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| AP photo from NBC News |
I live in the Hudson Valley region of New York State and we are under a tropical storm warning as hurricane Irene draws near. I grew up on Long Island and the worst storm I lived through there was Gloria, in 1985, which was the last time a hurricane of such strength hit the region.
We live in a world where the news perpetually screams histrionics over weather to the point where it usually amounts to "crying wolf" that the sky is falling only to see little happen after such fanfare. I worry that this has caused complacency among us and that people won't take the warnings about Irene seriously, especially in New York where people are fairly blithe about everything. If this thing hits The City full bore, the aftermath may be tragic and epic. Wherever you are, if you are at all in Irene's predicted path, please take the warnings seriously and prepare as best as you can, because it is better to be safe than sorry.
Kevin DuJan at HillBuzz makes an impassioned plea for people to take this thing seriously, I implore you to read his post, HERE. Be sure to check out the comments section there as well because HillBuzz readers always have additional great information, anecdotes and links!
Bob at Boudica Weblog BPI has lived through many a nasty storm and uses his experience to advise folks about being patient should you find yourself sitting in the dark due to power outages. Read it HERE.
I am surrounded by wetlands where I live, and floods are common, but my house is on high ground so my biggest worry with the water is that our roads will be shut down due to flooding, which is not unusual during regular heavy rains so if Irene comes here, isolation will be likely. My biggest concerns for my home are wind damage because I am surrounded by large trees, and power outages, because when we lose our electric, we also lose access to fresh water because we are on a well, and I will only be able to use my stove top, not my oven, to make food. Ideally, I would be prepared by storing water, and having lots of batteries and non-perishable food on hand, but I am tapped out and cannot get these vital supplies without assistance. If you are of a mind to help a blogger out, please visit my tip jar:
My region is currently under a Tropical Storm Watch, and the Governor has declared a State of Emergency.
My mom and sister are on western Long Island, where the storm may directly hit, so I am worried for them, but as I said earlier, we've been through this before so I am hoping that all will be well with them. They know the drill: tape your windows, get supplies, ready the sump pumps and hunker down. Irene is supposed to be the worst storm to strike the area since Gloria, as I said earlier. I was in eight grade and home with my family when it happened. I remember watching a huge maple tree get ripped from the ground across the street from my house and laid on its side; it dug up the entire sidewalk and big chunk of the street pavement with its roots when fell! Our street looked like a river. Everyone got flooded, but we were blessed with great neighbors and everybody on my block pulled together and helped each other out so we got through it all just fine. All of our houses were on little hills, so the house flooding was in our basements and garages, which were downhill at the bottoms of driveways. It could have been worse, and through a kid's eyes, it was a great adventure. When the eye of the storm passed over, we all went out into the sunshine to have a look around before our folks ushered us back inside to wait out the tail end of the hurricane.
You all please be careful and stay safe! Here's some music in honor of the coming storm...
Goodnight Irene by Huddie Ledbetter, AKA, Lead Belly:
Rock You Like A Hurricane by the Scorpions, accompanied by an orchestra:
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