Hurricane Irene

[Poly Ester]

Are any of our American friends in the proposed path of Irene ? It looks like it will be a biggie....

We always get the tail end of them as they come in from the Atlantic... but nothing to what you guys have coming your way:depressed:

[sianrose]

I was just watching the preparation for the storm...people who are moving to higher ground... but some are staying.

Thinking about it ...I think I would stay with my dogs and cat...would that be wrong?

Would it be a personal choice?...

[GrumpysWife]

Grumpy and I live in the panhandle of Florida where we prepare for hurricanes every year. So far in the over 20 years we've been here, I only had to leave once and at that time I went to the KH. Grumpy wouldn't leave so he stayed home. I had a lot of fun with the friends. It was almost like camping out. We lost power and so during the night it was very dark, but a brother brought a generator so we were able to cook.

Interestingly, the CO and his wife came to our hall. They were going to stay at one closer to where they were serving, but at the last minute the sister told him she didn't feel safe staying there. So he listened to her and came to our KH. The KH they were going to stay at was destroyed, and had they gone there they would most likely have been killed because a big tree fell on the platform where they would have put their sleeping bags. I guess we each have to assess our own safety, I felt we had to leave, but Grumpy didn't. As it turned out neither of us was hurt by the storm.

Personally, when the officials say to evacuate, I go. I'd rather do what they say and maybe spend a little money to follow directions then take a chance on loosing my life needlessly.

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[sianrose]

Grumpy wouldn't leave so he stayed home.

The KH they were going to stay at was destroyed, and had they gone there they would most likely have been killed because a big tree fell on the platform where they would have put their sleeping bags.

[ava]

I was just watching the preparation for the storm...people who are moving to higher ground... but some are staying.

Thinking about it ...I think I would stay with my dogs and cat...would that be wrong?

Would it be a personal choice?...

Even though they have mandatory evacuations, no one will force anyone to leave their home, it is a personal choice. Keep in mind though that if someone decides to stay, emergency resources will not be there to help you cause you decided to stay. You are completely on your own, no help from police, fire services, 911 Ambulance service, you are alone til after the storm and danger passes. That is a very sobering thought.

Alot of what goes into the decision to stay is how close you are to the coast, and how far from the eye of the hurricane you may be, also what Cat number the storm is.

Personally, I would leave. I can't comprehend how many people stay and sit it out. That is very dangerous in my opinion. This is your life, why would you stay? That is me though. I'd pack up the car and the pets and head inland.

When my husband was young and before we were married, he stayed though a couple of Cat 1 and Cat 2 storms while he lived in Florida, but he says now that he is older, he realized that was not smart.

[GrumpysWife]

I was just watching the preparation for the storm...people who are moving to higher ground... but some are staying.

Thinking about it ...I think I would stay with my dogs and cat...would that be wrong?

Would it be a personal choice?...

Even though they have mandatory evacuations, no one will force anyone to leave their home, it is a personal choice. Keep in mind though that if someone decides to stay, emergency resources will not be there to help you cause you decided to stay. You are completely on your own, no help from police, fire services, 911 Ambulance service, you are alone til after the storm and danger passes. That is a very sobering thought.

Alot of what goes into the decision to stay is how close you are to the coast, and how far from the eye of the hurricane you may be, also what Cat number the storm is.

Personally, I would leave. I can't comprehend how many people stay and sit it out. That is very dangerous in my opinion. This is your life, why would you stay? That is me though. I'd pack up the car and the pets and head inland.

When my husband was young and before we were married, he stayed though a couple of Cat 1 and Cat 2 storms while he lived in Florida, but he says now that he is older, he realized that was not smart.

There are some people who just won't listen, and Grumpy is one of them. He says if it goes over a 4 he'll leave but by then I'm long gone. It is very scary to stay. One time I let him talk me into staying, but never again.

My 2 sons who live in New Hampshire are in the storm zone and I've been trying to get them on the phone but nobody is home and the cell lines are so busy I can't get through. I pray they are safe. I'm sure they will do as they are told. My daughter-in-law's family live in Brooklyn NY. I hope they have somewhere to go. They are not in the Truth so they have to rely on the govt. for help. I don't think they even have cars to leave in. Very worried about them.

[Simon17]

Evacuations for hurricanes are very often very precautionary. Agree with Grumpy, as long as you aren't RIGHT on the water and its not a cat 4, just enjoy watching the storm roll in.

Earthquake and hurricane in the same week, now thats some fun times in Jersey!

[Good-O]

I was just watching the preparation for the storm...people who are moving to higher ground... but some are staying.

Thinking about it ...I think I would stay with my dogs and cat...would that be wrong?

Would it be a personal choice?...

Even though they have mandatory evacuations, no one will force anyone to leave their home, it is a personal choice. Keep in mind though that if someone decides to stay, emergency resources will not be there to help you cause you decided to stay. You are completely on your own, no help from police, fire services, 911 Ambulance service, you are alone til after the storm and danger passes. That is a very sobering thought.

