Hurricane Irene

[UMBS Go Blue]

Well, where I grew up on the coast in Boston just 1/4 mile from the beach, we had Hurricane Gloria in 1986 and Hurricane Bob in 1991. We lost power for several days after Gloria blew down the old tree at the corner... down onto our neighborhood's power line. Downed trees, branches, leaves, trash, and debris everywhere - it was complete chaos for about a day, but that's when the community pulls together and cleans things up.

People directly on the ocean would board up their windows in advance of an approaching storm, while others everywhere would at least tape them - which doesn't help much if a garbage can flies through, but supposedly at least minimizes the shattering and the flying around of little pieces of glass. (ETA: apparently taping doesn't help at all )

Which brings me back to NYC. If I were you and I were to stay in the city, I'd use the down time this weekend to move all electronics, trinkets, valuables, etc. away from the windows and window sills (probably would put the valuables in the closet) and if the windows blew out and things got real bad, take refuge in an inside kitchen or bathroom. On the second floor (basically street level) you don't know what items might be sucked up from the street and shatter the window - whether trash cans, twigs/branches, or other debris.

And I'd also prepare emergency supplies and gather personal documents as everyone has already mentioned in this thread, and as suggested by NYC. I looked up the NYC map and wasn't surprised to see that where I lived was in Zone C for flooding, just a block from Zone B, and another block from Zone A.

[milanessa]

Hope everyone stays safe - feels strange to not be worried about a hurricane here.

My neighbors can't catch a break. They left for North Carolina a few days ago for a family wedding. At the time they were still talking about it hitting Florida so they boarded up their place, spent the best part of a day doing it. All for naught. Now they're in the middle of it.

[rfisher]

It's not a bad idea for people to invest in a generator. Power loss is always a big factor during any weather event. They are much less expensive than hotel costs. You can usually keep your refridgerator running or if you have a well, keep it primed. A big problem with wells is you can often end up replacing the well pump if it loses prime and the motor burns up. It's also a good idea to keep extra water and supplies all the time rather than trying to rush out an buy them at the last minute. Saves much angst at the stores as people are rushing around like crazy. Good luck everybody who are in the storm pathway.

[cruisin]

We were worried about our daughter going to Florida this week. Looks like she'll be better off than we will. Though, she is scheduled to come home Monday morning, that worries me. And, my son has a wedding to go to on Long Island tomorrow. I've told him he should stay open minded and consider not going, based on tomorrow morning's updates. But he says HE'S GOING! He's supposed to be driving home on Sunday, right in the middle of everything. I don't want him driving in a hurricane!

Not sure how we'll fair here. We're in the direct middle of the "strike zone", but we are such a high elevation, that we may be less effected. Though, I don't know if that makes a difference. We are in a heavily wooded area, so trees may go down. We have underground utilities, but we're effected by surrounding areas with above ground. At least we don't have much of a concern re: flooding in the immediate area.

To all: Be careful, stay safe, and buy lots of candles.

[Eden]

I hope and pray that Irene will do us a favor and leave us all safe and with no damage to our homes.

It's enough that we had the earthquake, and now this?! I fear of what might come next

This Irene lady is a real nuts and needs some medication, IMO.

Hope this system ends up not as bad as predicted.

[Jenna]

Bergen is now under a "Hurricane Watch." I'm getting out of here!

[BlueRidge]

Do we have anyone here on the Eastern Shore? (of Maryland) I'm really worrying about that area.

[Katoomba]

I'm in Midtown Manhattan, outside of a flood zone, but on the 29th floor of my building. I could stay with my parents in NJ but I don't want to be stranded outside the city for days, either. I'm worried that, by the time we know more about the storm's path and intensity tomorrow, it'll be crazy and possibly too late to get out of the city.

[FigureSpins]

Your parents will probably appreciate the company and peace of mind, knowing you're safe with them. The ferries from NJ to NYC should be back up and running, assuming the power comes back on for docking.

NYC's flooding is expected to be really bad because the storm track was supposedly going to have it hit during high tide. Patients in Coney Island and Staten Island University hospitals are being transferred today to other hospitals because of fear of flooding and power outages.


We're far enough inland (NC) that the storm won't affect the house - we put away the deck furniture and plants. We were supposed to be going to the beach this weekend, but we're instead heading for the mountains. Not running away, per se, but just need to get away for a few days.

[Catherine M]

Good luck to everyone. Lots of great tips in this thread, especially about making block ice and filling the bathtub with water. Another place to store water is the washing machine (if you have one). Let it fill up and then hit stop.

If you feel like you should leave, do so early as there is nothing worse than sitting in gridlock.

[altai_rose]

I'm in Baltimore, so we're on the edge of not being hit hard, unlike the Eastern Shore. Went to Walmart yesterday to get a flashlight and saw tons of people doing the same thing.

This is going to sound bad. I'm not worried about my car being drenched or the power outage at my house, but I'm really worried about my lab. I hope the area doesn't flood because the lab mice are the basement and if the area floods, the mice--millions of dollars and years and years of work--will be dead. And I'm worried about the freezers and fridges in lab. I know that we do have an emergency power system for the really essential things (ie, in the hospital) but I'm not sure what exactly that covers in my lab building. In my defense, though, if I lost certain reagents and (hopefully not!!!) irreplaceable mice, I've literally lost a year of my life. And others will have it worse.

