Hurricane Irene

[Mrs Mitchell]

I've been watching this on the news over the last two days - just wanted to say that I hope all the East Coast CDIers are safe!

Praying that this storm will change course, and thinking about everyone who is facing this frightening thing.

[clgwli]

I am hoping for the same for people on the east coast.  I have a lot of friends and family in the path of the storm (depending on where it goes).  I am very thankful to see that it has been downgraded from probably being a Cat 4 to a Cat 2 storm when it hits land (that is what I heard earlier this morning - it may change of course)  I keep hoping it fizzles even more....

[DiamondsAreForever]

I am hoping for the same for people on the east coast.  I have a lot of friends and family in the path of the storm (depending on where it goes).  I am very thankful to see that it has been downgraded from probably being a Cat 4 to a Cat 2 storm when it hits land (that is what I heard earlier this morning - it may change of course)  I keep hoping it fizzles even more....

I live inland, about two miles from the Delaware River, south of Trenton, NJ.  My county has a tropical storm warning, whereas the rest of the state seems to have a hurricane warning.  The governor declared a state of emergency yesterday, and there is mandatory evacuation of Cape May (southern tip) and Atlantic counties right now, with the other counties with coastline soon to follow.  The storm is due to hit Cape May around 7 AM Sunday.

It's a sure bet that we will have major flooding.  We beat the record for the most rain in one month (I believe it is over 14 inches so far), with half of that rain occurring last week.  The ground is already saturated and probably can't take much more. 

[Sanchica27]

I live on the south shore of Long Island and it's heading straight for us...needless to say I'm scared out of my mind!  They haven't called for an evacuation because there really isn't anywhere for us to go.  The best we can do is head for a shelter if and when they open them.  I have all my water and food and we are ready to leave to wherever they tell us to go if the time comes.   

[annie1]

Stay safe Sanchica, and check in when you can!

We'll be thinking about you!

[Diamondsbylauren]

I'll swim over from the Bronx to bring you a loaf of bread, if it gets bad Sanch....

[jpup]

winds have decreased to 100 miles per hour- hopefully it will decrease more before it hits, although that is not what the forecasters are predicting. However, they predicted earlier that it would strengthen and it didn't. I'm in North Carolina- we will be the first to get it in the US. The winds are already starting to rise and the skies are starting to darken. Although our main home is in mid state , we have a coastal home,too.  Not right on the ocean, but on the river.  Yesterday Irene was forecasted to come right into Morehead City (about 20 miles from our house), I think they have shifted the eye slightly more East which would be good for us. I'm hoping our house will be Ok- we are pretty high on stilts, but the back of the house is all windows with a cathedral ceiling and trees all around us, so don't know what the wind will bring. Wish us luck and everyone else in the path stay safe!

[Sanchica27]

Oh it's gonna get back...they are shutting down NYCs public transportation tomorrow at noon...no subway no buses...they have already ordered a mandatory evacuation for low lying areas of NYC and they are advising anyone who lives below Sunrise HWY on Long Island (me) to leave.  It will be mandatory by tomorrow, I have no doubt.  As it is I am gathering everything up, all the pets and supplies and heading for my Grandmother's house which is mid-island and much safer than being on the water where we are now.  Shit's getting real!

[Mrs Mitchell]

Sanchica, keep checking in with us, yeah? This is really scary stuff. Thinking about you.

[Mikla]

At the 2pm update the track is still unchanged (meaning the NHC is pretty certain at this point).  The wind intensity prediction has not changed a bit and things are still on track for a significant impact.  Irene is an extremely large storm with far reaching winds . . . the problem here is that even though the storm will be moving pretty quick, the worst of the large wind field could take 8+ hours to pass over.  Get your supplies if you haven't already!!  Put gas in the car, water in the tub, and charge up your cell phones.  Here's a more substantive list that tells you what to do throughout each stage: http://www.disasterc...guide/hurricane.html.

Mikla

[clgwli]

I'll be thinking of you all.  I am glad to see the storm is slwoing down.  We've made it through Ike with hurricane forces here (strangely enough with Ike) so I hope you guys do as well as we did.

Hurricanes are scary so stay safe and evacuate if they say to!!!  (I know a big "duh" there)

Those in the storm path please check in when you can

[Trinkette]

I hope you will all be safe.

My dad is in NJ, about 20 minutes from NYC. He says that normal August rainfall for his area is about 2 inches. So far this month, they have received as much as 9 inches. For those not directly on the coast but in the storm's path, like my dad, the worry is, as DAF mentioned, that the ground is already so saturated that when the wind comes, all the trees will just uproot from the ground and topple over. In addition to the flooding,  and the terrible damage and potential for loss of power and injury when the trees go, I hate to see beautiful, 200 year-old trees succumb to the fury of a storm like this.  

D, if you go swimming with the bread, please wear a life preserver; I'd hate to hear that you were swept away over a soggy loaf!

