Brendan Loy

Brendan Loy is an American blogger and law clerk who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his wife and daughter. [ [http://blog.brendanloy.com/ Irish Trojan in Tennessee: About Me] ] While Loy was earning a law degree at the University of Notre Dame, his blog, then entitled "The Irish Trojan's Blog", gained moderate attention on the internet and in some media outlets. Loy's hyperactive blogging on Hurricane Katrina, particularly urging evacuations at a time when local authorities had not yet acted and much of the national media was still largely focused on threats to Florida rather than Louisiana, resulted in coverage by several media sources.

Though he does not have any formal meteorological training, Loy is a self-admitted "hurricane buff" and "weather nerd." He was a finalist for "The Week" magazine's "Blogger of the Year" for 2005. [ [http://www.theweekmagazine.com/opinion_awards/4_blogger_year.html "The Week" magazine bios for "Blogger of the year finalists] ]

Loy is a native of Newington, Connecticut. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2003.

Hurricane Katrina coverage

At 1:57 p.m. on Friday, August 26 2005, nearly two days before Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans issued a mandatory evacuation of the city, Loy wrote, "At the risk of being alarmist, we "could" be 3-4 days away from an unprecedented cataclysm that could kill as many as 100,000 people in New Orleans...If I were in New Orleans, I would seriously consider getting the hell out of dodge right now, just in case." [Loy's [http://www.brendanloy.com/2005/08/new-orleans-in-peril.html 8/26/2005 Katrina warning] ] Later that day, Glenn Reynolds of InstaPundit linked to Loy's site, causing thousands of people—including some in the New Orleans area—to view his warnings. Loy's site became increasingly heavily trafficked as Katrina approached and eventually made landfall, and ultimately became the "most frequently cited hurricane-related blog" for Katrina-related coverage, according to Intelliseek's Blogpulse. [ [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-31-2005/0004097598&EDATE= Intelliseek's Blogpulse lists Irish Trojan Blog as the "most frequently cited hurricane-related blog" for Katrina-related coverage] ]

In the aftermath of the storm, Loy's posts describing Katrina's potential devastation were cited by some journalists investigating what some saw as a slow and inadequate government response to Katrina. However, Loy and many others argued repeatedly that lack of preparedness and proactive solutions in advance of the storm were far more damaging than any negligent or mismanaged response. Though Loy freely admits that he merely acted as a conduit of information readily obtainable from the National Weather Service, Accuweather, and other sources, Loy was nonetheless the subject of articles in "The New York Times", [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/technology/05blog.html?ex=1283572800&en=84c7c09d58ff1a78&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss "A 'Weather Nerd' in Indiana Sent a Warning to the Mayor"] , "New York Times", September 5, 2005] "The Washington Post", [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/22/AR2005102201247.html "Brendan Loy, the Guy of The Storm"] , "The Washington Post", October 23, 2005] and the Associated Press, [ [http://www.wabashplaindealer.com/articles/2005/09/07/state_news/state1.txt 'Weather nerd' attracts attention after predicting Katrina disaster] , Associated Press, September 7, 2005] covered by "Slate"'s Mickey Kaus, [Mickey Kaus (September 2 2005) "Loy's blog for the past week is a pretty extraordinary document. It should maybe be in the Smithsonian, if you can put a blog in the Smithsonian." [http://slate.msn.com/id/2125282/?nav=fix&#prescience] ] and he appeared on MSNBC [ [http://www.brendanloy.com/2005/09/tucker-me.html Video of MSNBC appearance] , "The Irish Trojan's Blog"] and the national syndicated "Hugh Hewitt" radio show, among others.

Although some journalists and blog visitors credited Loy with "predicting" Katrina's path, he pointed out repeatedly [ [http://www.brendanloy.com/2005/09/another-radio-interview.html "Another radio interview"] , "The Irish Trojan's Blog"] [ [http://www.brendanloy.com/2006/08/welcome-hbo-viewers.html "Welcome, HBO viewers!"] , "The Irish Trojan's Blog"] that the information was already available from sources such as the [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov National Hurricane Center] and many respected meteorologists, and he merely passed that information along to his readers. Loy has also relayed the theory, espoused by prominent meteorologists [ [http://www.brendanloy.com/2005/09/looking-back.html "Looking Back"] , "The Irish Trojan's Blog"] that, but for a last-minute shift in the storm's path, Katrina's eye would have passed directly over downtown New Orleans, causing even more extensive damage and deaths approaching or exceeding 100,000, as had been predicted for years by weather experts. [ [http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/thebigone_1.html "The Big One"] , 2002 series in "The Times-Picayune" on the hurricane threat to New Orleans]

Loy was featured in Spike Lee's HBO documentary film "", premiered in August 2006. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783612/ "Internet Movie Database"] ]

Other media attention

"The Irish Trojan's Blog" has received media attention outside of Hurrican Katrina coverage. Loy's blog was featured in a "South Bend Tribune" article on local bloggers. [ [http://www.brendanloy.com/2005/07/018363.html "South Bend Tribune" article on local bloggers] ] Loy and the "The Irish Trojan's Blog" have been linked to by Michelle Malkin, Instapundit and other sites for topics including sports, popular culture, and politics. Loy also authored a piece for "Sports Illustrated on Campus" entitled "The Perfect Bracket: How to come out on top in your NCAA tournament pool." [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/sioncampus/03/28/nearperfect.bracket/index.html "The Perfect Bracket: How to come out on top in your NCAA tournament pool"] , "Sports Illustrated on Campus", March 28, 2006]

Loy worked for the "Daily Trojan" during his undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California, but Loy states that he was "forced to resign" from an editorial position. Loy has not stated the reasons for his resignation. [ [http://www.brendanloy.com/wp/2003/07/007955.html "Becky and Toby Flood the Zone"] , "The Irish Trojan's Blog"] [ [http://www.brendanloy.com/wp/2003/05/007726.html "Heads Must Roll"] , "The Irish Trojan's Blog"]

Notes

External links

* [http://blog.brendanloy.com/ Irish Trojan in Tennessee]