Stay safe! I hope the weather isn't too severe.
I would love to see pictures of your aprons.
Linda OH

For Chickie and all our forum folks up the coast, be safe and be prepared! Those of us in Florida know how scary and bad this can be; our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Irene was downgraded to a Cat 2 overnight but she's expected to move back up to a Cat 3 as she heads north.

Kate

It never gets easier preparing for these storms. It should get very ugly, very fast here Sat - quote on the local weather - yikes! I sewed very late last night in order to be able to decide on the next area & cut the next portion -
we always lose power - for no reason much of the time-so I know to have something ready to do.
Darlene, I want to see pictures of your aprons also. Aprons are a unique gift for bridesmaids - cool idea!
Stay safe everyone!

Other storm hints:
- puppy pee pads work great to soak up small roof or window leaks
- I think I already mentioned having a couple cheap shower curtains around, along with duct or masking tape, in case you have to cover a broken window during the storm. It's a quick fix!
-Freeze several bottles of water. If you lose power they'll help keep everything frozen longer and it will be nice to have really cold water to drink if you have a lot of storm clean up to do.
- If your windows get broken and the power goes out, you'll want mosquito spray!
- Don't leave candles burning while you sleep. Safety first!
- Keep your first aid kit stocked and handy. Lots of injuries happen during the clean-up after the storm and emergency vehicles may not be able to get through. We had a neighbor almost cut through his foot with a chain saw and had to deal with that on our own.
- Even if your cell phone is fully charged, the towers may not be transmitting after the storm. Don't count on having good communications.
- If you have a dog, a couple pieces of sod from the garden center will make a convenient place for them to go during the storm when you may not even want to open a door. My dog doesn't want to go outside if it's raining, so getting her out in a hurricane is impossible!
- no matter what you think now, it will probably be stormy longer than you expect.
- Get a jug of Chlorox bleach so you can sterilize water if you need to. The ratio is 8 drops per gallon; 2 drops per quart. This could be a life saver.
- If you have time before the storm, cook something from your freezer now. A big turkey breast or roast will feed you for days with minimal refrigeration. It will keep better than raw or thawing meat.
- after the storm, gather your neighbors for a cook out. The same amount of propane or charcoal will cook 2 steaks or 10 - might as well make it a party!
- Don't forget to stock up on snacks. At the height of the storm you won't be worried about calories and a bag of Oreos and a shot of single malt scotch can be very comforting by candle light.

Kate

Treadle machines and battery operated lamps and headlamps would be helpful, eh? Once when we evacuated to DD's house when she didn't lose electricity, I finished a quilt during that time. Sure beat sitting and worrying about what was happening at my house.

We've always thought that watching storms first-hand is mesmirizing, so......safety first and keep in touch!

Does anyone know how many of our members are in Irene's path?

SharonG/FL

The news this morning said that tropical storm warnings are up for areas as far west as 290 miles from Morehead City. I am 205 miles from Morehead City so....... We need the rain, but wish it didn't cost so much.

Batten down the hatches, mates!

Teresa - in the middle of NC

Bug spray and shower curtains -good idea!
We are also dealing with tidal coastal flooding from recent storms & a very real surge (I've heard 5-8feet) up the Chesapeake in addition to a predicted high Cat 1-low Cat 2 (Isabel was downgraded to a Tropical storm when she got here, but the 7 /2 foot surge did most of the damage).
This is a huge storm that will also hit / affect upper the East Coast, areas that are not used to Hurricanes. We are used to preparing for them.

If you want a great link to watch the storms, see below-play with the options you can click on. You can actually watch the change in tracking location-it just moved a little to the east - good for us! We are on the less damaging side of the storm.

We always have a cooler full of ice cold beer to help get thru these storms :)---always!

Here is a link that might be useful: Storm watch

Boy, Kate, you should work for FEMA. That's the best bunch of tips I've ever seen. I may copy that and post it here somewhere.

I'm thinking about all of you on the east coast and pray that you will all be safe and secure during Irene! Keep us posted!

I do not miss the hurricanes when I loved in Florida at all!!!
We are about 70 miles SW from Savannah, Georgia so we don't have the storms, also GA coastline is not as exposed as most of the Eastern shoreline.
We were hoping to get some of the rain, but, doesn't appear so.
Stay safe everyone, you are in our prayers.
Rosa

Stay safe to all of you in the path!

I would also suggest to fill up your bathtubs with water for flushing toilets and other needs other than drinking.

Kate, love your suggestions, especially the Oreos and single malt.

beverly

Kate - ditto on what others have said, Great list!

