Irene-y Days And Sundays Always Etc.: Hurricane Open Thread
I just spent an hour playing cards on our new backyard deck with Mr. S and Gen. All quiet on the Brooklyn front, except for one romantically desperate cricket who didn’t get the memo. “Um: CHIRP!” “Hurricane, bro. Try again Monday.”
The air is feeling too still, though…so if you’re freaking out, freaking out that you’re not freaked out enough, think the city of New York is being a giant collective baby, or just need to share an awesome “good night, Irene” pun you thought up, we’re here all weekend. Well, hopefully. Con Ed might think differently, but fuck ’em, we’ve got candles and Modelo.
Got power? Check in and share how it’s going, your favorite satellite maps or canned-food casserole recipes, the scale model of the Louvre you made out of Aquafina pallets, how your honeymoon got evacuated WTF, whatever.
And take care of yourselves, Nation.
Tags: city living Hurricane Irene puns for which I should be slapped
I did like Christie’s press conference yesterday afternoon: “Dear people still lingering on our beaches,
Please get the eff out. Seriously, why are you still here? It’s an EVACUATION, for cry in’ out loud! Go!
Sinceres,
Chris Christie”
I’m easy to entertain :)
It’s raining pretty hard and steady here in South Jersey and the wind is starting to pick up from its earlier eerily still state. Puddles and ponding everywhere. Enough so that my flip-flop-clad foot slipped on the curb outside Starbucks and I scraped the hell out of my toes. Hurricane Injury!!! (Also, don’t wear flip-flops in this weather. You all probably already knew that.)
Stay safe!
First the earthquake, now the hurricane…
Checking in from the DC metro area. So far, we have just had rain and light wind. It’s pretty still out there right now, but the wind’s picking up.
I grew up in southeastern Virginia and hurricanes were pretty well an annual occurrence. People have already hit the things I think are the critical non-food-related things: get anything not permanently attached inside (lawn chairs, lightweight planters, wind chimes, etc.) as strong wind will turn them into projectiles and fill up the tub. We were without water for several days after Isabelle, and you get exactly one flush out of most toilets without a water source.
Just started raining for real here in East Hanover, NJ. The first bands must just be reaching us.
It’s raining with a vengeance here in Boston, with occasional flashes of lightning. It started an hour or so ago. And now I’m trying to decide if I should go right home after work or go to the mall for something to eat and tall cold glass of beer.
That bottled water in freezer tip is one of those simple but smart things that would never have occurred to me. Ha!
I’m an Astoria resident too who can’t stand to think of poor, starving kitties. If the other person doesn’t work out, you have my email.
Northern VA here. It’s been raining pretty consistently since 11. I’ve been holed up with a collection of Beloved YA Fantasy Novels Of My Youth and feeling very happy that I just graduated and am not stuck in lockdown in my dorm like everyone else at my alma mater. I did see a plane float through the clouds earlier, so it looks like air traffic is still moving through some parts of the coast.
Williamsburg, VA here; lots of rain but we’re out of the path of most of the really heavy winds so far. I’m all stocked, lots of bottled water, bathtub full, sterno cans just in case. Wish I had beer, but 1) I’m desperately trying to get work done and hoping I don’t lose power, and 2) I couldn’t justify buying it with all the liquor I’ve got on hand. Party at my place! Once this article is done getting knocked into shape, that is. Sigh.
“Get in mah belleh!” Love you, Sars.
DC area, wind and rain. Pepco has already called to say that we shouldn’t expect anything like reasonable amounts of service. Memories of scrubbing out the fridge after Isabel–five days without power, oh God it was toxic–meant I took the swingeing powerlords at their word and stocked up on key nonperishables, including Nutella and scotch. I hope everyone comes through with nothing more than mild kvetching.
Just got power back, here in northeastern NC. The winds are still fierce. A huge branch just plummeted from the oak tree outside my bedroom, landing across my neighbor’s driveway. No one’s going anywhere soon, and that’s for the best. Reports say we’ve had eight inches of rain. My yard is marshy and the cleanup tomorrow will be a chore, but I’m thankful that this is nowhere near as bad as Hugo or Fran.
Any idea how many flushes a bathtub full of water will get you? Because it seems like a lot, but we’ve got 4 people here and one of us has IBD.
