# Hurricane Irene - Up the East Coast **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 25, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044 "2011-08-25T15:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/281 "2011-08-30T20:00:46Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > **Philster** , if we acknowledge that nor’easters are real true serious storms, can we go ahead with discussing the storm named Irene in this thread specifically dedicated to doing so? If that’s what it takes, here you go: Nor’easters bite, and are real live storms, and cause property damage and loss of life, and people should take them seriously. They are serious. Do not mess with nor’easters, yo. The convo drifted toward whether Irene was hyped. Irene was hyped, based on the perspective offered towards how media outlets don’t go bat shit crazy over other ominous threats. Be safe. You may proceed with Irene. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/282 "2011-08-30T20:06:33Z")
Preparing for the worst and trying to get peole to take warnings seriously in the face of a powerful and unpredictable storm is not my deinition of “hype.” In my area, Irene turned out to be less devastating than it could have been, but I do not consider the preparation I did to be “wasted.” When the first blizzard falls, I’ll be all set for canned soup. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/283 "2011-08-30T20:12:45Z")
I am still waiting for cable and internet service to be restored at my house on Long Island. Whenever I call Cablevision/Optimum, I get a busy signal. So I asked a support representative in online chat, “When will service be restored?” I received the following non-answer: > [@](#): > > There are still ongoing outages posted for your area. Our engineers are still working to restore service due to this outage. Due to the complexity of the issue and the repairs that need to be done, we currently do not have an estimated time as to when services will be restored. This provides no information which is to be expected from the cable company. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/284 "2011-08-30T20:13:01Z")
Even if we acknowledge the impact of Nor’easters, and they are substantial storms, their major impact is generally confined to the coasts. The deep snow and closings cost money, but don’t do much infrastructure damage inland aside from collapsed roofs. Along the coast there is significant damage but the people who are affected generally know they are at risk. Beach erosion, houses flooded, and seawalls breached happen periodically, even in the best protected areas. Irene brought severe infrastructure devastation to areas that haven’t seen anything like this since the hurricane of 1938. The floods wiped out roads, bridges, and down towns in Vt, NH, and NY like nothing since then, and in place surpassing those levels. It’s affected transportation throughout the region and the disruptions will last months as the bridges get repaired. Entire towns are cut off from road traffic. This doesn’t happen every generation, let alone multiple times per year. Look beyond the coast and you will see that this was a major event. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/285 "2011-08-30T20:56:11Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > [http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2009-11-18-eastcoast-cleanup\_N.htm](http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2009-11-18-eastcoast-cleanup_N.htm) > [Powerful Nor'easter causes extensive damage around New Jersey - nj.com](http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/storm_brings_power_outages_roa.html) > [http://www.noaa.gov/features/03\_protecting/noreasters.html](http://www.noaa.gov/features/03_protecting/noreasters.html) > > People, in 2009 three rambled through the NE in one month… October… out of season. Those blizzards you see people digging out of… 18" of snow, etc, get overlooked because they don’t have names, and because it’s snow, so an October ass-beating from a Nor’ Easter or a Feb snow storm aren’t lumped together in some Federal D-base under “Nor’ Easter”, listed by names, etc. > > You have to dig state by state, again, a consequence of how hurricanes are treated versus how Nor’ Easters are treated. Hurricane info is tidy and glamorous, listed by year and name with some lump some total of 2.3 billion. For Nor’ Easters, you have to go county by county, or state to state…“100 million” + “250 million”, etc. > > Nor’ Easters will batter the eastern seaboard this year several times over and rewrite geography books and maps, a prediction that is 1,000 less bold than what the media outlets did with Irene. I can make that prediction because it happens multiple times in most years. > > [78blizzard](http://www.hurricanes-blizzards-noreasters.com/78blizzard.html) \<\<\<\ **Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/286 "2011-08-30T21:00:07Z") > [@AnalogSignal](#): > > …This provides no information which is to be expected from the cable company. No, it _is_ an answer; it’s just not the one you wanted. They should go by Scotty’s rule: tell 'em it’ll take two weeks, and when it takes them only six days, you’ll be REALLY IMPRESSED. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/287 "2011-08-30T22:05:11Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > If heavy, soaking rains were coming to the NE, and flooding was a foregone conclusion given the am’t of rain received already, THE NEWS OUTLETS WOULD NOT HAVE SOME FLASHY HURRICANE TO TRACK AND MAKE A MEDIA EVENT OUT OF… BUT THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME. > > You’d all be watching the generic stories and photos of the aftermath. More people would have died, because they would not have covered something so intensely, because there was no spinning Irene graphic and media event to have. Then it seems to me that Irene was not over-hyped, but rather that the other storms were under-hyped. And the Christmas blizzard got just as much coverage in NYC as Irene did. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/288 "2011-08-30T23:55:00Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I took Irene claims all day yesterday. One woman had 5 feet of floodwater pouring into her mobile home and all her earthly possessions destroyed (except some pictures on the wall). Nothing that evacuating would have prevented, of course, but this is still a tragedy. > > Philster, the relevant argument you’re ignoring is that people in the Nor’easter geographic area are _perpetually prepared_ for those events. Nobody in New York is perpetually prepared for a hurricane. The hype argument is really pissing me off. Tell my coworker that had three trees fall on her house, a lot of water in the basement and first floor, and a neighbor killed by the flooding creek (and another neighbor’s house destroyed) that it was all hype. Or that all the damage done to another coworker’s mother-in-law’s house was hype. That all the flooding and damage in Schenectady and Albany and Rensselaer and Schoharie and Greene and Ulster and Delaware counties (apologies to any I’ve forgotten) was hype. Large parts of the Catskills and Hudson Valley have been majorly impacted by Irene. Just because the media didn’t get the 9/11 times 1000 destruction of Manhattan that they wanted doesn’t mean that lots of us in the rest of the state that actually feeds and waters that rather ungrateful city aren’t hurting. I’m so sorry that the storm wasn’t exciting enough for you. We just have to deal with the excitement of record floods, washed out roads and bridges, tons of closures, and massive amounts of cleanup. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/289 "2011-08-31T00:24:06Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Just because the media didn’t get the 9/11 times 1000 destruction of Manhattan that they wanted doesn’t mean that lots of us in the rest of the state that actually feeds and waters that rather ungrateful city aren’t hurting. I don’t know what’s with the antipathy toward New York City in this thread. First it was “you’re a bunch of wusses, it’s just rain” now it’s “you don’t care that other people got flooded!” New Yorkers are well aware of what happened, thanks. There are dumb people everywhere (and to that end I’ve heard lots of non-New Yorkers talk about the storm being overhyped), but Brooklyn and Staten Island are part of the city and some of those places were swamped. And plenty of us have family or friends on Long Island like I do. If anybody’s ignoring what is going in up the coast or upstate or in Vermont, that’s unfortunately. But it’s not about New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/290 "2011-08-31T01:00:43Z")
I’m in northeastern RI on the MA border, in the suburbs, and have been without power since **Sunday at 9 am**. We’ve been told that it may be 2-3 more days, and we are far, far from remote. I’m sorry, **Philster** , that more people didn’t die/the wind & rain wasn’t bad enough for you and that the hype annoyed you, but from where we’re standing in RI, this not even a hurricane by the time it hit us has had a huge impact. ---
**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 31, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/291 "2011-08-31T22:11:26Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > My block escaped much damage except for our property. Four huge trees fell over the course of the morning. One damaged a car. One blocked me in the driveway and brought the utility wires all down on top of my car. Yesterday Parks Dept cut off the part of the tree blocking me in and moved the wires so I could get out. No damage to the house and surprisingly no basement flooding. Still no power though. My DVR is weeping. > > Somehow the mailman made it to our doorside mailbox when the only way to get to the door was by climbing over four foot high tree trunks. I guess he deserves a nice holiday card this year! > > We hosted a friend couple and their two cats, who were in an evacuation zone. Lots of board game playing and cocktail making. Bought newspapers in lieu of Internet. > > My friend never lost power. Grandma got it back yesterday. Mom today. None of their pets were bothered at all. > > We’ve been thinking of ideas of what to do with the wood besides making a fire. Some sort of outdoor furniture? A totem pole? if one of those was an ash tree you could look into making baseball bats. i’ve always liked those big slab of wood tables and benches. perhaps there are artisans in your area that make those. also if you could get hold of a wood mill perhaps they could cut the trees into planks or flooring. that would be cool. see this floor, very lovely it is, we call it irene. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/292 "2011-09-01T01:03:08Z")
POWERRRRRRR!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!1!! Um, sorry 'bout that. Everything turned back on about an hour ago. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/293 "2011-09-01T04:13:42Z")
I called Cablevision again this afternoon and another clueless rep told me he didn’t know when my cable and internet service would be restored. Then magically everything started working tonight. So I am now 100% back. However, all of my neighbors across the street from me are still without power. One of them put a gigantic “LIPA Sucks” sign on their lawn today. (LIPA is the Long Island Power Authority). This is a common problem throughout the region: [Days After the Storm, Many Are Still in the Dark](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/nyregion/days-after-the-storm-many-are-left-in-the-dark.html?pagewanted=1&hp). I now realize we can be plunged into darkness anytime a storm hits, waiting for bungling idiots to fix things with no recourse other than buying generators. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/294 "2011-09-01T11:21:09Z")
How sad that you have to rely on bungling idiots to deal with all the storm havoc. Our electric co-op crews worked their collective asses off with the assistance of a number of out-of-state crews. They were replacing poles and transformers and lines all over the county. From the co-op website, last night’s status: _Cause of outages: Trees are down, wrapped in lines, and leaning on lines, and poles are broken. Substations: All substations are energized. Status of feeders: 1 feeder off; 82 feeders were off at peak of hurricane. Number of SMECO crews: 58 Contract crews: 88_ We were without power for almost 48 hours, and as annoying as it was, we survived. If we were still without power, I’d be unhappy, but I know how hard the crews are working - I saw them along the roads and back in fields and in places I know they had a tough time accessing with the ground so wet. I’m more than satisfied with the progress they’ve been making - our co-op rocks! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/295 "2011-09-01T20:25:02Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > if one of those was an ash tree you could look into making baseball bats. i’ve always liked those big slab of wood tables and benches. perhaps there are artisans in your area that make those. also if you could get hold of a wood mill perhaps they could cut the trees into planks or flooring. That’s what my BiL and his woodworking club did with trees downed by Ivan. BiL & Sis kept one of the tables. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044.md?page=14)