Here Comes Irene: Flood Prep & Rain Expectations

[Andre]

Ah in that case maybe take only the first to the right, that's cat one.

 

[HeLiXe]

Threads merged? Cool :D How is everyone faring?

 

[Astronuc]

Not too bad a forecast for us.

Sunday: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 70. Very windy, with a north wind between 45 and 55 mph, with gusts as high as 65 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts in excess of 4 inches possible.

South and East of us however will get more rain and stronger winds.

Meanwhile airlines are moving aircraft away from the area, and cancelling flights. I hope no one was planning on visiting the Washintong DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NY, Boston area this weekend.

http://news.yahoo.com/airlines-move-planes-airports-prep-hurricane-irene-174327308.html

 

[Lacy33]

Aw No! Cat 5 is not a good thing.

That cat 2 reminded me i forgot to take my meds today. I hope we don't get a cat 2
But we did just get our first NY warning. So I guess we can all call it a day here. We know it's coming.
Dave? did daughter make it up there yet?

 

[Lacy33]

...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT...


SEVERE WEATHER ALERT
Forecast for Fri Aug 26 06:03 PM EDT
New York, NY

Hurricane Warning
View

 

[Evo]

Yay, looks like Irene will be downgraded to a tropical storm if it stays on course! Winds of 70 MPH are predicted for NY now.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Don't forget to go through the 5 stages of hurricane preparedness:
1. Denial. In this stage, you laugh and make jokes about the hurricane. You should never do this because there is an irony factor at play in the world and you will soon regret your jokes.
2. Anger. In this stage, you wonder why the hurricane can't be in England for a change and leave us alone. This is futile because in Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen.
3. Bargaining. In this stage you promise you will never again go to the seashore for recreation. This would actually work since by driving your car less, you won't be causing so many hurricanes. The problem is you never keep your promise once the hurricane leaves.
4. Depression. In this stage the tropical depression causes emotional depression. Don't succumb to the urge to go postal just because the hurricane does.
5. Acceptance. In this stage you strap yourself to the mast and shake your fist at the storm. You'll never give up, you'll never give up, that ship.

 

[sourlemon]

Lolz jimmy. I'm still in stage 1. Will skip to step 6 tomorrow. Panic.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

It has started a fine mist and I guess it will progress to a heavy mist, sustained drizzle, measurable amounts of moisture, followed by rain, then cats and dogs, leading to elephants and rhinoceroses, hail, snow, and finally locusts.

The latest report has us 5 kilometers away from the windiest path. This means 58 mph winds instead of 74.

 

[turbo]

AP's interactive storm-tracker application is at variance with what Maine Emergency Management Agency is predicting. MEMA says the rain will start tonight with tropical storm conditions possible tomorrow, tapering off after midnight tomorrow.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/newsroo...ctive-east-coast-braces-impact-200535720.html

http://www.maine.gov/mema/weather/zone14.htm

 

[Chi Meson]

1. Denial. In this stage, you laugh and make jokes about the hurricane. You should never do this because there is an irony factor at play in the world and you will soon regret your jokes.

Everybody around me (S.E. CT) is going BEZERK boarding up windows, trimming trees, stashing deckchairs, filling up bathtubs; and a generator can't be bought for love or body parts! I'm just watching this fear-stoked circus with bemused amusement!

2. Anger. In this stage, you wonder why the hurricane can't be in England for a change and leave us alone. This is futile because in Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen.

It's starting to get annoying, because my neighbors on all sides of me are pestering me to pick up the scrap wood around my house. I've been building a deck all summer, and so I have some lumber here and there and everyone's thinking the wind is going to launch a 2x10 through their front portico. I'm all "Hey, if you are so concerned about your precious Anderson sliding glass door, go get some more plywood, oh that's right, Home Despot is all sold out, boo hoo!"

[Tomorrow, stage 3]

 

[Chi Meson]

This is a nice site:
http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker
Zoom in on New England, and notice that with 1-day to go, the entire state of CT is in CAT 1, zone.

Good thing that Long Island will buffer most of the storm surge. Good thing for CT that is, sorry Mr. and Mrs. Hamptons.

Did I mention that I live on the coast, and my neighborhood has been known for more than a century as "Windy Hill?"

 

[rhody]

Everybody around me (S.E. CT) is going BEZERK boarding up windows, trimming trees, stashing deckchairs, filling up bathtubs; and a generator can't be bought for love or body parts! I'm just watching this fear-stoked circus with bemused amusement!

It's starting to get annoying.

I have to say I agree with you Chi, I am not upset by this at all, whereas some people as you stated whip themselves into a frenzy. If this tropical storm, sits on top of us and churns then flooding could be a problem. I have a french drain system on the low side of my house, and it has survived a 4 inch rain dousing before. Granted, we had power, so the sump pump could function, as I remember, it wasn't for very long, if at all. All my drains are clear and attached at the moment. My major concern is losing power for an extended period, that may cause a problem, other than that, just bring everything inside, and take some pictures and video's. If the rollers get very big, I may take some wave video and post it. If they are not dramatic, I won't bother.

