Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
It is just starting to hit here in NJ, so maybe I'm premature, but could people perhaps be over-reacting to Irene?
On Friday Chris Christie declared an emergency. The Garden State Parkway became toll free, then it closed. Every youth sports league called off all games starting Friday. Businesses closing early Friday afternoon.
Friday was such a beautiful day. So was today. Why'd we cancel 48 hours before Irene even showed?
I really don't understand all the people stocking up on everything under the sun because we may have to stay home one day - Sunday.
Don't folks usually stay home on Sundays?
I guess I'm just upset they took away my whole youth football weekend. A man is lucky to get 100 such weekends in his lifetime. They shouldn't be canceled with such haste.
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Apr '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
"I really don't understand all the people stocking up on everything under the sun because we may have to stay home one day - Sunday." The weather will likely be bad for no more than 24 hours, but stocking up on certain supplies (within reason) is a sensible precaution against a potentially prolonged period without power or clean water. Since much of the eastern seaboard may be subject to similar conditions, there is a risk of supply chain disruption that could be extensive. Normally I tend to be pretty relaxed about these things but I lived in central NJ when Floyd came through in 1999 or thereabouts. The Raritan River burst its banks and inundated a water purification facility, leaving us and countless others without potable water for 2 weeks (as I recall it). Still, hopefully by Monday morning we will all be able to regard this episode as a tedious and unnecessary disruption to our weekend plans and move on.
Edited on Aug 27, 2011 at 2:04pmJun '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
There is a little bit of a "Nanny State" feel to this.
Kind of like they don't think we have enough sense to come in out of the rain.
Prior to the advent of Rational Administration, it's a wonder the human race managed to survive at all.
Now, hmmmmm, where did I put my bicycle helmet?
May '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
Let's wait another day until the storm actually reaches New Jersey to see whether you're fortunate enough to say that the precautions were much ado about nothing. I hope you are. Sadly, though, the people in the Outer Banks and Virginia Tidewater have not been so fortunate.
Feb '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
I'm originally from NJ... why close the Parkway? I guess it runs close to the shore than the Turnpike. Here right outside DC, it's raining but worst is supposed to come later. NYC is in an unprecedented state of shutdown. Part of me thinks, that's Bloomberg, but still I guess all precautions are a good thing. Been a few deaths in VA and NC thus far.
Mar '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
We can not forecast this type of thing with certainty. One still has to take the possibility seriously.
There is a tendency to overplay the negative. That is just human nature. When I was a kid, blizzards were not cause for the weather forecasters to get their skirts up over their heads. Even anticipated major blizzards were discussed without reminding everyone to stock up on supplies - that was a given. Lately, it seems that the folks get a little carried away with the warnings and advice. The late Mike Royko had a column on the subject once: "this is Chicago, it snows in the winter, get used to it."
I've been through hurricanes on the East Coast (Bob, in '94), earthquakes on the West Coast (a little 5.8 tremblor in '87, plus aftershocks), and tornadoes here in the Mid West (two of which I took cover from, but they never got within 2 or 3 miles of where I was). Of the three, there was lots of warning about the hurricane, minimal warning about the tornadoes (green skies are a sign that something's up), and no warning about the earthquake. One just has to take what comes.
Oct '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
Tommy De Seno:
On Friday Chris Christie declared an emergency. The Garden State Parkway became toll free, then it closed. Every youth sports league called off all games starting Friday. Businesses closing early Friday afternoon.
Friday was such a beautiful day. So was today. Why'd we cancel 48 hours before Irene even showed?
Two words: Hurricane Katrina
You think Christie was going to let MSM do to him what they did to Bush43?
Fugheddaboutit!
Jun '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
Definite Nanny State-ism. Having grown up on the Outer Banks of NC (and currently enjoying Irene's passage through SE Va.) our family rule of thumb was that once you could throw a baseball into the wind and catch it, THEN it was time to come in. But we were also prepared to be self-sufficient for a week or more after the storm ended.
I'm afraid we're in the process of passively outlawing common sense via Government 'actions'.
Dec '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
From a west coast perspective, it appears similar to the mega-quake that struck the mid-atlantic on Tuesday. Yawn.....zzzzzz
Oct '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
I'm working today in Burlington, New Jersey, not far from Bordetown. It is now 8:10pm and the wind is starting to pick up (maybe 10-20mph), but otherwise it is like a rainstorm so far. If it gets much worse later ( I work till 12:00) I will update.
Nov '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
I live in Swan Quarter, NC. If weatherunderground.com is to be believed, the center if this strumpet passed directly over my house at about 3:00 PM today. We have been using a generator for about 24 hours.
We get these things in eastern NC from time to time. How bad they are depends on several factors, some of which are not overly intuitive. For instance, a 20 mile difference in a storm path can make a huge difference in how much tidewater we get.
Tidewater is the big gorilla with hurricanes. Wind can be scary, but tidewater (storm surge) destroys everything in its path. If tidewater goes in your house it brings sewage, oil, snakes, and all kinds of awful stiff. It ruins everything it touches. It salts the fields and kills the timber.
If you are in a low area and get one of these things, you need to be scared. Even a Cat 1 or 2 can pour 6 or 8 feet of water though your streets under the right conditions. Fortunately, Swan Quarter has a newly constructed levee that seems to have hald well this time.
