The Issue: The city’s response to Hurricane Irene, which arrived Sunday morning as a tropical storm.
Is someone sending us a message with the successive earthquake, hurricane and torrential rainstorms (“Apocalypse Not,” Editorial, Aug. 29)?
The obvious response is to build an ark, repent for our sins, balance the budget and stop inflicting harm on our environment.
However, I feel this is just a string of bad luck that, too, shall pass.
Nelson Marans
Silver Spring, Md.
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Mayor Blooomberg is a smart fellow.
Why he trusted the weatherman, who hasn’t got a great track record, is beyond me.
Katherine Sweatt
Manhattan
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If Irene was “the 100-year storm,” New York City has nothing to fear from Mother Nature till 2111.
Irene wimped out, yet the city was brought to a man-made standstill by the mayor.
Bloomberg was AWOL for a blizzard and then cost the city billions for over-hyping a hurricane.
Even at only a dollar in salary a year, Bloomberg costs New Yorkers too much.
Schellie Hagan
Brooklyn
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I was very pleased with the way Bloomberg handled the hurricane.
He prioritized safety and was frank in his speeches.
Bloomberg spoke to the people, and his constant updates assured everyone that everything was under control.
I believe that a fourth term as mayor could be in order.
Jacob Neumark
Manhattan
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When Irene arrived, it was a welcome relief. I would rather endure 10 storms like that than listen to four days of nonstop hype and apocalyptic predictions from pompous news anchors and local politicians.
Their shameless clamoring for face time and political posturing was disturbing.
The mandatory evacuation of whole neighborhoods was proven to be excessive.
Will the closing of businesses, along with the lost revenue and wages the day before the storm, become the rule of thumb, just to be on the safe side?
We are Americans, and we are New Yorkers. We can adjust and adapt to any situation, and we surely know to come in out of the rain.
Stop assisting in the wimpification of America.Phil Anastasia
Staten Island
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The overreaction to Irene would be laughable if it weren’t so painful.
Is the disaster not big enough? Let’s help it along.
Rather than having the storm interrupt the transit system, let’s do it ourselves.
Why not cut off the water, electricity and phone service, as well?
What we need in this burg is an administration that keeps things going, not one that runs around in a panic simply shutting things down for want of any real plan.
Bloomberg hasn’t been a bad mayor — the same administrative talents that built his empire are serving him well.
But every now and then he has an episode that results in this kind of mess.
Rein Virkmaa
Manhattan
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It’s unbelievable that people are griping about the precautions that our leaders took for the hurricane. It was for our protection, people!
They went by what was shown by the metor-ologists.
Leaders are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Patricia Carter
Manhattan
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Thanks, Hurricane Irene, for appearing in New York City during this slow news week and almost making the mayor and MTA look good. Howard Sage
Manhattan
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If Irene did anything, it highlighted how ridiculous it was to blame George W. Bush for Katrina.
The real first responders — the tristate’s governors and mayors — were front and center in managing this disaster.
Let’s never forget that Katrina’s devastation was caused primarily by the complete incompetence of the Democratic governor of Louisiana and mayor of New Orleans.C. Ward
Manhattan