stay safe

[Guest guest]

Here on the east coast we are getting ready for a storm of possible a lifetime. Bigger than Gloria in 85. I hope to be back online wed when the kids go back to school. Then I am in need of some me time. Everyone stay safe.

NH

[Guest guest]

Here in NH we are worried about tree coming down do to the ground is so wet

already. and 3 to 4 in on top of that is not good. Stay safe everyone.

> >

> >

> > >Here on the east coast we are getting ready for a storm of possible a

> > lifetime.

>

> Up here it's only going to be a Category 1 and maybe even less than that

> by the time it hits. And this morning there are some computer

> projections that have it turning out to sea. It's all wait-and-see but

> after this past winter, everyone is panicking. I can't believe they're

> shutting down Broadway shows in Manhattan for both today and tomorrow

> (drizzles this morning, steady rain & wind this afternoon, heavier at

> night). All trains and buses are stopping at noon today, too.

>

> We spent most of yesterday getting my husband's aunt settled in the

> nursing home (finally!) and at 3:30 when we finally got home I suggested

> we hit the grocery store for our weekly order because obviously Sunday,

> our usual day, was out. The crowds!! The empty shelves!! The chaos!! And

> of course we only got one aisle when the nursing home phoned to tell my

> husband he filled one paper out wrong, even after going over it line by

> line with the guy in the office for over a half hour to make sure

> everything was right. So he ran off and left me at the store alone to

> fight my way through. Luckily I took so long I was still on line when he

> got back. The only thing on my list they *didn't* have were some canned

> mac and cheese I was going to grab for my son, just in case the gas goes

> off and he can't make his regular mac & cheese. All the canned and other

> cruddy processed foods were gone from the shelves, but the healthy ones,

> like canned beans, natural peanut butter, whole grain breads, produce

> (except for bananas. For some reason there was a run on bananas) both

> fresh and frozen - there were plenty of. Earlier this year I bought a

> book on how to make healthy meals under extreme conditions, such as a

> power failure or camping, so I'm all set. We even keep our flashlights

> (2 per room) all set and have at least a dozen extra batteries in every

> size as a normal thing in case of emergencies so we don't have to fight

> our neighbors for the last package of D's in the store in the days

> before a storm, like now.

>

> Listening to these war stories in the store while on line yesterday, all

> I could do was shake my head in disbelief. Major hardware stores like

> Home Depot and Lowe's were all out of batteries and flashlights by

> Wednesday. One of the grocery stores shut its doors at 7am yesterday,

> they were out of most foods and weren't expecting another delivery until

> today. We drove past there on the way home and people were lined up,

> waiting for the store to reopen after the trucks come. Many mom and pop

> stores already had signs that they wouldn't be open today, and our

> mayor, playing with his new automated phone system that dials every

> phone number in the city, urged ALL businesses to stay closed today, to

> not use your car, stay off the streets, and he initiated orders for the

> mandatory evacuation of all homes and businesses of 4 blocks all around

> this quarter mile wide peninsula city, telling people to go to 4 of the

> city's schools that are going to be open as shelters, to start arriving

> this afternoon and to " bring a light snack " , as if that is going to hold

> people for Saturday dinner, all 3 meals Sunday, and Monday breakfast.

>

> Our landlord is out of the country right now, and of course he has a

> deck full of furniture and other little things that could fly around in

> a windy storm. And of course his garage door is locked. Thursday morning

> my son and I moved what we could down into the basement (at least he

> left *that* unlocked in case of emergency), but some things, like a

> wrought iron & tile table and an 6-foot long park bench and his gas

> grill, we didn't, because I think they're heavy enough to not be blown

> away and besides not having room down the basement they wouldn't fit

> through the narrow doorway. We also had to go over his aunt's property

> to make sure there was nothing to blow around there while getting her

> ready for the ambulance to take her to the nursing home. It's been a

> crazy 2 days, and only bound to get crazier as the storm gets closer.

>

>

> > >Bigger than Gloria in 85.

>

> Let's see, I had a 1-year old toddler running around the house for that

> one, and aside from the wind and rain and some houses losing a few

> roofing tiles, nothing much happened around here. As the eye went over I

> get *really* dizzy, thanks to my ear problems, but within a half hour I

> was fine. The baby slept through that part. We weren't in NJ when Floyd

> came through back in 1999, and I remember a number of others that just

> brushed by. In fact, I remember having a lot more hurricane activity

> around here when I was a kid, and our moms allowed us to stay outside

> and play in them in our bathing suits until the winds got too strong.

>

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_Jersey_hurricanes#1950.E2.80.931979

>

> Hmm, reading this article it seems like we had a lot of storms but of

> light intensity for the most part. No wonder we were allowed to play

> outside during them. If we're lucky, Irene will turn out to sea and just

> brush by without much wind or rain like most of those, but if not, well,

> all I can say is Good Luck & Keep Dry, everyone, and see you on the flip

> side.

>

>

>

>

>

> Sue in NJ

>