# Hurricane Irene: how are you feeling? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179 "2011-08-26T13:48:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/41 "2011-08-26T22:21:03Z")
I’m in Central Jersey and now I am starting to get worried. It’s not the hurricane winds I’m worried about so much as the potential for flooding. According to the hurricane warning statement for my county, we may get record amounts of rain and the Raritan River has a particularly high potential for flash flooding. We live in an apartment complex on the banks of the Raritan, at the very bottom of a large hill. My husband thinks I’m overreacting. I just know that with flash flooding, there isn’t a lot you can do to escape it once it starts. I’m beginning to wonder if we should just get the hell out of here. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/42 "2011-08-26T22:28:40Z")
I chose something else, because Irene will get me twice. I have a house in North Carolina, just across the state line from Suffolk, VA. It has me worried because it’s vacant and for sale, and the anxiety is in not being there to see any damage immediately. I live in St. Mary’s County, MD, where conditions are predicted to be very similar to NC. I intend to sleep through the storm. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/43 "2011-08-26T22:38:11Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > My husband thinks I’m overreacting. I just know that with flash flooding, there isn’t a lot you can do to escape it once it starts. I’m beginning to wonder if we should just get the hell out of here. Why not? If I was there, and I had the option to go somewhere else, I’d go. Now, just for the hell of it… My uncle lives in Florida, just north of Miami. Has for a while. Remember Hurricane Andrew? He and his wife decided to ride that one out. In his exact words, “The next time they say, “hurricane,” I’m, going to say “North Platte.”” He will _not_ ride out another hurricane. (I know, I know…Andrew makes Irene look like a Dallas debutante, but there are rain storms and there are hurricanes.) ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/44 "2011-08-26T22:38:42Z")
> [@TGFlynn](#): > > We live about 10 miles from the NJ shore in Central NJ. We frequently get high wind gusts (50+ mph) and I can bet this one will be about that and perhaps slightly less. If you go to the National Hurricane Center, it basically says the same thing. I think the news services build it up to get viewers/readers. My bigest concern is the rain as I’ll have to lower the pool water level. The only other concern would be possibly a broken window (hasn’t happened in 11 years). And I have candles so we are all set!😃 You’ll get sustained winds about 50% higher than that with gusts up to 100mph. > [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I’m in Central Jersey and now I am starting to get worried. It’s not the hurricane winds I’m worried about so much as the potential for flooding. According to the hurricane warning statement for my county, we may get record amounts of rain and the Raritan River has a particularly high potential for flash flooding. We live in an apartment complex on the banks of the Raritan, at the very bottom of a large hill. > > My husband thinks I’m overreacting. I just know that with flash flooding, there isn’t a lot you can do to escape it once it starts. I’m beginning to wonder if we should just get the hell out of here. Central Jersey could get 6-10 inches of rain in 24 hours. The wind isn’t going to be the big factor with this storm, it will be the rainfall and the storm surge along the coast. Based on the description of where you live, my vote is on get the hell out of there. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/45 "2011-08-26T23:02:03Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > I’m in suburban Philly and I am concerned. Our neighborhood tends to lose power rather easily and sometimes it takes them 24 hrs to restore it. We have property with lots of tall trees in our backyard. Sounds like my street. Western suburbs of Philadelphia, lots of tall trees on our street with overhead wires running by/through them, and a power outage is pretty much a mandatory part of any large storm. In the 25 years we’ve lived here our longest power outage was three days, and that was in the middle of winter when we worried about the pipes freezing. Freezing pipes won’t be an issue in August. I half-expect to lose a tree or two, and I rather suspect that the overhead power and FIOS lines on our street are toast, but we’ll get by and as long as nothing falls/damages our roof we’ll be just fine. Heck, if the roof gets damaged we’ll be just fine, too - eventually. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/46 "2011-08-26T23:44:13Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Yes! I remember going to Manayunk (outside Philadelphia) and seeing floods up the the second floor of houses. > > My mother was in a hurricane in Florida in the 1940s–she said she remembered huddling in a hallway of her boarding house with mattresses over her, and watching entire palm trees fly by. To the end of her life, a strong wind terrified her. I just got home from Manayunk (visiting a friend). There is talk of evacuating large portions of it. She is at the top of a big hill on the second floor, so she’s pretty sure she’s going to wait out whatever happens. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/47 "2011-08-27T00:51:40Z")
