Hurricane Irene Coming

We had to deal with an earthquake yesterday now this, I am seriously thinking of moving off the east coast:

Hurricane Irene plowed through the warm waters of the Caribbean on Tuesday, threatening to bring howling winds, torrential rain and destructive waves to a 1,000-mile swath of the Atlantic Coast.

Officials from Florida to the Carolinas urged residents along the entire East Coast to prepare for a powerful storm that was aiming for landfall this weekend in North Carolina and threatening to disrupt Sunday's dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Irene weakened to a Category 1 storm with 90-mph winds as it hit the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday, but it was forecast to regain strength as it glides across tropical seas.

North Carolina Gov. Beverly Purdue said the National Guard is ready to respond to the storm and that she had told emergency officials to check equipment and emergency supplies such as water, food and generators.

Officials in South Carolina were preparing to evacuate if necessary. "There are a lot of people on the coast," said Derrec Becker of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. "We want to make sure we have plenty of time to evacuate."

In Washington, representatives for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Project Foundation still hope for good weather for dedication ceremonies Sunday expected to draw tens of thousands of people. "It's premature to announce any sort of decision today," said Bill Line, communications director for the National Park Service.

It's been six years since the lower East Coast was last struck by a hurricane and much longer than that since a major storm hit New England. With that recent record, emergency management officials worry that residents might be complacent about Irene.

"It's probably more a denial issue," said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. "We're not only years removed (since the last hurricane), we're a generation removed, especially in parts of the Northeast."

The last hurricane "to have any impact on the East Coast" was Hurricane Wilma in Florida in 2005, Feltgen said. The last to hit the USA was Hurricane Ike, which struck Texas in 2008.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that Irene threatens the entire Eastern Seaboard. "People think of hurricanes as a Southern thing," FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said. "But the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coastal communities need to be taking the track of Irene very seriously."


http://www.conversationchamber.com/post?f=2&mode=newtopic

maybe it will save me $25000 and knock my house down for me! LOL

wants2laugh wrote:maybe it will save me $25000 and knock my house down for me! LOL

LOL you have such a good attitude I think I would be freaking out!

well im still waiting for the estimate from the insurance guy. he told me that the building would be taken care of and that this, that, and everything would get done. But nervous til i see it in writing. What can i do???

yep, andrew and floyd hit me pretty good! lol and not the way i like

LOL, New York does not get hurricanes like that. And Tony, the most we're going to get from this hurricane is significant rain. That goes for most of the Northeast. Are ya'll forgetting that instances like this are RARE? NY hasn't had an earthquake since the damn 1800's. We're definitely due for one and those tremors yesterday were insignificant. Hugo was the last hurricane that posed any significant threat to the Northeast and that was in 1989 and nothing happen with that. I just find it hilarious when rare instances happen, people act like it's doomsday or some shit.

Nystyle709 wrote:LOL, New York does not get hurricanes like that. And Tony, the most we're going to get from this hurricane is significant rain. That goes for most of the Northeast. Are ya'll forgetting that instances like this are RARE? NY hasn't had an earthquake since the damn 1800's. We're definitely due for one and those tremors yesterday were insignificant. Hugo was the last hurricane that posed any significant threat to the Northeast and that was in 1989 and nothing happen with that. I just find it hilarious when rare instances happen, people act like it's doomsday or some shit.

im in NJ and in Andrew I had to use a row boat to get down the street to pick up my mother and her dog from her house. During Floyd my roof blew off and the stuff from my attic went flying down the flood waters... was worse than you thought.

Nystyle709 wrote:LOL, New York does not get hurricanes like that. And Tony, the most we're going to get from this hurricane is significant rain. That goes for most of the Northeast. Are ya'll forgetting that instances like this are RARE? NY hasn't had an earthquake since the damn 1800's. We're definitely due for one and those tremors yesterday were insignificant. Hugo was the last hurricane that posed any significant threat to the Northeast and that was in 1989 and nothing happen with that. I just find it hilarious when rare instances happen, people act like it's doomsday or some shit.

I hope your right NY!!! Don't want no hurricane in my backyard!

wants2laugh wrote:

im in NJ and in Andrew I had to use a row boat to get down the street to pick up my mother and her dog from her house. During Floyd my roof blew off and the stuff from my attic went flying down the flood waters... was worse than you thought.

Hurrican Andrew: 1992. Hurrican Floyd: 1999. And I'm pretty sure you're in southern Jersey....and that area is prone to flooding. Two storms that did significant damage to your house happened 7 years apart. Like I said: rare. And south Jersey and NYC isn't exactly around the corner.

I love violent rain. Just so long as it doesn't turn into Katrina, I'm good.

She already hit Llanview.

Update:

U.S. East Coast Braces as Irene Strengthens Over the Bahamas

Hurricane Irene thrashed the Bahamas early Thursday, with widespread damage reported on at least two southern islands. The storm is threatening to pummel the Eastern Seaboard over the next several days as far north as Maine.