I have never had to deal with this kind of storm living in Wyoming but a little snow, rain and hail seems mild to what damage a hurricane can cause. At least we expect our weather year after year and have plenty of warning to prepare.

Good luck, prayers and hugs to all that are waiting on the Sea Witch 'Irene'! That is what my Dad referred to them as, he served in WWII and encountered a couple while crossing the Atlantic to Europe.

Marie

We are expecting to be hit by Irene on Sunday, but usually they aren't still classified as hurricanes by the time they get here. We will get heavy rains and wind and lose power probably. This is in New Brunswick, Canada.

I am a little worried about flooding if we get an enormous amount of rain. Then there is always the possibility of a tree falling on my house. I can't wait until it's over.

In Fl. we had large trees in the lot behind us planted on the property line. Such a pain because we had to pay to have them trimmed. The limbs grew to touch our roof top. The 4 in a row hurricanes toppled 5 of them and we were very lucky that they fell away from our home. Hope everyone is safe.
Rosa

She's arriving......rain, whitecaps .... winds have increased. lights are flashing.....now tornado warnings due to the counterclockwise rotation......she is supposed to leave here at 2pm Sunday......Get ready upper East Coast.

I will say- if you watch too much coverage on TV (we've watched almost nothing) it will freak you out too much-too soon. We know what to do, know it will be very bad on the water, and very scary as the brunt is to hit at 2:00am - These storms are bad enough during daylight - horrible at night, even for those of us who have experience with these storms.
Coastal flooding and and a surge is our big issue with Irene.And losing power for days.
Rain, wind, trees....that's all part of the storms.

I was trying to make some salsa and I couldn't see - I had not turned on the lights - I said I'm already acting like I have no electricity ~lol

We've had some gusty winds today and a brief period of rain, but I am 200 miles from the coast of NC. Lots of leaves and limbs down when I went out just now with the dog. Going to check the TV for what's happening on the coast today.

Stay safe everyone in Irene's path! Did you see the painted boards on a house at the NC coast? They had written "Good Night Irene!" (there is an old, old song of that title)

Teresa

Fay, one year we were cruising up in your area and got into the tail end of a tropical storm. That was one wild night! It was pretty ironic, since we always cruise the Caribbean during hurricane season b/c it's cheaper, and until then had never had a problem with a storm, so it was strange to be sailing up the coast of New England and hit one.

Donna

Update from VA~

We've had steady, and sometimes heavy, rain since 9:30am. Winds were gusting a little off and on all day, but about 4:00p started getting stronger. Weather stations have said we've gotten to 29mph winds by 4:00 or so.

Now, things have gotten worse. Winds stronger, more sustained, and rain is really blowing! The wind has also started coming from another direction. I said to DH that all our trees are now blowing away from our house and towards others! lol

The worst of the yellow/red on the radar is still SE of Richmond, an hour south of us. So I'm cooking dinner early in the belief that if power goes out, it'll be during the stronger winds later.

Marsha~ You are totally right about the media! They have totally blown this out of proportion. Sure, it's strong. Sure, it's something NE cities like NYC don't normally have to contend with, but really. At least here, it's nothing like the picture they had painted over the last few days.

Here's Jennifer...closing for now. Stay safe everyone and check in when you can.

Well, it amazing that you can feel let down by a large storm! Guess it's all the hype before hand for something that didn't do much here.

We had a LOT of rain and a fair amount of wind through about 5:30 this morning. But power never even flickered, and we have a total of on twig in our yard and a few leaves.

It is possible there's more down in the area, but all told we didn't get much damage.

I do hope everyone else in it's path is okay.
Marsha~You should be done about now...Please check in when possible.

Being let down about storm intensity and no loss of power doesn't seem all that bad to me, Jennifer. lol. I'm glad to hear that predictions resulted in extra caution and preparedness, even if ultimately unnecessary. I think that sometimes, people are so inundated with detailed reports of terrible weather and catastrophic impacts all over the world that they don't take things seriously unless it sounds like it will be awful near them. Hope others end up disappointed in overkill of predictions vs reality.

Jennifer, I'm glad to hear you weren't affected as badly as the weather people thought you would be.

That over-hype thing is a big problem down here in FL. Every time a storm pops up hundreds of miles away they start the Chicken Little dance of how bad it's going to be, stock up on supplies, etc. Then the majority of the storms either fizzle out or stay out to sea, or pass us by like Irene did. So eventually, nobody listens any more. Then you get a year like we had (2004 maybe?) where 3 in a row blast all the way across FL and nobody's prepared.