Meh… by the time it reaches me (southern seacoastal Maine) I’m predicting a tropical storm/depression level event, 40-60 MPH wind gusts, maybe heavy rain depending on which side of the storm system hits us, we may lose power for a few hours/days, but that’s more due to a pathetic, incompetent power company that can’t keep stable power on during a bright sunny day, to say nothing of a tropical storm I’ve weathered worse Nor’Easters and blizzards, and blizzards add in the unwelcome factor of heavy snow… I’m not worried, we have our preps in order, we have an emergency standby generator, and plenty of fuel, we’re set for Irene’s visit ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/48 "2011-08-27T01:16:58Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I’m a little concerned about loss of power, as I really rely on electronics for entertainment. I’m far more concerned about my long weekend next week. I’m planning on getting away to a little coastal town which I hope won’t get washed away. Other than not having Labor Day plans, I’m in the same boat as **tdn**. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/49 "2011-08-27T01:28:53Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > I just got home from Manayunk (visiting a friend). There is talk of evacuating large portions of it. She is at the top of a big hill on the second floor, so she’s pretty sure she’s going to wait out whatever happens. rox. high school is being used as a shelter. i haven’t heard anything about saul high school. i do hope the animals there are secured. they have a july and august program for incoming students so i know teachers and students were on hand for getting the school prepared. ---
**Author:** ![MeepersC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meepersc/32/12088_2.png) [@MeepersC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeepersC)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/50 "2011-08-27T01:31:28Z")
I’m in NC as well, and am moderately concerned about the power going out at our house. We’re on a well and septic tank, so when the power goes out, there’s no water or bathrooms available. During the last major hurricane around here (Floyd), we were without power for 5 days. I just got home from vacation on the NC coast today - had planned on staying through Sunday, but we were evacuated. I was at the in-law’s beach house, so all day Thursday was spent boarding windows and moving stuff inside. We’ll be back on Sunday to assess damage and do whatever clean up is necessary. Luckily the house is across the street from the ocean, so there should be no flooding. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/51 "2011-08-27T01:46:17Z")
I’m well out of the way, but was living outside of Philly in '99 when Floyd came through. Up to about 70 MPH winds and 12 inches of rain, so a lot of trees got knocked down and there was some small stream flooding. I spent a week in Avon, NC (Outer Banks) early in July and I’ve got to think that the house we stayed in, which was 15 feet from the water, will end up a bunch of splinters floating in Pamlico Sound if the storm surge is more than four or five feet. Damn shame if that’s the case. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/52 "2011-08-27T02:01:29Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I’m in California. Our chances of getting hit by a hurricane are about as good as Washington DC getting hit by an earthquake. Heh. You know what else there’s a good chance of, though? Brush fires. I was outside at 5pm, and it felt like having a hair dryer, on max, pointed at me at all times. Perfect brush fire weather. Suppose we’re burning up at the same time the east coast is getting deluged. After that, darkness, locusts and frogs, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/53 "2011-08-27T02:14:30Z")
I’m not in the expected landfall area, and I’m worried about friends who are not evacuating. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/54 "2011-08-27T09:05:51Z")