Alot of what goes into the decision to stay is how close you are to the coast, and how far from the eye of the hurricane you may be, also what Cat number the storm is.

Personally, I would leave. I can't comprehend how many people stay and sit it out. That is very dangerous in my opinion. This is your life, why would you stay? That is me though. I'd pack up the car and the pets and head inland.

When my husband was young and before we were married, he stayed though a couple of Cat 1 and Cat 2 storms while he lived in Florida, but he says now that he is older, he realized that was not smart.

There are some people who just won't listen, and Grumpy is one of them. He says if it goes over a 4 he'll leave but by then I'm long gone. It is very scary to stay. One time I let him talk me into staying, but never again.

My 2 sons who live in New Hampshire are in the storm zone and I've been trying to get them on the phone but nobody is home and the cell lines are so busy I can't get through. I pray they are safe. I'm sure they will do as they are told. My daughter-in-law's family live in Brooklyn NY. I hope they have somewhere to go. They are not in the Truth so they have to rely on the govt. for help. I don't think they even have cars to leave in. Very worried about them.

Hope you hear from your sons real soon. I know you are very worried. We have lived thru many hurricanes and it is scary! Katrina did a "real job" in our area and ppl are still recovering. The RBC is always on the ready to do and to go where they are needed - they have done a marvelous job down south of us. Where I live we just get lots and lots and lots of rain and wind, always some type of damage with electric out for days; but fortunate enough to not lose everything like so many of our bro/sisters have, including their lives. We all welcomed "hurricane refugees" and some have stayed and are part of our congregation family today; we are very happy to have them. We stay prepared for hurricanes; of course, you know better than I as you live in FL. But those along the E coast may not be as prepared. You will be in my prayers. The "boys" will call soon. May Jehovah keep all our brothers/sisters safe during this present disaster.

[pinkpopcorn]

Hurricanes are very scary things. I went through one as a small child in Massachusetts but don't even remember it. My father was not able to be home and Mom had 3 little kids under 5. He called and asked my Mom, "How are the chickens?" DUH!!! Yeah, he was a very caring man. NOT!

Then we moved to Miami. Now there we went through 6 or 7. We lived outside the city so did not have paved roads and city water. We had a pump run by electricity to use ANY water. Each preparation we'd scrub the tubs out and fill them to the brim with water to be able to flush the toilets. Bucket brigade was in the bathrooms standing guard for that. We had to wash dishes and hands by buckets, too. And our area was always the last one to get back our power. My father (a contractor) built our house to with stand a Cat 4 hurricane! But when Hurricane Andrew sheared across South Florida my father was very worried because many of the builders were not using 'hurricane clips' that tie on the roofs of the houses. Yup! Those cheating builders made substandard houses that looked like they just exploded when the winds ripped of the roof. My hubby was in Homestead for the repairs and said he could not even find our old apartment building we first lived after we we got married. It looked like a war zone for miles! Not even a street sign anywhere!

I now live in Central Florida, an hour from the Gulf of Mexico and 2 hours from the Atlantic. There is plenty of land and things to slow down a hurricane before it reaches us. But - 6 years ago we had 3 hurricanes pass right over us all within one month. Trees uprooted, power lines ripped out of the poles all down my street, trash everywhere, enormous trees crashed through roofs and on vehicles. This place was just a huge mess for many months!

I hope the people in this path are willing to get out of the way. Remember Katrina!!!!

What I fear most is that hardly anyone builds in case of such disastrous storms where this hurricane is supposed to be landing. Many people will be is terrible danger in the path. I hold my breath until it is all over.

[BlueRose]

Well, we're just waiting, here in eastern Connecticut. It's supposed to get here around Sunday. The trip I planned with my grandkids to the Bronx Zoo was cancelled today and rescheduled. I guess they'll get Irene tomorrow. I'm hoping it will fizzle out.

[GrumpysWife]

Well my son called and so far all is good. He said if it looks like it will get bad, they will head north.

[Mrs. Musky]

I was just watching the preparation for the storm...people who are moving to higher ground... but some are staying.

Thinking about it ...I think I would stay with my dogs and cat...would that be wrong?

Would it be a personal choice?...

Even though they have mandatory evacuations, no one will force anyone to leave their home, it is a personal choice. Keep in mind though that if someone decides to stay, emergency resources will not be there to help you cause you decided to stay. You are completely on your own, no help from police, fire services, 911 Ambulance service, you are alone til after the storm and danger passes. That is a very sobering thought.

Alot of what goes into the decision to stay is how close you are to the coast, and how far from the eye of the hurricane you may be, also what Cat number the storm is.

Personally, I would leave. I can't comprehend how many people stay and sit it out. That is very dangerous in my opinion. This is your life, why would you stay? That is me though. I'd pack up the car and the pets and head inland.

When my husband was young and before we were married, he stayed though a couple of Cat 1 and Cat 2 storms while he lived in Florida, but he says now that he is older, he realized that was not smart.

