A CAPITOL BLOG: Weather Service Running Out of Names For Hurricanes

Here's an interesting story I found in a Texas Rep's Blog through Stumble Upon.

A CAPITOL BLOG: Weather Service Running Out of Names For Hurricanes:

"The Associated Press is telling us that we have gone so far down the list of hurricane names that we are going to run out of names. Click here for the story.

There are only four names left for tropical storms and hurricanes this year: Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma. After that, names switch to the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and so on through Omega, if needed."

The Peter Files Responds:

I think this is truly ridiculous!

As if the National Weather Service could not think of a new list of names for hurricanes out of all the names present in the rich tapesty of names in our country.

Have they used Hurricane Shemp yet? There's a name that's often overlooked?

How about Hurricane Pedro, Pierre, Petros, or Rock, just to name a few variations of my own name that could still be added.

The lists have a Marie but no Donny! How's that for a missing Hawaiian punch!

Marcia, Cindy and Brady are not on the list, though Alice, Greg, Bob(by), Carol and Michael have made it on the list.

How about Partridge family names? Not surprisingly Keith's been retired (while David Cassidy still tours), though David has been retired too, Laurie and Shirley are not on the list, but of course, Danny (Daniel) has been retired. After all Reuben's hijinks, Reuben Kincaid is probably too tired to be a Hurricane name, though either would be just fine.

I notice also that they don't bother with Q names. I guess that's a good thing. After Queen, Queenie, Quetzal and a few others, you run out pretty fast, but X, Y and Z are on the list. Perhaps that's the real problem. Finding more names in these letter groups.

If that is the problem, why not start over in a given year with two name groups.

Like all the freshman Mary's at a Catholic School who have to sort themselves out that first week as Mary Sue, Mary Ann(e), Mary Pat, Mary Claire, Mary Rose, or just start using a nickname (Poopsie - now there's a hurricane name!) or their middle name, hurricane names could be doubled just as parents of naught children do. It would be so appropriate wouldn't it? After all, what is a hurricane but an out of control storm gone bad?

Katrina Anne, you stop that Right NOW young lady. Sigh, would that that would work. I'm still worrying about missing friends down there. At least it would help give me someone more anthropomorphic to blame.

The lists found at Fema's Hurricane Name List For Kids show a pretty good showing of Anglican and Hispanic name, but the Italian, French, Irish and especially African-American reprentation in the list is very weak. Perhaps this is a bow to sensitivity, but is this misplaced?

Do you as a kid get a tiny boost on hearing a hurricane with a familiar sounding name? Are we missing something by not having a hurricane Anisha, Rondelle, Marcus, Antha, Laquisha, Abdul, or Oprah on the list?

Perhaps not. Maybe African-Americans have enough problems without having hurricanes named after them come to think of it, might as well name one Mrs. O'Leary.

But why should I do all that work for them. The National Weather service could just consult the Government!

The Social Security Web Page List of Baby Names can give you the list of the 1000 most popular boys & girls names according to the 2000 census. That's 2000 year 2000 names!

Surely that sure be enough to help them weather the storm?

This is one of those things where a clerk could just go to the web, look something up and type up and addendum to the new list but Government gets in the way.

There are some legitimate concens, like the sensitivity to renaming storms that were particularly bad. I was in Frederick and would not like to sit through reports of another headed for the coast. But still, the idea that you could run out of names. Ha! Ha! Ha!

That's a good one.

Thanks for that laugh Rep. Pena. See the rest of his blog for more.


Peter

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