The Washington Post has an interesting article entitled, Female-named hurricanes kill more than male hurricanes because people don’t respect them, study finds:
People don’t take hurricanes as seriously if they have a feminine name and the consequences are deadly, finds a new groundbreaking study.
Female-named storms have historically killed more because people neither consider them as risky nor take the same precautions, the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes.
It’s hard not to laugh, even if it is a serious matter. As the original article says, the people naming hurricanes might take this information into consideration.
April 26, 2015
The sentiment – that “female” hurricanes are more benign – is rather touching. If careless.
At first I was a little aggrieved at being excluded though now happy that there will never be a Hurricane Ursula because the hurricane alphabet doesn’t use names beginning with Q, U, X, Y, Z.
Whirlwind greetings,
U
You’re lucky. “Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest hurricane in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season….. Jeanne is blamed for at least 3,006 deaths in Haiti with about 2,800 in Gonaïves alone, which was nearly washed away by floods and mudslides. The storm also caused 7 deaths in Puerto Rico, 18 in the Dominican Republic and at least 4 in Florida, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 3,025; Jeanne is the 12th deadliest storm in the Atlantic hurricane history ever. Final property damage in the United States was $6.8 billion, making this the 13th costliest hurricane in U.S. history.”
I didn’t know that! Of course, I go by Jean not Jeanne, so maybe this doesn’t count.
At first, I was irritated reading this.
I thought it was just another example of sexism
but then after thinking about actual names….
I mean “Sally” doesn’t really sound like a threatening name does it?
And Katrina sounds so innocent and yet one of the deadliest.
Off topic a bit, but I think the same goes with naming children.
If someone was reading resumes with the exact same qualifications,
for this reason I think the one with the name of …Let’s say
“Elisabeth” would be taken more serious than the woman named “Bambi”.
Bambi would be fighting her name her whole life.
I do it myself. All my official papers etc. are signed with my given name
“Cynthia” and I don’t use my nickname “Cindi” because to me, it should less serious.
I think it was a great study. Who would have guessed people’s unconscious ideas applied to the names of hurricanes? Wow!
I meant to write “sounds” instead of “should”…
I must go get my coffee now!
😉
oh good grief charlie brown.
wonder what the cost of that ‘study’ was.
i suppose i should think ‘it gives somebody a job.’
i remember when they ONLY gave feminine names to hurricanes.
seriously.
of all the things that need fixing and help… they’re studying THAT?
well.
where is my sense of humor this morning?
like cindi said… i must go get my coffee now! LOLOLOL!!!! gotta love her!
i mean cynthia! … and she’s right! 😀
You think studies that might help save people’s lives is a waste of money??
I am entirely with Tammy on this. What sheer waste of time and money!
I suppose one could argue that the world is better off without people who are so influenced by the name of a hurricane.
we have had some bad ones hit NZ but some are supposed to do a lot of damage but they whistle past or they veer out to see when the they see the tip of the North Island.
Cyclone Pam was here a few weeks ago – she was gusty for sure one night and poured a lot of watery stuff on my region. But she didn’t do all that much damage.
The news folk always say things like “cyclone xyz is bearing down on NZ, it is expected to cause damage in xyz places”
I imagine the forecasters are a big help. Have you personally ever experienced any damage?
I have not been caught up in a cyclone – other than minor seepage in the basement garage – shoots under the door. Various minor branches have fallen but all able to be cleared easily.