There are some people who just won't listen, and Grumpy is one of them. He says if it goes over a 4 he'll leave but by then I'm long gone. It is very scary to stay. One time I let him talk me into staying, but never again.

My 2 sons who live in New Hampshire are in the storm zone and I've been trying to get them on the phone but nobody is home and the cell lines are so busy I can't get through. I pray they are safe. I'm sure they will do as they are told. My daughter-in-law's family live in Brooklyn NY. I hope they have somewhere to go. They are not in the Truth so they have to rely on the govt. for help. I don't think they even have cars to leave in. Very worried about them.

Hi Vernalee,

I've been listening to CNN on and off all day...someone mentioned to 'text' people on their cells--texts are more likely to get thru when you can't reach them by calling them...

[GrumpysWife]

I'm not text savvy,but my son got through to me and they will go to some of our friends north of them if necessary. He said there's no problem just now. But thanks for your concern. It sure is scary. I know how they feel. We've had our share of Hurricanes here.

[Mrs. Musky]

We'll be thinking of you and your family, Vernalee, and all the brothers and sisters in the path of the hurricane...

[sianrose]

New York's mayor has issued the city's first-ever mandatory evacuation notices, as the US faces up to the arrival of Hurricane Irene. Low-lying areas around Manhattan and into Staten Island are at particular risk, according to projections issued by city authorities. The city's transport systems, including the subways and airports, are to shut from 12:00 on Saturday (16:00 GMT). Irene, a category two storm, is due to hit a swathe of east coast states. Boasting winds of 100mph (160km/h) as of 17:00 local time on Friday (21:00 GMT), Irene is due to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday. North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut have all been placed under states of emergency. The mayor of Washington DC also declared an emergency in the US capital. You only have to look at the maps to understand how big this is and how unique it is” Michael Bloomberg New York City Mayor full article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14689549

[Shawnster]

CNN Hurricane Tracker

As of this morning, Irene was downgraded to a Category 1 storm. Looks like the coast is in for just a good, deep scrubbing.

District Conventions in NYC were cancelled and rescheduled for sometime in Sept.

We have friends visiting here in OH that were supposed to drive back to NYC today and fly out of JFK. They found out yesterday the flight was cancelled.

[BlueRose]

That's too bad about your company's flight being cancelled. That's frustrating! Needless to say, my plans for taking my grandkids to the Bronx Zoo were cancelled. They rescheduled for Sept. Thanks for the info about category 1. Maybe my climbing roses won't be decimated after all.

[Simon17]

CNN Hurricane Tracker

As of this morning, Irene was downgraded to a Category 1 storm. Looks like the coast is in for just a good, deep scrubbing.

District Conventions in NYC were cancelled and rescheduled for sometime in Sept.

We have friends visiting here in OH that were supposed to drive back to NYC today and fly out of JFK. They found out yesterday the flight was cancelled.

Well there will still probably be 40-60 mph winds all throughout the East and we usually don't get hurricanes so it will certainly wipe out a lot of weak trees/branches and cause a mess. Flooding in NYC is probably the biggest thing now

[Good-O]

Verna, am happy the son called - you can rest better now.

[ava]

Just saw this on the news and it reminded me of this thread about leaving or staying during a hurricane. Here is a reason why you should leave. An 11 yr old boy was killed by hurricane Irene when a tree slammed into their home. Another man died when a tree branch fell on him.

So far 4 deaths in North Carolina due to Irene. Good reasons to leave when a hurricane is coming.

[sianrose]

What happens if you have no transport...don't drive and have no car...(which is my situation) what happens to people like that? how do they fare? and where does everyone head off too?

[ava]

Well if you lived in the states, more then likely you would have a car. Areas like the Carolinas don't have train systems and stuff, you pretty much need a car in the majority of the US. It's almost mandatory to have a car in the US, lol. Kids learn to drive in High School.

Most areas though do offer during hurricane's ways to get out. When Katrina hit, they used the school buses to take people out who didn't have car's and they would drive them several hours inland to shelters that were set up.

People with money usually drive several hours inland to hotels, people often will drive to other states to stay with family for a few days.

[rocket]

You call for a taxi and get the heck out of Dodge. Hurricanes lose their strength as they head inland, so you go further inland. Some brother go to a Kingdom Hall and are taken care of. If someone seriously does not have transportation they are always looked after by the Brotherhood.

[GrumpysWife]

I was just talking to my sister in New Hampshire and she told me that so far they're OK but it is getting windy and very overcast. She said that she heard that all of Bethel has evacuated because of the storm.

[Tia]

Hi Friends,

I live in New Jersey and our meeting for Sunday was cancel Thursday night! I just came back from taking a close friend some emergency equipment. It is not 4:35 pm and raining a little here and there. It is like the calm before a storm...Extremely humid though...New York transportation has been shut down. Authorities have suggested taking a taxi - but they are bumping up the prices. I will keep everyone posted if we do not lose power.

Cyre