Donna

Hi all - I'm on line for a short time-
We needed all our prep! It is still howling - lots of tree damage - no power since 8:00pm last night - huge branches down - shredded leaves stuck everywhere - even inside the house from us. The rain has subsided for a bit, so we started the generator (portable - outside) this morning - for fresh coffee, and plug in the 2 refrigerators and freezer - 11 hours w/out power to the food-doors kept shut - so going to evaluate later.
You'll notice I have internet!!!! We have Fiber - Verizon FIOS - plugged the main box into the generator, as well as the modem....and it works - yay! Probably not supposed to do that-oh well. We won't leave it, but nice to know it works.
Our power company reports 424,000 w/out power and more predicted. Experience is we will be out for days -hope I am wrong!
We did not get the surge as predicted - which is the huge-huge problem for us - that and the trees....but all the bad conditions have to be in place to get a surge like was predicted. Isabel produce 7.5 foot surge here and devastated this area. Pier and boat appears to be okay, but haven't gotten to it until the winds and rains slow down more.
I am happy it was not worse - but I would like electricity and all the stuff that goes along with it -lol-
It has been a difficult week for us - Earthquake a few days ago & a sudden death same day (not a family member) and Irene. But, I am still okay and very happy it is not worse. Haven't really gone outside yet except w/ the dog.
I thought I might do some sewing on the FW - but I am a presser- and no iron. You would think I would read a good book, straighten up the sewing room - plan, design, cut - do something!!-but during these storms, I never get anything accomplished!
Thanks - :)
Others north of me need to check in next.

DOnna, I agree that the 'boy cried wolf' scenario happens all too much.

Today on the tv they are now in NYC and it's not so bad yet. People are starting to come out of the woodwork and venturing about. And the main storm hasn't hit yet, I gather. If they've done all these evacuations/closures and nothing serious hits, NYers are never gonna believe an evacuation order again.

It's a tough situation to be in for sure. Better safe than sorry is good, but I think the fact that we have SOO much news coverage down plays the true seriousness of a situation.

I believe Marsha/Magothyrivergirl is without power since last night. My folks aren't too far from her and they lost power about 8pm and it's still out. The rain is soon to be over for them and the winds are slowing. They did not get a huge storm surge at high tide like they thought they might, so hopefully Marsha didn't either.

Glad to hear that so far our members haven't been too put out by Irene. But, I'm hearing about snakes in basements and all kinds of critters floating around the streets in NJ. Right now they're rescuing....I found a station that has been giving local non-stop coverage of Irene as she goes up the coast (without commercials). Last I heard, 9 have died. I'm a glutton to know what's happening in emergencies.

Donna, Yes, it was 2004 as I was still on medical leave that summer and remember it well. We evacuated twice but only had to use the generater once for about a week.

Don't let your guard down, use common sense and be aware of what's going on. Better safe than sorry.

SharonG/FL

Jennier - I did report in - we must have been posting at the same time.
Same situation as your parents - different River, close-close-close ---same area. Glad they are okay. A short walk for the dog-
showed some uprooted trees - not mine-its blowing hard again and rain, as expected - I'm assuming the back side of Irene-and she'll be gone soon.

Sharon - I'll check back in, if I can - keep me posted on the highlights of the storm -

As far as the coverage - we sail - we watch the weather - pay attention to weather systems normally. And we keep getting battered by these storms - the prep on the boat took parts of 2 days - that's expected with a boat, but you try not to panic each and every time - experience also.
The key is to act intelligently to protect yourself, as with most things. Mother Nature takes over.

I just saw someone's signature quote on a paddling forum and it brought this thread to mind:
"It isn't considered windy here until there are whitecaps on the toilets." Perhaps just a tiny bit of an exaggeration? lol

More seriously, I hope all of you in the affected areas get through this awful stuff quickly and safely and suffer little or no damage.

Just found out that our home state, RI, has had some issues with trees down,loss of electricity, but everyone is safe. Son has a generator and will run it enough to keep food ok. Such a relief to talk to them!

Cheere!!! this evening we finally got electric and water back... you never know how spoiled you are until the you have do do without something.... tried to do some hand quilting, but it was so dark with the rain and wind you just could not see enough to do sewing. It sure made for a long day around here. We are so happy to think we are back to normal again now.

Well Irene came and went. WE WERE SO LUCKY! She came in about 45 miles from us and hit sometime before 7 am Saturday morning. We had very little damage. We lost some trees in the woods around our house and had lots limbs and leaves in the yard. We had some water leaks in the living room but hubby said he thought some of it was wind driven rain. Overall we did okay. We lost power Friday night when the transformer blew - Yelp we heard it. Hubby called power company and we had power back on Saturday. Lots of rain and wind but that was it. Could of been lots worst. My sister is still without power. I feel for all the folks that have damage and are unable to stay at their homes. I heard this morning on the radio that several organizations are organizing donations sites to help those in need. Big clean-up expected here on the coast.
As for the aprons didn't get much done. Will post a picture soon.
Darlene

Still no power :~( The latest Friday - many people have been restored.