Rhody...

 

[turbo]

I have my generator fueled up and ready to go. Out here in the boonies, if we lose power, it could be out for a LONG time, especially if the outages are extensive. This thinly-populated road will be among the very last to have power restored. Heavy rains (saturated soil) and heavy winds often combine to uproot trees, so it's best to have a plan for running the chest freezers and refrigerator if the outage last much longer than a day.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have my generator fueled up and ready to go. Out here in the boonies, if we lose power, it could be out for a LONG time, especially if the outages are extensive.

We have the same problem. When we do have a major event, we're at the end of the line. That's the only reason we still have a wood stove.

 

[Evo]

The media has been warned before about the dangers of overhyping a storm, next time that there is a real danger, people will be less likely to respond.

Get Real: Hurricane Irene should be renamed "Hurricane Hype"

http://news.yahoo.com/real-hurricane-irene-renamed-hurricane-hype-021402485.html

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The media has been warned before about the dangers of overhyping a storm, next time that there is a real danger, people will be less likely to respond.



http://news.yahoo.com/real-hurricane-irene-renamed-hurricane-hype-021402485.html

Part of the problem is that you want to give people as much time as possible, but we don't know how the storm will turn out until the last minute.

 

[Evo]

Part of the problem is that you want to give people as much time as possible, but we don't know how the storm will turn out until the last minute.

True, but the hysterics aren't wise. Take precautions, but don't go crazy. I guess I just have a good *feel* for hurricanes from having lived on the Gulf of Mexico for almost 30 years so it's easier for me to see what the hurricane is actually doing as opposed to the media hype. Of course a hurricane can be very erratic, so you need to watch them for changes.

 

[Norman]

We evacuated, since my front yard is the Chesapeake Bay (literally) we evacuated. Last I heard from friends-45 mph winds and rain so far. Had a lot of friends in VA beach who stayed. They reported power outrages already before the eye has even hit. We are just hoping the surge is under 7 feet, then no water in our house.

 

[dlgoff]

We have the same problem. When we do have a major event, we're at the end of the line. That's the only reason we still have a wood stove.

I on the very southern end of my REAs service area and ends just north of the states largest power utility which wheels power to the REA yet the last to get power restored. If my REA would only put in a substation there, the system would be much more reliable.

The media has been warned before about the dangers of overhyping a storm, next time that there is a real danger, people will be less likely to respond.http://news.yahoo.com/real-hurricane-irene-renamed-hurricane-hype-021402485.html

One person has been killed so far. So a Cat.1 can still be serious.

 

[gravenewworld]

Fill those bath tubs up with water. If the power goes out you could be without water for a while for the toilet.

 

[Evo]

Fill those bath tubs up with water. If the power goes out you could be without water for a while for the toilet.

Yes, I once believed that toilets were electric. Then hurricane Carla struck and the toilets still flushed.

 

[gravenewworld]

Many people have well systems for water supply and water companies need electricity to clean and pump water out of their treatment plants. No pumps, no water.

 

[rhody]

Watch these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP8L5LAsJhQ&feature=related" in the bahama's fast forward to the 20 seconds. See those rocks in the waves ! They can break your ankles, legs, or worse. INS playing itself out, once again.

Rhody...

 

[Evo]

Many people have well systems for water supply and water companies need electricity to clean and pump water out of their treatment plants. No pumps, no water.

I know, I mentioned that in a previous post. Although, even being hit with a cat 5 hurricane, we never lost water.

 

[Jack21222]

Rain is falling here in Baltimore. It's not supposed to be real bad here... winds 25-40 mph, 3-5 inches of rain. But that's still fairly nasty.

 

[turbo]

We have two 55-gallon rain-barrels for that. Our drinking water comes from a drilled well with a submersible pump, so we have stocked up on water for cooking and drinking. No power = no water.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

We have two 55-gallon rain-barrels for that. Our drinking water comes from a drilled well with a submersible pump, so we have stocked up on water for cooking and drinking. No power = no water.

Why can't you run your pump with the generator?

That's one of the first things I checked when we bought a generator. Course for us, nine months out of the year we have a creek, so in a worst case, during times when we are most likely to lose power, we still should have a water supply.

 

[dlgoff]

The media has been warned before about the dangers of overhyping a storm, next time that there is a real danger, people will be less likely to respond.
http://news.yahoo.com/real-hurricane-irene-renamed-hurricane-hype-021402485.html

With the storm coverage, this is the first time in a long time that I have been able to tolerate the Fox News Channel.

 

[turbo]

Back in our old house we could be (and once was) out of power for 5 days, but still have running water thanks to the town's large stand-pipes. Best of all, since the water heater was propane we could still have hot showers.