No rain yet here in CT. Just lots of fog, mist and grey skies. And I too have been singing Save Ferris all day :)
spotted this on facebook, I don’t know when this was posted originally or if they still need stuff but I thought I would re-post here:
PLEASE READ AND SHARE if you are anywhere near New York City or have friends who are! *URGENT*
NY ~ Freeport Animal Shelter is evacuating. Right now they’re trying to move all animals out of the shelter (180 cats & 40 dogs), but they desperately need dog crates and cat carriers for the animals. People can drop off crates at 71-03 80th St in Glendale Queens (718-362-6070). Also needed are blankets, flashlights, batteries, dog food, cat food.
Please copy / paste to share.
Okay so if your water comes from the township (as in, you’re not using a septic tank or well system), and the power goes out, can you still flush the toilet? My mom and I think “yes” but I’m hearing conflicting reports all over the Internet. If the Nation can’t save me, then I don’t know who can.
I’m in NOVA in a basement apartment after evacuating (mandatory) from Hampton Roads. It has been raining heavily but not pouring yet. We still have power, but it is windy out so we have a bathtub of water for flushing and I filled the biggest cooking pot and an empty club soda bottle for washing.
I’m very glad Irene has weakened but I stayed during Isabel and the number of trees that just came out of the sodden ground and fell over caused so much damage that I am glad I got out of town.
Be careful out there everyone!
@kategm, that’s still confusing me too. During the outage in ’03, I got one flush and then bubkes, but I was on the 9th floor then; my understanding *was* that, if you lived on a low-ish floor, gravity would take care of things even without power. Far Thill is three stories with a bathroom on each above-ground level, so I figured we’d have at least one flushable toilet regardless.
Also, I don’t seem to have *stoppers* for either of my bathtubs, so any explanation that doesn’t require me to fill a bathtub is the one I want to go with. Heh. I guess I could use art tack but for right now I’m settling for filling pots and pans.
Power outages seem to be increasing so it seemed prudent to cook all the raw meat in the fridge, so sausage and bacon for dinner!
@Sars: Thank you! I’m wondering if I should fill a bathtub now just in case. We have three toilets and four adults but like Carly, one has chronic “stomach issues.”
re: tub stoppers
Where we live in flyover country, our power goes out a lot because of trees, wind, living on a lake out in the sub-suburbs, etc. You can fashion a pretty effective bathtub stopper out of several layers of cling wrap. Do it one layer at a time, poke it into the drain, then smooth it around the drain. Works pretty well.
Be safe, and hug the kitties!
Standard bathtub volume is about 36 gallons, and a standard modern toilet uses about 1.5 gallons per flush. Dual flush toilets (one setting for 1, one for 2) use about half of that for the smaller flush.
If you live on a lower floor, then water will get to you as long as you are below the elevation of the water tower and the water tower has water in it. This would also apply if you are in one of those buildings that has a water tower on the roof. If you are anywhere that needs a pump to get you water, then you are SOL if the power goes out and there isn’t a generator.
Word to the wise — even if you have water, it may not be potable if the water supply has been contaminated by flooding. So make sure to boil any water you plan to drink at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute until you get the all clear from your utility.
If you are in NY or New England and are prone to sinus headaches. Take a decongestant NOW. And if you have arthritis, extra NSAIDS. No one warns you about how the change in pressure is going to affect your joints.
kategm, my understanding is that street pressure is generally all that powers plumbing for 1-2 story buildings/single residences. If you’re in a taller residential structure, they’re generally equipped with tanks on the roof that rely on electricity to pump the water up to them, then gravity handles the “down” part. That means that there’s some residual water even if the electricity goes, but only until it’s used up.
Sars, I have a tub stopper that’s so like one of those jar-opener assistive grippers–basically a round, floppy piece of rubber or plastic–that I’ve actually mistakenly used the jar opener successfully in the bathtub without realizing it. So if you have anything like that, you could try using it. I think you could also do a reasonable plug with a decent strength plastic bag–like both layers of a ziplock baggie–and a filled bottle or jar to hold it down. Probably not the go-to method for a seductive evening bath, but it might suffice for a storm fill.
Crossing fingers and toes for those in affected zones. Weather reports here say Eastern Ontario will PROBABLY not be affected all the much. Hang on tight, people.
Hope everyone is doing well so far! I was rewarded for spending my first year in Florida with Charlie, so I’m feeling everyone’s pain. Best tips I have are to get used to PB&J’s, keep an eye on the water situation, and have a nice stockpile of books ready. Also, if a curfew is imposed, make sure you time any supply runs accordingly, because even Wal-Mart will close.
