Hurricane Irene Possibly Impacting New England

The weather casts down here are projecting a possible landfall by this weekend around the border between CT and RI during the last avisory that I caught. Most of my family is located in central CT. From what I understand, the Hartford/New Haven/Meriden newscasts apparently are not making too much of a deal about it and none of my family living in those areas seems concerned like this is going to be a soley a coastal event and at most, they're going to see some rain. I realize that this is a very unusual situation for the north east and I don't know if this apathy is my families attitude, but I hope the gravity of the extended windfield and overall unpredicatbility of these storms is being conveyed. The current model as of this writing is showing a possible cat. 3 when it reaches that area. Having gone through several, I'd be pretty concerned even if the impact was quite a distance away. Are you folks up there taking this storm seriously?

We have, thank goodness been able to talk my 86 year old MIL out of flying from Fl to NYC this weekend. Her sister in Queens passed away last night. The last I saw on the Weather Channel NYC could get 100 mph winds on Sunday morning.

I just weathered this hurricane in St Thomas a couple of days ago, and it looks like it is continuing up to NY.  I wonder how many people get hit by the same hurricane twice!?

Stephen Rushmore Jr.


I just weathered this hurricane in St Thomas a couple of days ago, and it looks like it is continuing up to NY.  I wonder how many people get hit by the same hurricane twice!?

 
Stephen
 
Dont you hate when they follow you like that.  I was in MS for the incoming of Katrina an she followed me as I fled north.
 
DawnT
 
I lived in Boston when Hurricane Bob came ashore in the RI. (1991)  That was an interesting storm.  We had water pushing into the room 3 feet under the door what a mess.
   
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
 
Is the best source for updated locations and tracks

Another good site to monitor...
 
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/
 
I was on a boat on the eastern tip of Long Island when Bob came through in 91. Scared the you know what out of me. The "minor" storm surge rose so fast it was shocking. I can't imagine what a more severe storm would be like. About half the boats dragged their moorings and wound up on the beach. 

And another site...
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/ 
 
Sorry for you folks in the Northeast, but since this will be a category 3-4 as it rolls past the central east coast of FL, I can live with Irene's track.

My girlfriend is currently on a Caribbean cruise.  If she ends up having to spend an extra day on the boat, chances are she won't mind too much.
 
Stephen-
With an earthquake in between! 

And, this is why it is hard to PROJECT these storms more than 3 days out.  Last night, it was SUPPOSED to be a Cat 2 when it made landfall on Long Island, Connecticut. etc....now, it looks like it will be a tropical storm once it reaches the inland part of CT.  Now, a tropical storm is still serious, but it isn't usually board up the house, stock up on batteries and bottled water, and plan an evacuation route serious.
 
I think that living in Florida, we get desensitized to the idea of storms coming because we hear about them so much, but they rarely come to pass.  If (and/or when) the storm is within a 2 or 3 day window of hitting the northeast, there will be so much news coverage, people will be knocking each other over in the WalMart making sure they have enough canned goods to get through six weeks without power.

Guess it depends whether you believe the Weather Channel or local (RI) stations.  It'll be interesting to see how it works out.
 
In one corner, we have the weather channel describing Irene as a "slow moving, monster storm of epic proportions that's about to barrel down on the eastern states".  One reporter was saying those on the Cape need to take extra precautions because there is only one escape route to the mainland.  They are projecting extreme rainfall, flooding, high winds and many power outages.  
 
In the other corner, the local reporters are calling for it to be a fast moving storm with moderate rainfall and wind, now down cast to be perhaps 70 mph (100 was predicted yesterday and should hit Sunday night vs. the Monday prediction a few days back).  It's reported to potentially be the worst storm to hit New England in 20 years, but also pointing out there hasn't been a significant hit since Bob in 1991 (most have simply been remnants).  
 
Local weather people are suggesting being prepared by securing lawn furniture and having some fresh batteries with a supply of bottled water in case there is any prolonged power outages.
 
The weather channel shows clips of people frantically buying generators & boarding up homes.The local reporters use the same expressions and voice as reporting today's weather - "much like yesterday, but increased humidity due to the approaching storm".  
 
Taking precautions - Yes.      Panicking  ... No.

Unfortunately the cone of uncertainty is fairly narrow on this one.  yes 100 miles either way makes a big difference,  but the track seems to be narrowing down and headed right up the coast line.
 
WATCH OUT FOR STORM SURGE!!

Regarding the LACK of TV coverage of the local news media in the northeast, I found this on one of my friend's Facebook pages...
 