It is a powerful Category 3 hurricane with winds at 115 miles an hour. Forecasters said the winds will ramp up quickly over the next day and Irene was expected to become a Category 4 storm with winds at least 131 mph. At 5 a.m. EDT, Irene was located about 80 miles east-southeast of Nassau, and some 735 miles south of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

Forecasters also said it was still unclear whether the major hurricane would score a direct hit on the U.S.—including possible landfall Saturday in North Carolina—or stay offshore as it races up the coast, lashing several states with dangerous surf, powerful winds and heavy rain.

Irene could hit North Carolina's Outer Banks on Saturday afternoon. But pinpointing Irene's exact path over the next several days is difficult, particularly because the storm is on course to hug the U.S. coastline, forecasters said. Variables such as wind shear, clashing air-pressure systems and warm-water pockets could push the storm farther east or west, potentially spelling the difference between light wind and rain or major destruction along a coastline.

"A shift in the track by as little as 10 miles or 40 miles can make a huge impact,'' said Timothy Schott, a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

A hurricane watch was issued early Thursday for much of the North Carolina coast. A watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours. Also, a tropical storm watch was issued for much of South Carolina's coast.

Meanwhile, a new tropical depression formed far out over the Atlantic early Thursday, with the National Hurricane Center saying it would likely become a tropical storm later in the day.
More

A trajectory map by the center on Wednesday indicated Irene could make landfall on any coastal state between North Carolina and Maine. The center of the storm is expected to stay about 200 miles off Florida's coast on Thursday and Friday.

Evacuations spread in North Carolina as Hurricane Irene strengthened off the coast. Julie Rochman, president and CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety offers tips on staying safe during storms.

On Wednesday, islands at the southeastern edge of the Bahamas archipelago felt the full force of the storm.

Roofs were torn off homes and trees littered the streets on the small island of Mayaguana, about halfway between South Florida and Puerto Rico, said Capt. Stephen Russell, director of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency. Major damage to buildings also was reported on the nearby islands of Acklins and Crooked, the agency said.

There were no mass evacuations, but residents in low-lying areas were advised to head to shelters on higher ground, said Mr. Russell. "Persons who built their homes properly and according to building code should be able to withstand" the storm, he said. But those "who tried to shortcut the process could find their homes in jeopardy."

North Carolina's Dare County ordered tourists on Wednesday to evacuate Ocracoke Island, a barrier island on the state's Outer Banks reachable only by ferry. The order prompted a run on hammocks and swings at Nags Head Hammocks, said Denise Bayley, manager of the shop at Kill Devil Hills.

"People were stopping by on their way out of town," she said. "It's strange, because it's absolutely glorious weather here."

Ms. Bayley and her staff planned to decide Wednesday night when and if to raise the storm shutters over the windows and secure the hammocks on display outside the store. "Frequently these storms roil up pretty good when they're coming up the coast, but sometimes they back off a bit," she said. "That's what everybody's hoping."

Fort Bragg, N.C., has been designated an "incident support base" for the military during the storm, with stockpiles of food, water, vehicles and emergency equipment, said Col. David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman. About 98,000 National Guard members were potentially available to help in states along the storm's expected path, from Florida to New England, he added.

Jeremy Pickett and Thad Midgett boarded the windows of a store in Cape Hatteras, N.C., on Wednesday.

The U.S. Navy is preparing for the possibility of sending warships out to sea, and out of the hurricane's direct path. On Wednesday, the U.S. Second Fleet placed all Navy ships in the Hampton Roads, Va., area to "sortie condition Bravo," meaning that ships must make final preparations in anticipation of getting under way early Thursday.

In a statement, Vice Adm. Daniel Holloway, the fleet's commander, said the storm currently met the criteria for getting ships underway to avoid storm damage. \\


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904875404576530023246645268.html

Looks like we may have to evacuate tomorrow. I am hearing mandatory evacuation may go into effect tomorrow morning.

They're evacuating all the areas near the beach. It's mandatory. And yeah, if it hits....Long Island and eastern Queens is going to get walloped. I'll be in the Bronx, so whatever....

The alarm clock woke me up at the usual time so we still had power at 4:45 AM. *knock on wood* it stays on. If nothing else, Irene got us to do a long overdue computer back up. Stay safe everyone. Even if you're not in the path of some terrible force of nature.

I heard some of its ferociousness last night, but overall....it's not bad. It's not like we're out of the woods yet though....she has another 12 or so hours to do some damage....but I'm not worried in the least. Some localized flooded, a few power lines and trees down and that's about it. I knew I should've fucking stayed home. People are always over hyping shit. But.....I guess it is better to be safe than sorry.

I am glad I left, I had a better time than if I would have stayed at home. Not too much damage a lot of debris from the trees and some fallen branches.