We didn’t tape our windows and got along fine. On a related note, we rented a house a few years ago that had taped their windows for a storm . . . and left it on the windows. Let me tell you, tape adhesive that has been repeatedly baked by the Florida sun will eventually bond with glass in a way that defies belief.
Stay safe!
Having lived in the same PA/NJ straddling the river area my whole life (like seriously, I moved to Jersey, and it was still closer to go to some things in PA), it’s sort of extra surreal for me to not be there and not be worrying about the hurricane (though obviously I’m worried about the folks back east). I mean, I just moved to Iowa at the beginning of the month and already there’s been an earthquake and an impending hurricane. I leave you people alone for a few weeks and everything goes to hell.
Thank you HeatherKay! We filled both bathtubs just to be safe. We have enough bottled water gallons to safely last a few days for consumption, but it seems crazy to use that for flushing.
The eye is still not up to us in central VA, but a lot of people are reporting trees down and power out. We still have power here, thankfully.
Stay safe, everyone!
Least favorite part so far? Tornado (or as the local crawl has is “tonrado”) warnings. Possible tornado in Lewes DE (it formed over the ocean and moved 75 mph east to west). Storm capable of forming a tornado near Atlantic City moving 45 mph Southeast to Northwest. This is abnormal tornado behavior. They usually move Southwest to Northeast. But hurricanes are wacky that way.
Hey, at least it’s finally raining! Good luck riding out the storm. I don’t think it will be anywhere near as bad as forecast, but it is an excuse to hunker down and crack open a bottle of wine.
I grew up in a house with a well, so we were SOL re: flushing every time the power went out. You can stretch your available flushing water out by flushing less often, to quote an old maxim “if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down” :)
Thanks for the drain-stopping tips, y’all. I totally have, like, a five-pack of those jar-openers from a long-ago Christmas stocking.
As of 9:30 ET, steady rain, occasional breezes. @NY1weather says it’s about to ramp up fast, though. Delmarva (didn’t know this was a thing until yesterday!) and DC, hope you’re high and dry. Or, failing that, just high. [clink]
Watching the flood warnings on Channel 6 (I’m out in Montgomery County, PA. Internet stalkers, commence your stalking!)
Rain’s getting heavier out here. I’m not looking forward to when I go to bed. Whenever I sleep through a rainstorm, I wind up having nightmares the whole time. I don’t know why.
(Yes, I always know how to focus on the important stuff in a natural disaster).
The happiest news I’m seeing is: 1)damage in NC much less than expected; 2)Reenie is picking up traveling speed, so she’ll hit and be gone faster. This poking along at 10 mph is really just spiteful.
I’m so glad for this live-blog. Thanks to those who gave advice on making our own bathtub stoppers! I feel as prepared for power loss as anyone in the 21st century can be… Just please no tornados.
Did Bloomberg really just tell y’all to go inside and shut your doors and windows? Because, yes, that makes sense, but also: that’s probably occurred to most people? You’d think?
@Adrienne: My Twitter feed is at least 15% reports of Brooklyn people on their roofs in their underpants, so: “most people” yes?
What’s currently irritating me is the “stay away from windows” advice the mayor keeps repeating. This isn’t bad advice at all per se, but we live in New York, so there kind of IS no “away from” with that. Can you be more specific? What do you recommend: bathroom, or closet? What if your bathroom has a window/you are 22 and have no closet — under the bed? Behind a sofa?
They also seem really convinced that people are SO GOING to chillax with an inch of scotch in a glass lobby somewhere. Berk?
Thinking of y’all tonight with prayers! Hang in there East Coast Nation!
And I’m in East TN – tornadoes are our big worry so hunker down if any of those warnings come your way please! Those things are the weather freaks of nature.
Okay, good point. I’m also the woman who once walked out on the front porch during a tornado (to be fair, the sirens didn’t go off and I wondered what that strange noise was) so I’m not really in any place to judge.
Also, Bloomberg’s Spanish? HILARIOUSLY bad. “Por favor… uh… go… el… inside-o? Um… Peligro?” And all with an AMAZING New York accent.
No hurricane yet in Houston this season, but it’s wonderful to know the Nation will be here if we get one.
I gotta wonder about the rooftop people. Was the last storm a dud? When I was growing up (late 70s to mid 80s) we had a major one every couple of years. Then we went without for almost a decade. When the next big storm hit, there were lots of people who were newly come to town and it. was. not. pretty.
Glad to hear the storm’s moving quickly, everybody. Attica, I hear you. If you get bored enough, google Tropical Storm Allison (early 90s). In a city used to flooding, we were not prepared for that.
