Hurricane Irene

[bigredmechanism]

Judging by the radar projections, it should be going crazy here in central jersey around 2 or 3 AM. I kind of want to stay up for it, but I realistically see myself passing out well before that.

[Gainesville Red]

No big deal for Brooklyn. Couple trees down, windy and rainy overnight. We've already returned home.

[SunDeck]

Originally Posted by bigredmechanism

Judging by the radar projections, it should be going crazy here in central jersey around 2 or 3 AM. I kind of want to stay up for it, but I realistically see myself passing out well before that.

Hurricane Fran hit Raleigh in 1996, waking me at about 1am and I am still awe struck by the experience. It seemed like every time I thought it couldn't get louder, the sound ticked up a notch. But what I remember most is the sound of transformers exploding all over the neighborhood for about an hour until all the power was out.

Best wishes to all who are or were in Irene's path.

[Redsfaithful]

http://twitter.com/#!/fivethirtyeigh...46531306487808

Per my research, which I'll be writing up later, Irene received only the 13th most media coverage among Atlantic hurricanes since 1980.

From Nate Silver of 538.

[RichRed]

We lost power around 8:45 Sat. night, and it was back on by 3:00 PM Sunday. Only minor debris in our neighborhood. Parts of central VA were actually hit harder than we were. Just the luck of the draw.

[cumberlandreds]

Just a good hard rainstorm for us in Northern Virginia. Wind was not excessive and we never lost power. We were fortunate in that respect. Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day with an oceanlike breeze all day. I was even able to get out and mow my yard late in the afternoon.

[blumj]

It sounds like Vermont and Connecticut got the worst of it, rivers flooding did a lot of the damage.

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by Slyder

Is it better to be overly cautious or not cautious enough and a bunch of people stayed put and Irene became that Cat 4 the computers predicted, with a larger death toll because people didn't get out of the way?

The problem is that there's a fine line between being overly-cautious and sensationalism. The coverage of Irene was more of the latter than the former.

While being cautious is undoubtedly a good thing, crossing this fine line can impede future warning efforts. It's like the parable of the boy who cried wolf. If a hurricane is overhyped too much, then people see how much it doesn't live up to its hype, the real one might come along one day and people won't listen to the warnings because of all the others that were sensationalized.

[oneupper]

Originally Posted by RichRed

We lost power around 8:45 Sat. night, and it was back on by 3:00 PM Sunday. Only minor debris in our neighborhood. Parts of central VA were actually hit harder than we were. Just the luck of the draw.

Losing power is the usually the worst thing about these storms, unless you are terribly unlucky.

What I like to do when one is coming is to book a hotel room somewhere, like Orlando. If the storm comes, shutter up and flee. If not, cancel reservation. You can outrun a hurricane.

[oneupper]

Originally Posted by Brutus the Pimp

The problem is that there's a fine line between being overly-cautious and sensationalism. The coverage of Irene was more of the latter than the former.

While being cautious is undoubtedly a good thing, crossing this fine line can impede future warning efforts. It's like the parable of the boy who cried wolf. If a hurricane is overhyped too much, then people see how much it doesn't live up to its hype, the real one might come along one day and people won't listen to the warnings because of all the others that were sensationalized.

Evacuation is not a riskless proposition, especially when dealing with the sick and elderly.
Sure, its no problem getting an able-bodied person out of Brooklyn. An ICU patient is a different thing altogether.
Erring too far on the side of caution can be that...an error.

[Hoosier Red]

Originally Posted by oneupper

Evacuation is not a riskless proposition, especially when dealing with the sick and elderly.
Sure, its no problem getting an able-bodied person out of Brooklyn. An ICU patient is a different thing altogether.
Erring too far on the side of caution can be that...an error.

But isn't that taken care of with proper planning? The positive thing about hurricanes is that you can see them coming for a few days out and can get resources for those who will have difficulties moving out. It also allows medical resources like hospitals prepared so that people who can't move out are also safe.

Irene seemed like it was almost a week in the making, so when they decided to evacuate, they should have had everything lined up.

[SandyD]

Actually, everyone and every business should have a plan for disasters of all kinds.

I don't think calling for the evacuation of lower Manhattan was out of line. Most people could just go stay with friends who don't live in evacuation zones. I think medical facilities in these areas should have vertical evacuation plans and strong back up power options.

[westofyou]

Vermont and upstate NY beg to differ on the assumpition that this was overhyped

[oneupper]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Vermont and upstate NY beg to differ on the assumpition that this was overhyped

The flooding is always overlooked. The wind aspect is what gets the media attention and coastal areas get the monitoring.
These darn things can pack tons of water and are looking to drop it somewhere.

[edabbs44]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Vermont and upstate NY beg to differ on the assumpition that this was overhyped

Plenty of places in Jersey as well