The Hurricane Thread

[Moose]

I'm surprised CT only has a Tropical Storm watch when we here in RI have a Hurricane Watch.

 

To you and all our MidAtlantic TPR peeps, stay safe!

[VinTheAttendant]

^Only northern Connecticut has the Tropical Storm Watch. It seems like everything south of Middletown has the same hurricane watch. But the weather following the hurricane is supposed to be really nice!

[ahecht]

In Theme Park related news, all of Coney Island, including Luna Park and the Cyclone, is under a mandatory evacuation order starting at 5pm Saturday as Irene approaches.

[JDo217]

um, I live on the south shore of LI. I;m one block away from the bay and some of my friends' backyards ARE the bay. I'm out of the country for the semester but the people I've been in contact with back home say my entire area is under evacuation. My elderly grandparents who can't drive are home alone, but I think my aunts are supposed to pick them up.

 

The thing about south shore LI is that it's prone to flooding. Nevermind hurricanes, a day of steady moderate to heavy rain causes many people's basements to flood. Not even sure I'll have a basement anymore when I get home -_-

[VinTheAttendant]

Amtrak is beginning to cancel service. South of D.C. has already been cancelled. Essentially, all east coast trains will be stopped after 12 PM tomorrow. No trains will be running Sunday. My train gets into Philadelphia at about 11:30 AM tomorrow, so I have my fingers crossed that I make it in on time.

 

Edit: Made it! My train was one of the last ones they let through NYC.

Edited August 27, 2011 by VinTheAttendant

[beatle11]

At this point, it looks like NYC may be the only major city to take a direct hit. It looks like it will be either a strong tropical storm or a borderline hurricane when it gets there. Definitely not something that you wish for but hopefully things aren't as bad as they could be.

[cfc]

We've had rain and high winds in Williamsburg since 6:00 am. We'll see what happens, but so far, so good.

[larrygator]

It's been panic at the supermarkets and gas stations in my area yesterday and today. Parts of Staten Island are under watch and those in low lying areas have been asked (but not forced to evacuate). I'm about a mile inland and 50 feet above sea level and outside of the flood warning area, so I'm not concerned about flooding but you never know what can fly through your window, not to mention roof damage.

 

Went to my mom's house this morning to make sure she had all possible projectiles around the yard secured. Of course she didn't, so I had to move a lot of stuff indoors. Unfortunately, her ground floor is very suspectible to flooding.

 

I made 2 pounds of pasta last night just in case I lose power and also just got back from buying a pizza and snack food. I learned in college that a pizza slice can survive for days.

 

Never hurts to be prepared.

[B-RadG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6z88ur-8bY

This sums it up right now.

[braztaz]

^

 

We lost power for a couple minutes or so and then it cut back on. The wind blew over a couple of chairs that were on my back porch.

[cfc]

It's been panic at the supermarkets and gas stations in my area yesterday and today. Parts of Staten Island are under watch and those in low lying areas have been asked (but not forced to evacuate). I'm about a mile inland and 50 feet above sea level and outside of the flood warning area, so I'm not concerned about flooding but you never know what can fly through your window, not to mention roof damage.

 

Went to my mom's house this morning to make sure she had all possible projectiles around the yard secured. Of course she didn't, so I had to move a lot of stuff indoors. Unfortunately, her ground floor is very suspectible to flooding.

 

I made 2 pounds of pasta last night just in case I lose power and also just got back from buying a pizza and snack food. I learned in college that a pizza slice can survive for days.

 

Never hurts to be prepared.

 

Yeah, people emptied the local markets of bottled water pretty quickly around here. There's stuff bouncing off my house from time to time, as well.

[larrygator]

Mayor Bloomberg is awesome with his frankness. Reporters asking stupid questions at his press conference for Hurricane Irene.

 

Reporter: Will the city be able to get to those stranded in areas where they are mandatory evacuations in effect.

Bloomberg: That's a strong possibility, that's why everyone should be following mandatory evacuation orders.

 

Reporter: What would you rceommend to people who haven't evacuated from those areas yet.

Bloomberg: Get out now because it is a lot easier to move before the heavy rains and winds start.

 

Reporter: Will the city be forcing people to move.