[nerdycool]

A friend just told me tonight that she and her husband have planned on being in NYC (lower Manhattan) middle of next week and they are quite concerned because of Irene. Hopefully the storm will weaken by then, so they can enjoy their visit.

The storm should be back out in the Atlantic and just south of the coast of Greenland by Wednesday, so they won't have to worry about the actual storm. However, they might have to worry about the after effects if Irene does directly hit NYC.

[PRlady]

My brother-in-law lives on the 15th floor in Morningside Heights. I suppose it's relatively safe there, a few blocks from the Hudson, but oh boy, getting up and down the stairs if the elevators don't work.

My COO is in CA with his family, supposed to come back to NYC tomorrow, my BFF who lives in CA is in her NY apartment on the upper East Side this week, and I've got twenty co-workers, many of whom live in Brooklyn.

I have a feeling life in NY isn't going to be normal for several days....

[barbk]

My dad lived in the Rockaways during the "Long Island Express" great hurricane of 1938, and while their house survived, the area in general was just wrecked. Further down the island a new inlet was created, hundreds of cars were washed into other inlets, there was massive flooding and loss of life in the Hamptons, and the storm as a whole took out massive numbers of trees, which in turn took out electricity for weeks.

Fast forward to the '90s, when they were living in NC on a barrier island near Wilmington that took pretty direct hits from Fran, and then in 1999 from the one-two punch of Dennis and Floyd. They'd just replaced part of the roof they lost from Dennis when Floyd roared through, taking it off again. They were allowed back on the island about three or four days after the hurricane, but were without power for about three weeks.

- If you are in an area that has recommended or required evacuation, please leave.
- If you're going to a hotel, you might look for one very near a hospital. At least in my folks' area, that's the first area where power is restored.
- If you evacuate, try to clear out your fridge/freezer of food before you leave. If power is lost for several days, you'll very much regret it if you haven't done so.
- Bring medications, pictures, and vital documents with you.
- If you have a small dog or a cat, please bring their kennel along if you can. Storms are really frightening for them and there's likely to be a lot of noises -- you don't want them running away from you, especially in a strange place.
- Use your cell phone to take pictures before you leave.
- If you have chemicals (pesticides, cleaning) stored in your basement or flood-prone area, move them up to a higher level. Move your cleaning/repair items up too. Your toolbox and duct tape won't do you any good if they're in muck.
- Bring boots with you, and work gloves if you have them. If your home was damaged, or your area was damaged, wear boots when you return. The number of people injured after return from broken glass and nails was huge. Not a good place for flip-flops even if the weather afterwards is balmy. If you have any broken glass in your home, be very suspicious of any carpet nearby -- it is pretty much impossible to get all the shards out, and most insurance companies consider that to be a tear-out.
- Bring TP, non-perishable food, water, ice, lots of heavy duty black plastic trash bags, candles, bug spray, and sunscreen when you're allowed back if the area is damaged. You'll appreciate them. Make sure your gas tank is full before you go back. (Gas stations were among the slowest businesses to get back to operating, and the lines were long.)

If you're not in a hard-hit area, consider contributing to an emergency organization. With the two biggest hurricanes, my folks found that while the Red Cross was there for the first couple of days, the Salvation Army stayed around for more than a month, delivering fresh water, ice, hot coffee, and a hot meal every day to those trying to clean up and recover after Floyd and Fran.

[Moto Guzzi]

Latest email weather bulletin from work:

The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the District of Columbia & Metropolitan Area. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours. Also a Flash Flood Watch was also been issued for Washington/Baltimore Metropolitan Area. As of 0500 EDT on 26-Aug-2011, the center of Hurricane Irene is located about 660 miles south of Washington DC. The storm is moving north at 14 MPH with a storm intensity of 110 MPH.

All persons in the warning areas should already have preparations underway to protect life and property. Now is the time to initiate preparations according to your hurricane disaster plan.

[milanessa]

leave.

- If you evacuate, try to clear out your fridge/freezer of food before you leave. If power is lost for several days, you'll very much regret it if you haven't done so.

Let me piggyback on this one. If you don't or are unable to clean the freezer out beforehand then don't do it right after you return. You may not have garbage pick-up for a while and if the power comes back the stuff will freeze again and not smell - much more pleasant until you can get rid of it.

[Satellitegirl]

Not to say it definitely is going to be ok, but I don't think this storm is going to be near as bad as previously thought, unless the gulf stream gives it some steam.

[Wiery]

I'm in Midtown Manhattan, outside of a flood zone, but on the 29th floor of my building. I could stay with my parents in NJ but I don't want to be stranded outside the city for days, either. I'm worried that, by the time we know more about the storm's path and intensity tomorrow, it'll be crazy and possibly too late to get out of the city.

It might be a blessing to be stranded outside the city for a few days if it loses power and water.

My thoughts go out to everyone and their loved ones who will be impacted by Irene. I hope everyone stays safe and this storm weakens considerably and/or takes an unexpected turn to the right.

[Ajax]

I'm in Boston... I'm not worried... should I be? I haven't prepared any food or anything. My fridge and pantry has a ton of food that could easily last us a week or more, but it just occurs to me that it'll spoil (frozen or in the fridge) or I'll be unable to cook it (electric stove) if the power goes out. I guess I should at least put a battery in the flashlights...

[Nan]

It might be a blessing to be stranded outside the city for a few days if it loses power and water.

With all the comments about the subway flooding and pushing all that muck up and out and possible loss of garbage pick-up, being away from the smell might be a good thing.