about their family and relatives. Your curiosity can wait, and you can be confident that officials and reporters are struggling to come up with the answers everybody needs.

“Patience is a virtue,” is the old saying, and it’s true. Everybody understands the anxiety felt by those who had family there. Turn on the radio and the TV. You will get answers as soon as they become available.

Weather is the main interest. Is it going to start pouring or is the rain over for the present? I am assuming the latter. Sky is pitch black, no sign of moon or stars or even any neighbors with many lights on. Everybody in hunkered down waiting to see what is going to happen next. Probably nothing at all. I think the rain has done its’ thing, and everybody can just go peacefully to sleep. No evidence out that everybody has not just gone to bed. Not even any signs of traffic down on the main drag. Neighbors houses would indicate just that. No lights to be seen.

Seattle WA: Just had a brief thunderstorm, a little moderate rain. It’s reliably reported to be something around 58 degrees out, slight drizzle, no big storms and nothing to get excited about. Which, of course, may change. If you can’t figure out what the weather is doing by looking out the window and listening, it’s not too serious at the moment. Actually consulting the weather services doesn’t get you anything much better than that anyway. Not even drizzling at the moment. No sirens going, so there are no emergencies at the moment, main drag down the hill is quiet. Which all tells anybody who is very interested almost nothing at all.

“Doing something” in these circumstances amounts to closing the windows, and deciding to stay home. Which is apparently what folks are doing. Just quiet. Power is reliably on, so watch a movie and go on to bed.

Horribly confusing situation. When the hurricane hit, everyone took shelter at the closest spot deemed safe. Not all were actually safe, of course. People in the States with relatives in Hawaii have been frantic trying to find out if their family survived, so the phone lines are jammed, and email too. Authorities are struggling to find out what and where the death toll is clear or accurate. So if you are just curious, stay off the phone and email if you can. Let those with family there find out if their family survived. Your curiosity can wait. Hurricanes are extremely rare in Hawaii, and nobody was prepared for this one.

Don’t know if these numbers are accurate, nor if the ability to produce accurate numbers will return any time soon. 97 people confirmed dead is a horrible number. Be patient, everybody is trying their hardest to sort it all out.

ADDENDUM: Sunday September24: The 97 number seems to remain as an accurate count. Dreadful tragedy. Nobody is quite sure if everyone has come out of hiding. Authorities are DNA testing to make sure their statistics are accurate.

I gather that being able to add a photograph of a celebrity to a story somehow makes more people read your story . A celebrity is someone whose photo is immediately recognizable, often even just by name, without the celebrity photo. I gather that the attachment of a celebrity to a story is long proven to attract more readers, or perhaps they just come by to look at the picture. Dunno. I’m not particularly interested in celebrities of any kind, but follow lots of national figures whose comments are always reported because what they say may shift the national news. And the more the “celebrity” is featured or quoted, the more attention they get whether what they may say may have no value whatsoever.

When there is a big event, like the Hawaiian hurricane, celebrities are dug up who may have a Hawaiian home to add the known face to an ordinary natural disaster. Seems odd to me, but that seems to be the way things work.

“Microsoft Bing: The death toll on Maui “declines to 87 from 113.’ NBC News: “rises to 114” CNN: Declines from 115 to 97. CBC News: Rises to 98 expected to rise further. NY Times: Dropped to 97.USA TODAY:“Microsoft Bing: The death toll on Maui “declines to 87 from 113.’ NBC News: “rises to 114” CNN: Declines from 115 to 97. CBC News: Rises to 98 expected to rise further. NY Times: Dropped to 97. USA TODAY: “19”. Forbes:”97″. NPR: “94”, UPI: “Dropped to 97 after DNA testing.

I just thought it was funny!

Which may or may not be accurate. Some of the deceased have been counted twice, some who were presumed to have died have come out of the spot where they found shelter, and thankfully are just fine. It’s a confusing situation, and those who are in the States, worrying about relatives or friends in Hawaii are, of course, frantic. Some of the deceased have been counted twice, and others have not yet been found, and some who found safe shelter haven’t emerged yet. Time will straighten it all our sooner or later, but unfortunately it will probably be the latter. I don’t know anyone there, and have never been to Hawaii.

Everybody just wants to know if their loved ones are safe. So naturally the telephone lines are completely tied up. So try to stay off the phone as much as you can. The State of Hawaii is working hard to find where people took shelter, care for the wounded, register the dead and get everyone to a safe space. It’s really hard to be patient when it’s your family.

I don’t know but it may well drop further. DNA testing has apparently shrunk the list somewhat. That is I assume that finding out who the dead really are has clarified the situation. When the hurricane hit, people took shelter wherever was closest, and some of the dead were not with their families or in the expected locations., and apparently not necessarily who they were thought to be. All very confusing.

All will eventually get straightened out, but it’s currently a mess, and a very hard time for those who are trying desperately to find out if their family is dead or alive. Try, if you can, to stay off the telephone lines to Hawaii.

Ninety-seven is still a humongous number, and I hope more of the living can be found. I think one can safely assume that having found a safe place to avoid the worst of the storm, they are not exactly ready to come out from their “safe place”. Very hard to be patient! The telephone lines are jammed. Reporters are anxious to get details too, so online reporting may be as accurate as anything. If you have no family in Hawaii, and are just curious, try to stay off the phone, and turn on the TV, reporters are trying desperately to be first with the most accurate information. All will eventually be revealed. But it’s hard. Hard!