Bloomberg: The police have more important things to do right now then break down doors and drag people out of their homes.

 

Reporter: Are there any security issues the city is dealing with right now?

Bloomberg: What do you mean?

 

Reporter: Looting?

Bloomberg: We're New York City, we don't have that problem.

[crazywolf88]

From what I've checked on weather.com on the hurricane tracker is...NYC will be hit by a weak category 1 hurricane, if not then we will be hit by a measly tropical storm. All of that evacuation for nothing I guess.

[Airtime&Gravity]

^It's better to be safe than have New Orleans after Katrina. When emergency plans were being formulated, it was thought that it might be a Category 2 or 3 when it would hit NYC, which due to the population density and geography, would have been catastrophic.

[larrygator]

From what I've checked on weather.com on the hurricane tracker is...NYC will be hit by a weak category 1 hurricane, if not then we will be hit by a measly tropical storm. All of that evacuation for nothing I guess.

 

You are guessing incorrectly. Unprepared people die.

[HEADCHEEZ]

From what I've checked on weather.com on the hurricane tracker is...NYC will be hit by a weak category 1 hurricane, if not then we will be hit by a measly tropical storm. All of that evacuation for nothing I guess.

 

NYC is a very low lying area. A simple Tropical Storm is enough to flood some areas.

[VinTheAttendant]

Tornado warnings are popping up all over the tri-state area. One of the warnings includes this:

 

"THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... SIX FLAGS THEME PARK BY 1105 PM EDT"

[larrygator]

Plenty of flooding already in low lying areas. Lights have been flickering in my apartment.

Power outages reported in Queens and Staten Island

 

NYC Transit Authority has already said subways will not be online before Tuesday.

Some Con Ed Power Substations in lower Manhattan are below sea level so power may be shut off to prevent saltwater damage from flooding.

 

I've been through hurricanes while in Flordia. Mother Nature is no joke, I'm not messing with her.

Edited August 28, 2011 by larrygator

[texcoaster]

This from an article about the evacuation of Coney Island:

 

Jason Solomon said he believed all the hubbub was politics. Surely an evacuation order for Coney Island wasn’t necessary, he said.

 

"We don’t live in a fish tank," he said. "We've got streets, with drains. The water will go down."

 

What an idiot. Maybe he'll drown and remove himself from the gene pool before he breeds.

[printersdevil78]

Still some wind here, but no damage, no flooding where I live (some in the surrounding areas), and we never lost power, cable or Internet, which is simply amazing considering we normally lose all three in a regular 20-minute thunderstorm.

 

Unfortunately, I managed to get myself a nasty ear and throat infection that required an emergency clinic visit yesterday, so I actually had to go out in the rain and wind for awhile. Fortunately, it was just as we were starting to feel the storm's effects, so it wasn't too bad, and the clinic is just down the street from my apartment.

[crazywolf88]

The hurri...I mean tropical storm has passed and the only damage we've had here in Flushing NY was a couple of downed branches. Far less damage than the freak tornado last September.

[MeMeMe]

This might sound like a dumb complaint, but my four favorite places in Montreal: the Tim Hortons, the pool, the beach and La Ronde, are all closed today because of mild hurricane stuff. At least the underground city is still open and I still have power!

[ernierocker]

Did they really count a guy having a heart attack while boarding his house as a hurricane fatality????

[larrygator]

Just got back from my mom's, she had about 6 inches of water in the ground floor level of her house. Had to help shop vac the place. My workout for the day since the gym is closed. Lots of downed trees in the area but flooding on the coastal streets is subsiding.

 

Biggest issue is going to be getting back to work tomorrow for a lot of folks. Subways and train lines can not be reopened until each line is walked in its entirety for damage.

Edited August 28, 2011 by larrygator

[Palacefan]

I live in Maine and it has been raining pretty steady and the winds are very very strong..I'd say 50mph? I went down to Old Orchard beach where Palace Playland is located to see how everything was doing. Everything seemed to be intact at Palace, but it was hard to really tell. Take a look of the area surrounding the park!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aUinUuD1zI

 

The night before Palace getting ready for Irene. (taking a part some of the rides)

Palace Playland getting ready for Irene.