Day 2 Sunday
Just as I switched on the bedside lamp at 6 a.m., it went out; I tried the overhead light, it was not on. And no, the flashlight was not by my bed, so I stumbled through the study in the dark, and then saw by the lights of various equipment, that the power was not off, after all, so apparently when the light bulb blew it shut off the circuit.
The night had been marked by off and on local storms, but none that I would have given a second thought too were it not for the hurricane; not that I was worried about these storms, only that it was a constant reminder of what was going on elsewhere.
Using dvr to record accounts from msnbc and cnn of storm track, and effects of Irene’s progress. So that at anytime I can sit down and check up on what is going on, without worry about missing anything.
2 million people evacuated along the coast; over 4 million now without power. Damage expected to be in billions of dollars, from wind damage but probably much more from flood damage. Cape Hatteras, where 2500 people refused to evacuate, is completely cut off from mainland and roads throughout are also damaged preventing traffic. May try to get ferry in with supplies. About 20 deaths throughout the coastal area, most from falling trees or limbs.
Media, msnbc and cnn, hurricane coverage 24/7; is there anything else going on in the world? In the afternoon, I checked some local stations; channel 4 and 9 were doing golf, 5 had a program “King of the Hill,” 7 was previewing fall shows.
Here is a link to satellite image of the hurricane, if it works for you. Hurricane
Devastating scenes throughout the day—buildings surrounded by rising waters, some damaged by tornadoes, a guard house moving off its foundation and washing up against a bridge in Long Beach, trees fallen onto houses, cars washing away downstream, people wading through water ankle high, knee high, waste high, and in nearly every scene, American flags shredded.
East River tops its banks but New York not hit as badly as expected. Collective sigh of relief from those inhabitants. Throughout these two days, those brave, foolhardy, intrepid reporters standing on the beaches or boardwalks, mike in hand, protected by windbreakers and, in some cases, goggles against the blowing sand—who would expect that the sand, as wet as it would be, could blow so?
Chuck in New York says they can’t go to Westhampton Beach because it is in the evacuation zone. But he is in a 5th floor condo overlooking Central Park. Should be exciting view. Amy lost power at her cottage yesterday, so moved up to Quaint Acres today. And Bruce emails: It's very windy here (Natucket) and I can see the ocean getting riled up but right now there's no rain and it just feels like an intense storm. And now the sun breaks through! Devious!
Sunday 9 p.m. What’s this? Is Vermont today’s New Orleans? Earlier today I sent out the following email to some friends and family:
Two reasons to move to Vermont:
They have town halls http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/03/05/us-usa-politics-vermont-idUSN0454699420080305
Now it seems Vermont is being pummeled with rain and there are already rising floods. They did not order evacuations because most of Vermont’s towns are situated on rivers, and there is no place to evacuate to. They were not even mentioned for many hours of reporting and forecasts, as likely to be affected by this hurricane. At least, not that I heard.
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