I’m in N.C., but a couple of hundred miles inland. I mainly have to worry about losing power if a tree falls over. ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/55 "2011-08-27T11:12:50Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Just north of Baltimore, here. > > We’ll get lots of rain and probably some decent wind. I imagine my power will go out for a few hours (which happens anytime someone even looks at the powerlines funny). > > I’m not too concerned. I’d rather have a hurricane than a snowpocalypse. U kiddin me??? I live in the U.P. of Michigan, and I’d take snow ANY friggin day!! That’s all we have to worry about up here, naturewise! Not many people die from snow!!! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/56 "2011-08-27T11:40:14Z")
I’m inland and upstate enough (Albany, NY area) that I’m not too worried, but I have tried to prepare for a power outage. It only takes one tree for a local outage, after all. A few hours is no big deal. A couple days would suck, but I think I’ve picked up a few reasonable things that I’ll want to have when winter comes anyway, like an extra flashlight. I wish there was even more granularity in the poll, for something along the lines of “cautiously preparing”. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/57 "2011-08-27T12:22:03Z")
As of 5am, Irene was down to a Cat 1, and the eye hadn’t made landfall in NC yet. Right now, I assume the Outer Banks are getting hit hard, but that’s what barrier islands are _for_. I’m a mile from the western shore of the Chesapeake, a half-hour south of Annapolis, but our house is 90 feet above sea level, so we’re well away from any storm surge or flooding. Our yard has excellent drainage, we’ve never had water in our basement, even during Isabel. Our main concern is downed trees (we’ve got a yard full of them) and loss of power. But if we lose power and it looks like they’re going to take days to restore it, we’ve got friends over in Virginia that we can crash with. > [@Caffeine.addict](#): > > [Agnes] was pretty awful for us, we didn’t have cable and internet for five days. 😉 Hey, neither did we! We had to get our news over an old black-and-white TV in the basement…oh, wait. Agnes was one of those storms that was either no big deal, or terrible, depending on where you lived in the area. Just a lot of rain and downed trees where we were, but if you lived near Four Mile Run, you probably got flooded out of your home. > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Charlotte got the snot slapped out of it by Hugo, I’m told. > > Irene is shaping up to be a non-event, however. I txted my brother in Charleston a couple of hours ago to ask what Irene was doing there. “Some rain and little wind” was his reply. To affect Charlotte significantly, Irene would pretty much have to turn due west any minute now. I was in Columbia, SC for Hugo, it was quite a storm. It _had_ to be big to whack Charlotte, so far inland. If you live there the rest of your life, you’ll probably never see another hurricane like Hugo. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/58 "2011-08-27T13:02:33Z")
I was calling myself concerned, but I’m prone to the evil influence of media frenzy. I was okay until they announced that they’re shutting down pretty much all of Manhattan. I have batteries and water and food, but it’s all at home and what if I get stuck at work? Or what if I’m stuck at work and my son’s stuck at home? Or what if I leave work and spend the powerless days at home and work floods? Oh the horror?!? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/59 "2011-08-27T13:39:16Z")
I’m in Arlington, VA, and I don’t give a fat rat’s ass. The only concern I have is falling trees, but no amount of weenie-ass hand wringing is going to do fuck-all about that. IT’S A CATEGORY 1, AND IS GOING TO WEAKEN NOW THAT IT HAS MADE LANDFALL. People in low lying coastal areas have every right to be concerned and prepared, but this is not the big one. Stay sane, stay safe. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179/60 "2011-08-27T13:59:16Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I was in Columbia, SC for Hugo, it was quite a storm. It _had_ to be big to whack Charlotte, so far inland. If you live there the rest of your life, you’ll probably never see another hurricane like Hugo. Yeah, I was in Greenville, and even there we got a significant storm out of it. My then-girlfriend’s parents had been living in Surfside Beach before then in the process of moving to North Carolina, and she hadn’t spoken to them for the better part of a week. We spent that night literally having no idea where they were or what was going on with them. Turned out they’d closed on the Surfside house 2 days before Hugo hit. After the storm surge, the learned from the new owners, there was 8 inches of water in the house. Timing! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-how-are-you-feeling/594179.md?page=4)