Hurricane Irene: is this lady NUTS?!

[Freedom]

If you live anywhere along the USA east coast, you've been watching Irene's track. For the past 2 days, seems that New England will have a direct hit. We have alot happening here in Providence, making sure the hurricane barrier is operational etc. Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel is headed to Cape Cod and then coming down here.

So what is this person on Cape Cod from the Chamber of Commerce thinking?!

"We obviously want all our travelers to be safe, but right now we're encouraging people to keep their weekend plans," says Mitchell, who notes that the current forecast calls for the storm's biggest impact to be late Sunday and Monday.

And, she adds, she's hoping Irene will turn out to be a close relative of Earl - a hurricane that was aimed straight for the cape last Labor Day weekend, but wound up "passing quietly into the night."

"I woke up that Saturday morning (after Earl's no-show), and it was one of the most beautiful beach days I can remember," says Mitchell.

There is ONE road off the Cape, should they need to evacuate!

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinati...-list/416598/1

[Karen]

There are two, Sandy, roads off the Cape that is. You hear all the time, "2-hour backup at the Bourne, just 1/2 hour at the Sagamore" - and that's just a normal weekend!

I doubt anyone's paying attention to the Chamber of Commerce person anyway. My radio show producer, in Florida, is sure we are doomed up here!

[Freedom]

Thanks, Karen, I thought one. Still, the back up in an evacuation would be horrendous.

Florida thinks we are doomed? Yikes!

[Karen]

Florida thinks we are doomed? Yikes!

No, just one guy in Florida thinks we are doomed. Jack is a bit or a worrier, and discounts the fact that the cooler waters up here tend to blunt storms compared to what they get on Florida's Atlantic coast.

[pomtzu]

What an idiot! I wonder if this person has even been thru a hurricane? Guess the almighty dollar that might be lost on the upcoming holiday weekend the following week, is more important than human life.

Yes - Irene is going to give us a hug and kiss and blow in our ear too. It's not looking good at this stage of the game, but hopefully she'll loose some huff and puff and be downgraded. We can wish anyway........ I haven't been thru a major hurricane since I was a kid and living in RI, and I'm perfectly happy to keep it that way.

Everyone in Irene's path - please stay safe.

[happylabs]

What an idiot! I wonder if this person has even been thru a hurricane? Guess the almighty dollar that might be lost on the upcoming holiday weekend the following week, is more important than human life.

Yes - Irene is going to give us a hug and kiss and blow in our ear too. It's not looking good at this stage of the game, but hopefully she'll loose some huff and puff and be downgraded. We can wish anyway........ I haven't been thru a major hurricane since I was a kid and living in RI, and I'm perfectly happy to keep it that way.

Everyone in Irene's path - please stay safe.

I was thinking it was a money thing too. Keep the vacationers there as long as they can to make a buck.

Hope everyone stays safe. We are supposed to get the effects of it here on Sunday later here in Pennsylvania.

[davidpizzica]

Please batten down the hatches, everyone (including Donna!) in the path of hurricane irene. Here in Concordia country, we're just supposed to get rain from her, but who knows?

[cool4catz2]

Be safe everyone here at PT! Get all your emergency supplies in order. Lets hope for minimal to no damage like the 5.8 earthquake some of us experienced. Take care east coasters.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Stay safe everyone. Hopefully Irene won't be as bad as everyone is claiming :/

I'm glad Tennessee is landlocked, I don't know how I'd handle a hurricane.

[davidpizzica]

I was thinking it was a money thing too. Keep the vacationers there as long as they can to make a buck.

Hope everyone stays safe. We are supposed to get the effects of it here on Sunday later here in Pennsylvania.

Happylabs, I think I'm safe enough here in western Pennsylvania. They're calling for rain, but that's all.

[Lillycat]

i have only been through one hurricane, tho it was a bad one.....not that there are any good ones.....i am really worried about Cape May tho on a personal level and for all on the east coast overall.....prayers in order.....

[momcat]

i have only been through one hurricane, tho it was a bad one.....not that there are any good ones.....i am really worried about Cape May tho on a personal level and for all on the east coast overall.....prayers in order.....

Hi Lillycat, Yesterday Gov. Christie issued an evacuation order that included Cape May, our southern counties and all the barrier islands along the New Jersey coast. Christie made an announcement saying everyone must evacuate and if anyone had plans to go down the shore this weekend DON'T! On this morning's news it looks like full compliance. Christie did tell vacationers and tourists not to stay. Effective 8:00 this morning tolls were lifted on the Atlantic City Expressway & the Garden State Parkway to make the exodus go smoother. Evacuation routes are very well marked and last I heard things are going quite well.

August has gone down as the wettest month on record here in New Jersey. Since the ground is so wet, there's no place for any more water to go. With the ground being so soft there's a major concern about the hurricane causing a whole lot of trees to come down because the roots aren't anchored as well as they would be in drier conditions.

Lillycat, if you would like to know how Cape May is getting through the storm, pm me and I'll keep you as up to date as I can.

To all PT friends and pets - be safe

[cassiesmom]

I'm hoping that Irene will be like Earl as far as a storm that turned out not as bad as anticipated. But I heard on the news that there are storm warnings and evacuations from North Carolina up to New Jersey. The Governor of North Carolina said to plan for the worst and pray for the best, so I'm praying for the best. I'm glad that the technology allows people to get loads of warning beforehand.

[pomtzu]

The governor here in Delaware has already declared a state of emergency, and this is done so that they may order mandatory evacuation in the most susceptible areas, such as right along the shore. This requires anyone who doesn't live there to leave, and strongly advises those that reside there to evacuate too, tho they can't make them go. However if they decide to stay, then they are pretty much on their own and probably won't be able to get help if they should need it. It also keeps the the thrill seekers and gawkers out of the area too, since they aren't allowed in, and there are roadblocks up all over.


So we're ready here for what Irene might dish out. Plenty of food that doesn't have to be cooked, plenty of water, juice and sodas, and of course ample dog and cat food! The house is all electric, but we could cook on the gas grill if necessary when the storm blows thru. We don't have a generator, so no way to get the pump running for the well - but we'll manage. The deep freeze in the garage has extra bags of ice and will keep cold for a long time as long as it isn't opened unnecessarily. The hurricane oil lamps are down and cleaned and we have plenty of lamp oil, and lots of flashlights. Most things outside have been secured, and we'll finish it up tonight. Now what we have to hope for, is that the tall pines along the property line that belong to our neighbor, don't come down on the garage - way too many expensive items in there - especially the Harley and lawn tractor. Those darn trees creek and groan and snap branches off, even on a moderately windy day. If the worst should happen, I hope he has good insurance or a big bank account!

Just about every time we prepare for a storm, it turns out that we didn't even need to. Sure hoping that's the case this time. We shall see!!!!

[charlie116]

Please take this storm seriously if you live on the east coast. Mother Nature is very unpredictable. Yes, Irene may turn out to sea at the last minute, but she also might hook inward & sweep right over all the states on the east coast. Please be careful & try to be as prepared as you can be. It's supposed to hit my area (Delaware) saturday night into sunday afternoon. My dad sent my sister & I to West Virginia to stay with our grandmother for the weekend. We'll probably just get a little thunderstorm here, but I'm worried about all the people back home. The flooding is gonna be bad. They already evacuated most of sussex county & most of the beaches. I heard something about them evacuating Delaware City, which is very close to where I live, but I'm not sure if they have yet or not. Please be safe everyone!!! I hope everyone's ok when it's all over.