Hurricane Isaac & Friends

Morgan Miller of WJTV News

Here we go again. It almost seems like clockwork: Labor Day, hurricanes and gas price increases. I guess that we should be used to it by now. Hurricanes with a name that starts with "I" that appear around Labor Day will usually bring the ruckus! Isabel, Ivan, Ike, Igor, Irene and now Isaac.

Now, although Isaac appears to be more of a flooding type of storm rather than a blow-your-roof-off type of storm, it's still to be respected. I've been watching The Weather Channel for most of the weekend and sometimes, I think that they do people a disservice.

Every hurricane isn't Katrina. When Katrina hit back in '05, I remember watching TWC to get details on its approach. Like usual, TWC hyped this storm like it was Armageddon. They hyped all storms like it was Armageddon. So, like a lot of people, I got numb to it. That was until I was driving home from work in 60 mph winds and dodging trees.  This time it really was Armageddon, but it was too late for those who didn't believe it to leave.

I think that news groups that deliver the weather need to be honest about what is approaching. I realize that it brings in ratings when people are glued to their TV and think that they're going to die. And I know that Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart and grocery chains will continue to endorse you since people run to those stores when there's red on the weather radar. But, we're talking about people's lives here. People can't pack up and run every time they talking heads discussing a band of rain on the Gulf. That's why people wait until the last minute to leave because they don't believe the hype. They feel as if they have to see it for themselves before they "get out of Dodge."

Now, the upside to 24/7 hurricane coverage is the opportunity to see local meteorologist, Morgan Miller, do her thing. Bad weather is always easier to digest with a little eye candy on the screen. So, when Vivian Brown (Mississippian) or Stephanie Abrams get on the air, then they'll get my attention a lot quicker than Al Roker would.

What's happened to Al anyway? He used to be a jolly, old guy, but since he's lost weight, he's turned into kind of a perv. He's just weird now. I can't put my finger on it, but I wouldn't leave my god daughter around him.

Flashback: Vivian Brown of The Weather Channel

We'll see what will happen with Hurricane Isaac. Jackson is just a little over 150 miles from the Gulf Coast, so bad weather is still pretty rugged by the time it reaches inland to us. Hopefully, Isaac will fizzle out once he reaches landfall and I won't have to deal with tornado watches for most of the week.

As for the gas prices... Oil companies love hurricanes. Every time we have a hurricane, an oil company CEO gets an erection. I can almost guarantee that. Because any mention of shutting down a refinery means price spikes here in the states. Why do they honesty expect me to believe that if one plant shuts down or catches on fire, the nation has to pay an extra dime per gallon? Crooks.

I still haven't forgiven them for how they jacked up prices during Katrina. The nation goes through the worst weather-related event of all-time and ExxonMobil pocketed almost $10 billion dollars in profits in a quarter while everyone suffered.  I'm sitting in line, at 3 AM, waiting on over-priced gas while they're laughing all of the way to the bank.

Don't get me started on them.  Now, I'm getting stressed.  I wonder if Morgan Miller is on? (grabs remote)

Stephanie Abrams of The Weather Channel

Do you take your meteorologist seriously when a storm approaches?