# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/21 "2011-08-25T17:49:51Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Our marina is in Solomons, MD, within the mouth of the Patuxent River on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay - roughly halfway between the north and the south ends of the bay. Our boat is an Islander 36 sloop - a reasonably stout vessel. Ours is a Four Winns 35 ft cruiser, made of papier mache :p. Not really, but we took a trip in a rain storm a few years ago, through the C&D and into the Chesapeake and it was a teeth-gnashing experience to say the least. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > We got an email from our marina manager telling us to come out and double up our lines, disconnect power, remove dodgers/biminis/awnings/all loose stuff, and add fenders as necessary. We’ll also tie the sailcover down - I just made that thing and I don’t want it torn to shreds - and we’ll have to tie the pedestal cover on also. Because of the expected wind direction (east, then northeast) they aren’t expecting a storm surge, but we’ve got floating docks anyway, so a higher than usual tide isn’t that huge a deal. I expect we’ll head over tomorrow afternoon or first thing Saturday morning. Our marina is putting our boat inside one of their aircraft hangar-style storage units. I don’t know how many boats they can fit in there, especially since we have a few 80 and 90 footers at our dock. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > [Here’s](http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) where I like to get my hurricane info. And over the last day or so, the track has stopped moving east and has shifted a wee bit west. So I’m thinking we’ll be hit harder than we’d originally thought. But the boat is insured and I’ll try to remember to take photos of how we secure it, just in case… Eep. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/22 "2011-08-25T17:49:52Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’m in NJ too. My boat is on the Delaware River. My wife just called me from our marina; they request at least one owner be available when they pull a boat. They’re taking this very seriously. Their three huge travellifts are going non stop. They’re queuing up the boats for haul out, and they’re doing all of this in the rain! My wife’s fascinated. I wish I were there to see it. ☹ Crap. I am about 25 miles inland and up on a hill but it isn’t a huge hill. Still, if they are expecting it to maintain hurricane strength I guess I need to start taking this seriously. This is totally new territory for me. I’m from California.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/23 "2011-08-25T17:52:45Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > This is totally new territory for me. I’m from California.:smack: My girlfriend just moved here from Indiana. In the span of a week, she’ll experience an earthquake and a major hurricane. She’s getting worried that I’m going to send her back. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/24 "2011-08-25T18:06:46Z")
> [@The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](#): > > A chainsaw and extra gasoline is a must, but do not wait until you have to cut up fallen trees to learn how to use one safely. > As already mentioned, fill milk jugs and buckets with extra water for flushing and washing. > Make sure you bring in or secure anything that can be blown away or fall over in the wind. If possible, check with your nearest neighbors to make sure they are doing the same. > Locate a secure room or area of your home that you can move to if the winds get very high. It should be as close to the center of the dwelling as possible, preferably on the first floor in a windowless room. Keep your flashlights, batteries, radio, extra drinking water and other food and supplies in that room. Unplug all your electronics: TV, computer, video players, etc. We didn’t when Isabel came through and lost a DVD player and (IIRC) a computer. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/25 "2011-08-25T18:09:59Z")
I’m not a panicky peron, by any stretch, but I am getting a bit nervous here in NJ . . . we’re being told to prepare for the very worst and NOW. Eek! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/26 "2011-08-25T18:12:31Z")
I’m worried about my four doggies – no way in Hell I’d evacuate without them. I’m thinking about setting up camp in my first-floor living room, there’s just one large-ish window. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/27 "2011-08-25T18:19:12Z")
> [@ajb867](#): > > If you live in Capemay off exit 9, you will most likely be with out power for a few days. If you can leave, leave. If you need to stay that’s ok but do your shopping today before the mad rush of panic tomorrow. Ditto this. Grew up in Philly, had friends with houses down the shore. Exit 9 might as well be Cape May proper. Carefully lock everything down, unplug everything and take the opportunity to visit… Philly. Seriously. Why await flooding when you can drive away from it? Be safe and let us know how you fare. And screw Gino’s and Pat’s. Go to Jim’s Steaks on South Street for a cheesesteak. While you’re there. If you decide to go. I’m just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/28 "2011-08-25T18:20:56Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > My girlfriend just moved here from Indiana. In the span of a week, she’ll experience an earthquake and a major hurricane. > > She’s getting worried that I’m going to send her back. Yeah, but the upside is that riggers and Local 1 Stagehands in Jersey hardly ever drop a stage and overhang onto a crowd. Unless they mean to. :eek: 😉 And while awaiting the storm’s impact, at least we have a [Song in our heart !](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=621798). ---