"Dear News Outlets - There is a distinct difference between informing and inducing panic. Looking back a mere three days ago to the EARTHQUAKE that barely moved my TV remote on my coffee table, I would hope you would learn from past mistakes. A hurricane requires calm, clear thinking. You are inducing fear and panic. People in this area have lived through hurricanes before. Please be responsible and stop using hyperbole for ratings. Love, Heidi"

Figures....
 
I buy a new car and then I get hit by a hurricane..
 
and this  is where I live!

wanderingjew


Figures....

I buy a new car and then I get hit by a hurricane..

and this  is where I live!

 
Very nice dig WJ and very close to the water.  Good luck with the wind and water.  What kind of new car did you buy?
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Sundancer7

wanderingjew


Figures....

I buy a new car and then I get hit by a hurricane..

and this  is where I live!

Very nice dig WJ and very close to the water.  Good luck with the wind and water.  What kind of new car did you buy?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

 
Paul, unfortunately my condo overlooks US route 1, however it's only one lane each way where I am. I would have a waterview if my condo was in back. 
 
I bought a 2011 Toyota Camry- had a deal I couldn't pass up- NADA value for my old 2005 Camry- I figured if I waited till my old car turned 10 years old, then there would be NO value to my old car for a decent trade in.

WJ
 
Are you at least on an upper level?  Can you park your car at a friends further in the coast? 
 
Stock up and have a hurricane party.

CajunKing


WJ

Are you at least on an upper level?  Can you park your car at a friends further in the coast? 

Stock up and have a hurricane party.

CK
 
I live on the top floor. Either way- you can't really tell from the map- but we're pretty high up from the cove in back- The train tracks for Amtrak are directly behind my building and the tracks are set slightly lower- so there would have to be record breaking surges for anything to be compromised.
 
Ironically, I do have a  barbecue to go to in Massachussetts on Sunday afternoon- it hasn't been cancelled yet.

Right now they're saying it has a 50% chance of making landfall in Cape May County, NJ... my sister lives in Cape May County, she has a house 3 blocks off the ocean. She's worried as hell, hurricanes are bad juju.
 
 

My sister lives right on the water at Naragansett, RI. I am worried about the water, if not the wind.

Hurricane hyperbole and why people are morons...
 

 
This is the satellite image as of 11 pm ET.  This is a HUGE storm, covering almost the entire eastern seaboard.  The weather that is beginning on Long Island - now - is the outer most reaches of Irene.  According to The Weather Channel, there are now 29 MILLION people who currently are living in a hurricane warning zone.  For those that don't deal with warnings and watches of this nature on a regular basis, what that means is that hurricane conditions are EXPECTED within the next 24 hour period.  This storm is headed for highly populated areas, where people don't regularly deal with these types of weather conditions.  On top of that, because these areas don't deal with this type of weather condition, there are more trees susceptible to strong winds than areas that get frequent tropical storms (for instance), above ground power wires are a hazard, etc.
 
Tonight, I have had people call me (because I am "the travel guy") wondering why their flights have already been canceled or why NYC has decided to shut down their mass transit system at noon tomorrow.  Then, I log on here and find that there is a hot dog vendor who wants to know why a soccer tournament is being canceled tomorrow, when they are far enough inland that they "probably" won't be affected.  (S)He, of course, goes on to answer his/her own question by mentioning that there are teams coming from other states, who may have a hard time traveling to get to said soccer tournament (which may or may not have been affected by a tropical storm).  Look at that satellite image again and tell me why anyone would want to go sell hot dogs at a soccer tournament anywhere in New Jersey tomorrow.
 
Why is NYC shutting down its mass transit system?  Because there are XX number of employees that work for the city that may have to take care of their own families, for one.  Because there is no way to QUICKLY react to shutting down mass transit and the storm is MORE severe than first expected when you deal with a mass transit system the size of NYC's.  It's the same thing with the canceled flights.  If they tell people to come to the airport, and have those people arrive to find out that JetBlue (or whoever) wants to try to fly them into the eye of a hurricane, people would be livid.  Canceling in advance gives them more time to develop a plan to resolve the situation.
 
Even though the storm appears to be weakening, these types of storms are, by nature, very unpredictable.  No matter how this plays out, the responses from the airlines, New York City and (most) others has been measured and appropriate.  That needs to be counter balanced by the hyperbole brought forth by the weather-tainment industry (i.e. The Weather Channel), where hyperbole ("Storm of the Century") reigns supreme.  Fearmongering has replaced delivering the news, for the most part.  That is unfortunate because, as I said above, people tend to get desensitized to things - like these storms - and DON'T take appropriate action.
 
