Do hurricanes hate or love Florida?

[Thomas Paikeday]

This, of course, is a question of usage rather than idiom. There's no question about what is meant here. The reference is to Charlie, Frances, and Ivan visiting the state in quick succession. My question is, figuratively speaking, is it really hate that propels hurricanes wherever they visit? Does the sentence "Why hurricanes hate Florida" (TIME, Sept. 20) make sense?

If you hate a person or thing, you tend to hurt them. But hurricanes are hurtful by nature. A hurricane that doesn't cause havoc is no hurricane, like a barking animal that doesn't bark. So I think it makes more sense to say hurricanes love Florida. I wonder what rhetoricians think about this, i.e., if they care to comment on a question that may be more appropriate in a Freshman Composition class.

TOM PAIKEDAY
www.paikeday.net