We are fine - and very grateful it was not worse for us as this area was hit very hard. We live on a peninsula, so no surge saved us from major damage and flooding. I am not on well, so do not depend on power for water. Most in the area are on well (we were in our previous house 1 mile away) so when you lose power you also lose water.
Many, many trees down on houses & power lines - dangerous driving as there are no traffic lights working. I live in a congested suburban area -lots of people and lots of traffic!
Shopping centers, post office, still in the dark.

I am getting nothing accomplished work-wise or sewing wise -
why can't I just relax & read a good book???????

Glad to hear you all are safe. I hope power will be restored as soon as possible.

Storms are unnerving to say the lest! We stayed for 3 in a row in '04 and were so tired with the chain saws and heat that we left before the 4th one hit. It was more nerve wracking to watch the 4th from my Bro's house in DC! So I understand the stress!

Thinking peaceful thoughts for you!

Gwen

Sorry I didn't check in sooner but I spent most of yesterday picking up branches in my yard. I took four loads of stuff to the compost site in my town, but there is still a lot to do. I will have to get help with a couple of big branches that require a chain saw. Thankfully they didn't hit anything on the way down. We had some rain and strong wind, but never lost power. I actually did a little sewing on Sunday afternoon

I agree, Gwen. Until we were able to get back home and check out our own home, we were pretty antsy and not able to relax. When you know what you're up against, you know what you have to do and just do it. Or, without any other recourse, you wait. Don't even think about feeling guilty about not getting any sewing or work done! These are trying times in all the lives that Irene has wrecked havoc on.

SharonG/FL

We still need to do more clean up, but it can wait until I can take a hot shower - I can go one more day if I don't do anything dirty and don't go anywhere lol.

Gwen - where in DC? I know Florida had a horrible Hurricane season in 2004 - family and friends in Florida.

At least this was a 'clean' storm. Although power outage is causing sewage spills - so that's a big issue. We don't have contamination like we had in 2003 with Isabel.

Fran - isn't the volume of leaf & branch clean up amazing? I look at it that is is less leaves to fall and rake in the autumn.

I have bits of shredded leaves inside my house everywhere!

So glad to be hearing from so many of you! Please keep us informed.

Marsha~ Are you still without power? My folks got theirs back about 4am yesterday, and DH's boss got his back about 2pm.

Do you need a generator? DH's boss has ours at the moment, but we could easily loan it to you now that he's done with it.

Thanks for the offer Jennifer --really nice of you!
Yes, we still are without power. We do have a generator - this area was hit very, very hard. I live on a peninsula and the damage is widespread. Our house is fine, and so are we. DH found a 7-11 that had power about 15 miles away - that was a huge concern - getting more gas for the generator.
Everything around is closed. We lose power often for no apparent reason. We know how to deal with it, but I usually am only prepared for 3-4 days --then it gets very old.
Fortunately, I have no little ones.
Plugging our Fios into the generator and getting a signal for internet has been a lifesaver. Last night we actually plugged in the TV for DH to watch the end of the football game! I plan to watch some TV tonight and feel normal - lol.
As the days go on, we get more adventurous with what we plug into the generator :)
Thank you again for offering!
(I wondered about your parents - glad they got power back)

I was scheduled to work Sunday. I am a nurse and live in the Hudson Valley of New York. The ride into work Sunday morning was terrifying and several times I thought of turning back to go home. I finally made it into work. There were alot of call-outs so I wound up working 18 hours. I went to sleep about 1 AM in a lounge chair in one of the rooms. I couldn't get home if I wanted to...my town was totally closed to all traffic due to downed power lines, flooded roads, and fallen trees! We lost a tree (no damage to anything) and our power for about 12 hrs so we were lucky. There are still many people without power and whole towns are under water. Many roads around here are still closed.
I'm hoping to get some quilting in tomorrow, just to relax a little-a day off.
My thoughts are with all those who have suffered through this and are still suffering.....Eileen
Remember your local animal shelters, too. They are in need of food, paper towels, and water, for example.

Finished raking up leaves and picking up limbs today. Gave my plants a bath and trimmed the dead leaves. My area is finally getting power back on. I've had power but so many are still out. My sister was so excited to get her power back today. Irene hit the east coast hard. I hope things get better for those that got hit harder than me.
Darlene