These remaining afterthoughts in the wake of Hurricane Charley’s devastating swath through central Florida:
* Dante needs a new circle for his Inferno: Permanent provisions for looters , price gougers and those hawking “I Survived (insert natural disaster)” T-shirts.
*TV stations doing self promotions over Hurricane Charley come with the media’s competitive culture. Most impressive are those that can legitimately tout catching Charley’s hard turn to the east before the competition. Least impressive are those promoting their own people reporting from places such as Port Charlotte and saying: “It’s really bad here. Let’s talk to this elderly couple who have lost everything.”
*Among the inevitable, irksome feature stories: surfers enjoying the uncommonly rough Gulf waters, while all those around them batten down hatches, round up pets and family photos and prepare for worst-case-scenario, refugee status. Maybe it’s generational.