**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 25, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/29 "2011-08-25T19:03:51Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’m in NJ too. My boat is on the Delaware River. My wife just called me from our marina; they request at least one owner be available when they pull a boat. They’re taking this very seriously. Their three huge travellifts are going non stop. They’re queuing up the boats for haul out, and they’re doing all of this in the rain! My wife’s fascinated. I wish I were there to see it. ☹ > [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Ditto this. Grew up in Philly, had friends with houses down the shore. Exit 9 might as well be Cape May proper. Carefully lock everything down, unplug everything and take the opportunity to visit… Philly. I live in New Brunswick, which is quite a bit north of Cape May. That’s Exit 9\* off the NJ Turnpike\*. Maybe a half hour’s drive from the Jersey Shore. > [@](#): > > Seriously. Why await flooding when you can drive away from it? Be safe and let us know how you fare. I would do this in a heartbeat if my husband where at all concerned. He’s convinced that the greatest amount of inconvenience we’ll have is a few hours without power. He humored me by going through our cupboards and listing all the non-perishable foods we have, and we’ve agreed to prepare bottles of water and ice baggies, but I don’t think I can talk him into leaving without an explicit evacuation order. It doesn’t help that we’ve had a large amount of rain already this season, and it’s been raining all day and is supposed to keep raining. So we may have flood conditions before the storm even arrives. > [@](#): > > And screw Gino’s and Pat’s. Go to Jim’s Steaks on South Street for a cheesesteak. While you’re there. If you decide to go. I’m just sayin’… I just moved from the Philly area, though I hear they might get some of this too. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/30 "2011-08-25T19:07:22Z")
Oh, my bad !! That whole "What exit? " thing. I figured you meant the GSP. North Brunswick? Hell. You’ll be fine. Tons of rain. Like me in NYC. My bad ! Where in Philly did you folks live? ---
**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 25, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/31 "2011-08-25T19:12:01Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Oh, my bad !! That whole "What exit? " thing. I figured you meant the GSP. North Brunswick? Hell. You’ll be fine. Tons of rain. Like me in NYC. > > My bad ! > > Where in Philly did you folks live? Okay, tons of rain I can maybe deal with. Lived in Maple Shade, in South Jersey, though I attended school in West Philly and worked in Northeast Philly. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/32 "2011-08-25T19:47:54Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I was away for college for Gloria but my parents in Southern Connecticut lost power for a week. I think they visited a friend a few miles away to use their showers and get water. I was off visiting Mom, but mrAru just went to the submarine base to shower and eat. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/33 "2011-08-25T19:51:08Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Unplug all your electronics: TV, computer, video players, etc. We didn’t when Isabel came through and lost a DVD player and (IIRC) a computer. Why, what happens? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/34 "2011-08-25T20:06:41Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Okay, tons of rain I can maybe deal with. > > Lived in Maple Shade, in South Jersey, though I attended school in West Philly and worked in Northeast Philly. Yeah? I grew up in West Oak Lane, then Cheltenham. Had friends across The Line in the Northeast. Many a night I’d find myself at the Country Club Diner on Cottman Ave… ETA: What happens? Power surge beyond what your average six dollar “power strip” can handle, and electronics blow up. Dad lost a brand freakin’ new Dell computer a long time ago. Week old. Lightning strike hit the phone pole. Phone line went into the modem card in the computer. Blew the motherboard, the modem board. Blew it all the hell up. Very sad- and Dell claimed it was an act of God and refused to warranty it. Jerks. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/35 "2011-08-25T20:11:41Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Blew the motherboard, the modem board. Blew it all the hell up. Very sad- and Dell claimed it was an act of God and refused to warranty it. Jerks. Hm. Yet another reason to go with Apple: No hassle replacements. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/36 "2011-08-25T20:18:23Z")
Used to be that way. Now it’s " I’m sorry, but the No Hassle Replacement policy went out with Jobs. " 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/37 "2011-08-25T21:07:35Z")
Remember that the forecast “cone” is a probabilities range: those wide circles two or three days forward represent that the center could be anywhere in thet circle, and things may change quite drasically in the last 24 hours before impact. _ **We** _ were going to get barely a glancing pass south as late as Saturday afternoon’s notice, it ended up going right across us in the wee hours of Monday morning. So prepare as if it’s a sure thing to get a direct full force hit and cheer your good luck if it misses. When it passed here the truly big damage (as always) was done by the rain, and most of that came in the 48h AFTER the center had passed, we got a “50 year” rain event. That’s another thing to remember: the point location in the forecast is for the likely center but the winds and rains almost never extend out symmetrically so 50 miles E and 50 miles W can see dramatically different events. And as long as a large part of the system stays over the Gulfstream being fueled by the warm water it’ll stay stronger longer. In general if you’re anywhere flood-prone, head for high ground. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/38 "2011-08-25T21:14:21Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Please tell me it will be okay. It. Will. Be. Okay. Really. You’ve already done everything there is to do. A Road Warrior-esqe apocalypse is VERY UNLIKELY. Just keep an ear out for specific warnings, don’t go swimming over the weekend, and keep an eye out for guys in assless leather pants. – C’mon. Nothing interesting happens in Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/39 "2011-08-25T21:16:14Z")
I just heard that Ocean City MD has to evacuate all except emergency personnel by midnight tonight. Here in Nova Scotia, we are being advised to pay close attention to the storm track. After Juan in 2003, we don’t need to reminded so much. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044/40 "2011-08-25T21:42:15Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > and keep an eye out for guys in assless leather pants. That guy?? He put the willing in Willingboro. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricane-irene-up-the-east-coast/594044.md?page=3)