[DiamondsAreForever]

I'm glad you have a safe place to go to, Sanchica.  Four of our trees have me worried.  They're oak varieties, clustered together without much of a branch spread, which also translates to not a wide root base.  They're over 50 feet tall and if they fall the right way, there goes the master bedroom!  I dislike these trees because they hold their leaves to the end in the fall and the amount of acorns they drop is phenomenal.  The squirrels love them though, and there are several nests.  The last time one of the trees fell was 2000, before I owned the house.  It was the neighbor's tree, and it crushed the fence and damaged the pool.

We'll get through this!  Planning on going grocery shopping first thing tomorrow AM and get my gutters cleared. DF, bless his handy heart, doesn't like heights and hates going up on the roofs.  I  don't like heights either, but it's gotta get done, so I'll suck it up.

[DiamondsAreForever]

Well, it's 4:38 PM Saturday and it is pouring outside and the wind is gusting strongly at times.  Here she comes!!!!!!

[dovesgate]

Stay as safe as you can guys and know we're all thinking of you.

[clgwli]

Good luck DAF and all!  I have a friend in VA who weathered the storm well.  Though the part of VA she lives in is way more used to this than others. 

Hopefully the trees will stay.  We noticed during Ike it was more about the depth of the roots and not the width.  The evergreens were our biggest issue.  We were so thankful that ours had been removed before otherwise it would have destroyed our neighbor's garage based on how they all fell.

I'm thinking of you all and wishing for the best!

[DiamondsAreForever]

OK, the gutters are not overflowing and the downspouts are working overtime!  DF cleared them all by himself (he usually lets me hold the ladder).

The wind is starting to gust here and the rain, which began around 2 PM today, is alternating less between light rain and torrents.

I did go to the grocery store this morning, and it was busy at 8:30 AM, however, there weren't any lines, really.  The gas stations on the other hand, are a different story.  Long lines.  Price went up 18 cents per gallon since yesterday morning, when I filled up (I was low and would not have had enough gas to get to and from work).

We took Rich's father out to dinner this evening at a diner about 10 miles away, and the traffic on the roads was very, very light.  Right when we finished our meal we found out that the diner was closing for the night and not re-opening until 4 PM tomorrow, after the storm has passed.

[Sanchica27]

Hubby and I lost our evacuation plan because my Grandmother ended up going to our Uncle's house.  We got a our pets to a shelter and just got ourselves to a shelter a few hours ago.  We are safe and just hoping that everything will be intact when we get home.  They have now issued tornado watches for us so we are happy to be in a big cement building far inland as opposed to our little apartment right by the water.  So far we still have power but our friends in Brooklyn do not.  Thank you all for your wishes!

[DiamondsAreForever]

So, far, we're OK.  A tornado warning was issued, with a time track.  It was supposed to come through my neighborhood at 11:25 PM, but 10 minutes earlier I heard that train sound they say comes with a tornado.  Right when we decided to leave the bedroom (we were watching TV) to go to the basement, it stopped. 

I'm sorry to hear that your plans did not work out and hope you, your family and pets remain safe. 

[DiamondsAreForever]

I guess you can all tell by the time stamp that I can't sleep - yes, it IS 2AM Eastern Time.

[lovecolor]

 I woke up 3:00am to sound of water drops leaking from my ceiling ...luckily it was in my bedroom bathtub.  So, I  decided to go get a drink out of my refrigerator...and then the sound of water drops caught my attention again.   I traced the sound of water drops to my Living Room where I discovered that it was raining in my LR!  A big bucket is on catching the drops and I'm off to bed again.  The pounding of the rain might keep me awake...that, and knowing that there is a tornado watch!  YIKES! 

By the way, I live in Westchester County, which is around 45 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan.                 

[DiamondsAreForever]

Well, it's awfully quiet here right now.  Still raining, but not much wind.  Lots of leaves on the lawn and there's a branch in the pool, but not much of anything else.  Irene made landfall at Little Egg Inlet at 5:35 AM, about 70 miles away.

[DiamondsAreForever]

I woke up 3:00am to sound of water drops leaking from my ceiling ...luckily it was in my bedroom bathtub.  So, I  decided to go get a drink out of my refrigerator...and then the sound of water drops caught my attention again.   I traced the sound of water drops to my Living Room where I discovered that it was raining in my LR!  A big bucket is on catching the drops and I'm off to bed again.  The pounding of the rain might keep me awake...that, and knowing that there is a tornado watch!  YIKES! 

By the way, I live in Westchester County, which is around 45 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan.                 

The next thing you know, you'll be having flooding dreams!

[DiamondsAreForever]

Sanchica, How are you doing?

[clgwli]

I am so sorry for the leaks Lovecolor.  I hope it won't be a horrible fix for you.

I really do hope everyone else is doing well too.

Tornados are the scariest part of life to me.  Hurricanes suck but the tornados are the worst IMO.  I hope everyone can check in soon and let us know how they are doing.