We thought it was mostly hype when we were warned over and over again about Hurricane Irene. And for a lot of people it turned out to be little more than an inconvenience. But for some it has been devastating. I've always thought also that when a hurricane comes inland, away from the shoreline it loses it's bite. This hurricane was different.
Irene gave all the indications that it was going to drop it's intensity to the point of being a tropical storm...and for the most part it was a tropical storm. But it was such a sustained storm and carried so much rain with it that it ended up doing a lot more damage than I expected. So many people are without power/water/homes in multiple states it's really amazing. Even Vermont was hit hard by Irene and I'm sure they weren't really expecting that kind of impact either.
I've been very fortunate in that I have no damage at my house. I only lost power for about a minute. And although I didn't buy water I filled up a massive pot on the stove with water I'm still using up. I wasn't as prepared as I could have been. If I'd lost power for more than a day I'd probably be in a bit of trouble...or at least I'd have to go looking for supplies. Many people have been without power for days and I'm learning a lesson as I watch them struggle to maintain some form of a normal life while they wait for power to be restored. Next time I'll get an adequate amount of water ahead of time and lay in a lot more supplies that don't need to be cooked to be eaten. I might even invest in a generator.
I've filled the lawn bin with tree debris that's blown all over the yard from my neighbors trees and there is still more that needs to be picked up. My own trees (only two now) fared very well considering the massive wind storm that came through the night after the actual storm. That last furious few hours of wind seemed to be the worst part of Irene and that came through well after they said it was all over. All in all I've been lucky.
My place of business has been closed and without power for the last two days. I have officially cancelled our catered lunch planned for one of the big wigs of the company. That was scheduled to happen tomorrow and is just not possible now. The first initial feelings of being glad to have an extra day off work are beginning to wane. I'd like to get back to a more normal routine sometime soon and close the chapter on Irene for good.
I did come upon a very good omen the day after the storm. I took my granddaughter and the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood, initially to see what damage may have been done. We didn't see much damage; just a lot more of the various tree debris such as I have in my own yard. But we did discover a lovely rainbow arching over the library from the school yard. It gives one a feel that better days are ahead, doesn't it?