I hope that all of my friends have made all necessary preparations and will weather the events of the coming weekend with no significant issues.
 
Now back to your regularly scheduled bacon porn.

 
Nice Rant!

It's affecting me, my flights back to MHT from DTW were canceled, so I get an extra few days to hang around.... Detroit.
 
Might finally get to do that writeup of Detroit-area Slider joints I've been wanting to do...

joerogo




Nice Rant!

 
I will agree with him on that one.
Hey #1 Son let it go brother, you are going to pop your cork 

those of you in New York & New England, please let us know how that BIG storm affected you.
I don't want to hear how you were inconvienced, I want to hear how the weather was.

As of 10:45pm, in Eastern Bergen Cty (NJ), the wind has really kicked up, it is thundering and lightning, and they've called for a tornado watch.  But we still have power!!

wanderingjew


Figures....

I buy a new car and then I get hit by a hurricane..

and this  is where I live!

 
WJ-
 
I grew up in North Kingstown, a little south of your area.  That area you're in always confuses me.   I thought everything north of Division St. was in the Cowesett section of Warwick, rather than East Greenwich?  But, the condo address says East Greenwich.     Is it technically Warwick, but uses an EG postal code, as EG has the nearest post office?
 
Nice location. 
 
 
Glenn     
 

 
Regarding the "weather-tainment" or News-tainment" of today, as well as the over-hyping of storms, ... I caught this earlier today on the Weather Channel.
 
After seeing it, I backed up the TiVo and video'd  it.
Classic media over-hype. It wasn't that bad where the reporter was located, be he was determined to over-hype the current conditions.   The reporter is all decked out in goggles, etc. Everyone else is taking it in stride.  It gets funny at about 27 or 28 seconds in. A few seconds later, a dude moons the camera. 
I thinkthe reporter was so upset because it exposed his over-hyping. 
 
Sure there was some dangerous areas, but not that bad where he was filming at that time. 
 
And to keep things  **in perspective**,  despite the tragic loss of 7 or 8 people in this storm so far, keep in mind...for perspective.... that an average of 93 people are killed on American highways EVERY day.  
 
Here is the video I shot of my TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cdFjMQa7No
 
 
Glenn
 

Glenn1234

wanderingjew


Figures....

I buy a new car and then I get hit by a hurricane..

and this  is where I live!

WJ-

I grew up in North Kingstown, a little south of your area.  That area you're in always confuses me.   I thought everything north of Division St. was in the Cowesett section of Warwick, rather than East Greenwich?  But, the condo address says East Greenwich.     Is it technically Warwick, but uses an EG postal code, as EG has the nearest post office?

Nice location. 


Glenn     

Yes and no.
 
Actually this is considered the Chepiwanoxet section of Warwick, however it does have an East Greenwich Zip Code.
I can walk to Main Street East Greenwich in 5 minutes since I'm just a half mile away (yes I'm a fast walker!)
 
Quite a few downed trees where I am. I didn't have any power for 22 hours. The power went back on around 4:15 AM this morning.  Almost 300k customers in RI still without power as of 6AM this morning.

 

Glenn1234
 
 
And to keep things  **in perspective**,  despite the tragic loss of 7 or 8 people in this storm so far, keep in mind...for perspective.... that an average of 93 people are killed on American highways EVERY day.  

Here is the video I shot of my TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cdFjMQa7No


Glenn

I'm confused.  What is your acceptable level of hurricane deaths?  Does it need to exceed 93 to be relevant?  Right now you've got 24 dead, I would assume many more injured, and 8500 people in Red Cross shelters, dangerous flooding in some areas, and billions in damages.  How many more would be injured or dead without the warnings of weather that has some degree of uncertainty.  How many people would have been caught in roadways and other places which would require emergency workers to risk their lives to get these people.
 
People that whine about this stuff are hilarious.  They expect the weather prognosticators to be spot on.  When things get destroyed and people get hurt, they whine about the government being unprepared.  Then when a storm doesn't meet its potential, it's all hype.  What a crock. 
 
I hope that someone explains to the families of the 24 that are dead that 93 people die on our highways each day.  That should give them solace.

saps - 
 
Please note that in this thread, it is necessary to have all rants approved by joerogo.

saps - 
 
Please note that in this thread, it is necessary to have all rants approved by joerogo.