Good Luck.
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
I agree it hasn't hit yet (actually it is hitting now). But my focus is more on all the cancellation of so much on Friday and Saturday.
Maybe the North Carolina natives can share with us rookies:
Does everything usually shut down 48 hours before the storm arrives?
May '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
In my experience, yes (granted, I don't live on the coast). For example, because of the coastal geography the Georgia coast hasn't taken a direct hit for about 100 years. A few years ago, though, a hurricane looked to be aimed at Savannah. Several days ahead of the storm, the governor ordered an evacuation. Most states down here have disaster plans to adjust traffic flows so that all lanes of an interstate can direct traffic away from the evacuation zone and keep other traffic out. On this occasion, people jammed all lanes of I-16 trying to get away; thankfully, the hurricane never hit Georgia and I don't recall much grumbling about an overreaction. The bottom line is that these things are bad news, pack big time sustained winds, spawn tornadoes and other local weather events, and generally wreak havoc. On the plus side, though, we can see them coming and react accordingly. Hence, you shut everything down 24-48 hours ahead so everyone can batten down the hatches and get the heck out of the way.
Nov '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
Forty-eight hours is a little much. You only need about 3 or 4 hours to get ready if you are going to stay. If you are going to leave, you need about 6 or 7 hours to get your house ready and sufficient lead time to get about 100 miles away. I have no idea how much time that takes in a densely populated area, but I guess that 24 hours is a gracious plenty. Hyde County government shut down after work on Thursday and the bad weather started early Saturday morning. My son and I rode around during the eye today and it did look like about 60 or 70% of our population had hit the road.
I do wish my Yankee friends good luck with Irene. Have plenty of towels to blot up water that streams down the chimney or blows under the front door. Stock up on beer and use a little sense.
Mar '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
It is just Expected Value.
Say there was only a 2% chance of losing power, having contaminated water, and widespread damage.
It is smart to spend a few bucks to ensure that in the 2% case, you end up fed and watered and able to wait a few days (or up to a week) for everything to get back to normal.
Sure, 98% of the time, it is not that bad. But do the math: the worst outcome is that you end up with extra beer.
Apr '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
Everything about the response to Irene has to be considered in light of the experience of Katrina. Government officials feel this enourmous need to do everything they can (short of rounding up stagglers by the National Guard) to protect people at risk by convincing them to move. And maybe the average 95 corridor resident has learned something from the Katrina experience. But who will be left behind and why? Ask me on Tuesday.
Dec '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
How about just leaving people to the consequences of their own choices? "The stupid shall be punished" worked well enough when I was in the navy.
Edited on Aug 27, 2011 at 11:19pmDec '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
Early closings have two functions: they set deadlines to clear roads (which always slide a bit). That helps to avoid the inevitable consequence of road-becomes-parking lot. The problem being vehicles that break down and/or run out of gas, completely blocking the highways. I once made my way up an interstate to help out family in need, pulling a trailer with chainsaws, generator, etc. I wanted to get gas for the saws, generator, and truck while still well outside of the worst-hit area, but could not, as the interstate and exit ramps were blocked by cars out of gas. I went up backwards on an on-ramp and made my way to a gas station that had no power.
The owner was there, but unable to help the stranded, so we wired my generator into the Emergency Shut-Off switch and I powered the pumps for two hours, to gas up as many vehicles as we could get through. Plus, of course, me, my tools, and my gas cans.
You close the roads early to avoid the otherwise-inevitable strandings.
Dec '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
(continued)
You also close things up early to let the employees get off and tend to their own preparations.
Meanwhile, the stocking up isn't for the storm, but for 72 hours after the storm, while road blockages and power outages are dealt with.
In that previous same event, by the time I got to my family in the Raleigh area, I still couldn't get to their house, except on foot. We spent hours just cutting and dragging trees out of the road, to make paths for traffic in and out of the neighborhood. Then we worked till dark clearing all of the interior roads so the trapped and unprepared could get out and see if they could find any supplies or other places to stay.
You can't expect government to get to you in the event of widespread damage; you must have your own tools and supplies to get through the first few days.
Dec '10
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
BTW, regarding generators, it is never a good idea to wire directly into the house supply; instead use cords to run key appliances in rotation, or pas a cord over to a neighbor. If you do have to wire in directly for some reason (e.g., the gas station example), FIRST SHUT OFF THE MAIN power swich, the big handle where power first comes into the house from the outside!! Otherwise you will be back-feeding into the grid, losing power, plus possibly electrocuting some poor guy working on repairing the power outage.
Jul '11
Re: Much Ado About Nothing, Irene?
Katrina means that all gov't agencies are going to err on the side of caution, hence what might be considered over-reaction on the warnings and the timeframe. All destruction is local, really, as another poster pointed out - you may be fine in one town with power and water, and a few miles down the road they have neither. It doesn't hurt to buy a couple of cases of bottled water, and some non-perishable foodstuffs - it'll look like a brilliant investment if Bad Things Happen, and at worst you'll have something in the cupboard to feed uninvited guests when they show up. Nothing clears a table like a bowl of Ramen in good weather.