Against the Wind

Anytime a natural disaster is imminent, people go into survival mode. They exaggerate, make outlandish statements, or hide in their basements as if under aerial bombardment. This survivalist tendency (while having an organic etiology) is stoked by the media, which elevates the fear factor, this is what we call "good business." I figured you can't live in the south pacific for over a year without experiencing a cyclone, so i went along for the ride. Our neighbors were boarding up their houses, local stores were packed with people stocking up on last minute goods, people had fear on their lips. Granted a life-shattering tsunami occured a few months back which helped shape the current environment of hysteria. I stayed glued to the radio, brought in my motorcycle, outdoor bench, and grill & fantasized about a tree slamming into our large windows facing the ocean.

Tropical cyclone Rene formed off the coast of the northern cook islands (east of us) and was gradually increasing in intensity as it headed toward the Samoan islands. It was classified originally as a tropical storm until it was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane, expected winds of 74-95mph & surf 15-20 feet. By Friday the hysteria was thicker than molasses, with a bulletin by the governor stating we should secure life and property, stock up on emergency items, board up houses, & not venture outside. Red cross workers were put on high alert, ready to swoop in following the path of the destruction. People could be heard on the radio, saying "we're in gods hands", "we're due for a direct hit", all signs point to the "big one." So i waited, munching on popcorn for the blockbuster film called Rene.


The term "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic nature, with counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone. The naming of cyclones follows a series of set lists, numerous regions/countries have their own lists: north Atlantic, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Indian ocean, japan, etc. For the Samoa archipelago, we used the southwest pacific ocean system, list B, number 17#- Rene. These lists usually alternate genders and follow the roman alphabet, with Greek letters for additions. Also, the classification system of strength varies from tropical storm to category 5.

Each update by the national weather service placed the land-fall of the cyclone later and later, moved from 12pm to 4am, finally no cyclone. The truth be told, we experienced high winds, with gusts around 50mph. My internal cyclone radar clocked it as weak, as we slept through most of the night. The next morning driving to work i thought about the hysteria that the media preys upon. True, knowing a big storm is coming can protect lives, yet many times the media go way beyond this. Why? Because like it or not the modern media is a corporation driven solely by profits, scaring the hell out of people makes people stay tuned.

At a certain point, due to the annoying music & lethargy from scare tactics, i shut off the radio and just listened to the wind. Having no T.V., we are shielded from much of the culture of fear, but it still leaks through. Anyway, I'm sure you can think of many examples of the media exaggerating things (war, health, crime)- maybe next time you can just shut it off, and listen to the wind.