From The Bahamas: Better Hurricane Advice

NASSAU, BAHAMAS–Hurricane Irene is swirling around me right now, slamming gates, lashing shutters with wind and rain, bending coconut palms, and sweeping from these low, sandy islands anything that's not been tied down.
In the hours leading to this moment, two distinct kinds of humans could be observed here: panicked Americans and calm Bahamians.
American tourists crowded hotel reception desks and taxi stands yesterday, rushing to escape to the more beseiged airport, while Bahamians took in stride the necessity of additional work: screwing plywood over windows, stacking deck chairs and tossing them into hotel pools to keep them from becoming airbone in the coming winds.
Why such a difference in attitude between Bahamians and Americans? Here's what one native Bahamian told me:
"I have lived through many hurricanes in the Bahamas. You just need a place to stay out of the rain and relax until it's over."
Meanwhile, the American cable news channels, CNN and The Weather Channel, have been hawking danger and devastation for these islands and for 55 million people on the American East Coast.
"You need to have a survival kit!" one televised expert insisted. "After 9-11 people found themselves without goggles and gas masks."
How will a gas mask help in this hurricane?
This morning, The Weather Channel advised its viewers to purchase pet survival kits, with a 5-day supply of water for pets.
Other tips offered recently by the cable news channels:
Read your homeowner's insurance policy
Call your gas company and ask them what you should do
Turn off your electricity at the circuit breaker or fuse box
That last bit of advice will spare you, at least, from the fear mongering that draws viewers to these channels like gawkers to a car crash.
One Weather Channel anchor slipped yesterday and referred to a weakening of Irene as "a setback."
Another anchor said, "If you have family, friends in (the Bahamas), you have to let them know this is a very dangerous situation!"
As if we don't know what's happening around us in the Bahamas. And as if a telephonic influx of American fear could possibly be useful. America has become the land of the free and the home of the afraid.
"Take a deep breath," my Bahamian friend advises. "Relax. And stay out of the wind and the rain."
So simple.
The Bahamian government has advised its citizens to make sure they have food and water, to cover their windows, and to stay indoors until the storm passes.
So simple.
But for Americans accustomed to a certain balance of fear and comfort, let me add a suggestion to these bits of advice: If a hurricane is headed your way, check into a hotel.
I booked a room at the least expensive hotel I could find, the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island. They're supplying guests with free food and water–though we still have clean tap water and electricity. They lent me the laptop upon which I'm typing this post.
When you stay in a hotel, your safety becomes the hotel's responsibility. So check in. Turn off the television. Read a good book.