Huh. Just took my own advice and looked up Allison. I was ten years off – it was 2001.
The “stay away from windows” thing irks me a bit too. The only place in my apartment that’s away from windows is the little bit of hallway in front of my door. I ain’t sitting on the floor in my foyer all day.
re: tub stoppers. Mine doesn’t have one either. I don’t have any of those jar gripper thingies so I jury rigged something with an old washcloth, a plastic bag, and a big heavy glass vase to weight them down. It seems to be working so far. I need to get me one of those jar gripper thingies.
Aaaaand now it’s “just” high winds and a bit of rain in Philly. Last night at about 10:30pm, though, had tornado warnings and rain sheeting down at an angle. How is it further up on the East Coast?!
Memory to cherish: I filled my bathtub with water. One of my cats looooooves to take a running jump in said bathtub after I shower, & do a few high-speed circuits on the porcelain.
Last night, after I turn off the water & sit back down, what do I hear? Thump. Ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump. Thumpadathumpadathumpadathumpadathumpada – [sproing] – SPLASH!
*beat* Splishysplashy. THUMP. “skaREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
Brought to you by: Sars’ National Audubon Field Guide series, Hurricane Irene, Pamina the Kitty, and my hysterical laughter.
A long night, not least because the safest-seeming spot to sleep was a 55-inch couch. I’m 70 inches long and have needy pets. Fell asleep listening to a sort of howling wind: Andie McPhee going Manic Pixie Dream Girl on Pacey. (Don’t ask.)
Also, a water-intrusion problem turned major in the downstairs — no per se flooding, but a steady stream. Looks expensive; is infuriating, as there’s nothing we can really do, either to stanch or to clean up.
Other than that, holding the line here. Still very gusty but seems to have quieted down just now (the eye?), occasional sheets of Hollywood-rain-machine-looking precip. Lots of branches down in the street, but your friend and mine, Campbell, is still present and accounted for as of this writing.
Good luck, New England! Let us know how you go.
So glad to see that it was mostly water and very little wind when it hit the northeast. :) Hope everyone is okay with little or no damage.
Turned off the computer when we started getting the tornado warnings in Philly. But apparently we got not actual tornados. Which is good.
Did not lose power. (yay)
Am about 2 blocks from major flooding, but am significantly uphill. So I’m lucky. But I’m really glad officials were so aggressively proactive before the storm. Because I know lives were saved. We’ve had 7 buildings collapse in Philadelphia. But only one fatality. Some idiot who was speeding down a local highway in the heart of the storm and went into a pole.
All area rivers and streams expected to crest at “major” flood level within next 24 hours. Some neighborhoods are really under water. This sucks for them.
So glad to see most people heeded evacuation warnings. When I was in Houston during Ike in 2008, there were these chilling news stories about people living in Galveston who had refused to leave despite the pleading of officials, who then called 911 during the hurricane and were told that, since ambulances don’t go out if winds are over 60mph, the best advice they could offer was to find a permanent marker and write their social security number on their body so it could be identified if anything happened to them.
This year, I’m in Philly, and while it was weird not having my alma mater take care of everything (Rice wins at disaster-preparedness: they have their own generator, their own separate-from-the-city water supply, and a stockpile of military MREs), I’m glad to see that it doesn’t look like too much damage outside. Still have power and water.
Ah mah gah, manic pixie Andi McPhee! I love you, Sars.
11:36 am, Morristown NJ: I have power, no damage over here – my parents, who live five minutes away, still don’t have power. Go figure. All is well though, sounds like my bro in South Orange is perfectly fine too. All cats are accounted for and of course, immensely bored with the whole affair. Naturally.
Apparently Summit has power but no potable water for right now?
Windsor Terrace right now is humid with a slight breeze, but my deck is starting to dry.
1pm in Boston, the rain has stopped but it’s still pretty windy. Irene swung west so it didn’t affect us as much as we thought. There’s still over 150 thousand people without power in the state (including my brother) and trees going down everywhere, but I have lost any power yet.
Didn’t lose power but the basement got wet because there was just too much rain. It’s finally starting to dry out. I feel bad for my brother though– his power died sometime after they’d all gone to bed (like, 3 a.m.) so the sump pump failed and then the basement flooded. And they still don’t have power so I’m watching his kids while he and my sister-in-law use buckets to get the water out.
I think my niece is annoyed that she didn’t get to play in the “swimming pool basement” (she’s 18 months old).