Hurricane Irene

Category 1, 50-85+ miles per hour sustained winds, 1 million people without power

It’s 2:38 a.m. in New York right now and the city is bracing for Hurricane Irene to come through.  Most people have evacuated as the city has basically shut down.  Airports are closed.  Public transportation has ceased.  The bridges are out.  They are considering whether to turn off the electricity to all of Lower Manhattan.   

We are struggling to get continuous coverage on this side of the pond.  BBC1 is reporting but only in snippets.  Sky News also is covering the hurricane, but also highlighting other events as well, such as Libya and other world news.  CNN is providing the most coverage but still not continuously.  What can we say?  We’re Americans; we want round-the-clock-coverage.

Here we go.  We’re getting news about North Carolina – the Outer Banks specifically.  “North Carolina Soaked From Irene”, reads the headline.  Coverage is spotty as the reporter is cutting out.  But here’s the message.  “The majority of residents are without power.  The rain has not let up for the last 30 hours and there is widespread damage.  Now flooding is the issue.” 

In the Chesapeake Bay area, the winds are up to 50+ miles per hour, which has triggered 911 to stop responding to emergency calls.  It’s just too dangerous to send out a responder.  They warned the public if they didn’t evacuate this could happen, and since then only about 15 calls have come in.  None have been life threatening but rather reporting of alarms going off.  A team is waiting to evaluate each call and if it is deemed catastrophic then they will make a decision whether to send a responder depending on the current weather conditions.   

It’s 3:00 a.m. and the storm is moving up the coast.  They say it should be through NYC by noon.  The good news is the storm is not as bad as originally projected.  The reporter in Maryland said although there is widespread damage, “Baltimore Gets Pounded” reads the headline; there has not been catastrophic destruction like originally expected.  There is a feeling of camaraderie as people ban together and brace for the worst.  That’s the upside; trying times unite us and heroic stories begin to surface.

“Breaking News – a nuclear reactor in Ocean City has gone offline because of the high winds.  There are two reactors, and apparently one is still working, but the other one shut off.  All personnel are safe and there is no imminent danger at the moment.”  However, we know how this goes.  It’s never good news when a nuclear reactor acts up.  This is one story we will all need to follow.

My kids still don’t understand how so many people are awake and reporting on this storm.  “Why don’t they have to evacuate, and aren’t they tired”?  Another question, “Is this live?”  Good questions.

We are watching and waiting as our friends and family sleep.  May the storm pass over you without too much damage.  For those of you who have already weathered it – we hope you are safe.  For those who are waiting, please know we are praying for the best.  And when this whole thing is over, please send us an email and let us know you are OK!