This Is the Story of the Hurricane

Gregg Easterbrook thinks Hurricane Isabel was overhyped. I don't know jack about meteorology, but he seems to make a good case, especially here:

[Y]ou'll hear that property damage is unprecedented. This will be cited by hype-meisters to justify the notion of Isabel as a phenomenal mega-event, and cited by enviros to back claims the hurricanes are increasing in intensity. But of course property damage will set new records: property is becoming more valuable. Between inflation, the strong market in housing values and a 30-year trend of building upscale housing in coastal areas, with each passing year, what stands in the paths of hurricanes is simply worth more.