Killed by Ronald McDonald? How much damage can a giant, helium-filled balloon do?
Macy's may ground balloons: How much damage can a giant, helium-filled balloon do?
It's a Thanksgiving balloon. How much harm could it do? The answer is: quite a bit.
When the giant balloons of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are tossed by storm winds, real havoc can ensue. The balloons can even pose a lethal threat. Which is why Macy's is cautious. Given the storms currently hitting the East Coast, there's a chance the traditional inflatables may sit this one out.
"On Thanksgiving morning, Macy’s works closely with the NYPD," Macy's spokeswoman Holly Thomas told the L.A. Times on Wednesday morning. The police, "based on real-time weather data and the official regulations, determine if the balloons will fly and at what heights."
The balloons have only been grounded once before in the 87-year history of the parade. It happened in 1971 due to bad weather. But on the morning of Thanksgiving 1997, police told Macy's officials they were concerned about winds. Yet the balloons went up as usual, the New York Times reported. The six-story-tall Cat in the Hat, hit by gusts over 40 mph, struck a light pole. Debris dropped on paradegoers, and a woman nearly died of a head injury.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/shareitnow/la-sh-macys-parade-balloons-weather-20131127,0,4526585.story#ixzz2ly59j6TQ
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