Hurricane Irene Watch Party Thread

[Jagermeister]

I hope Mr. Walker is ok...... Actually he's to mean to let a little wind bother him.





New York is getting ready to face Hurricane Irene, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference outside St. Luke's Baptist Church in Queens, Bloomberg said the city was keeping a close eye on the storm's progression and making sure it could cope if heavy rains and up to 60-mph winds arrive this weekend.

"The city has already seen the power of Mother Nature this week," Bloomberg said, referring to the earthquake which shook the city Tuesday.

The city is "hoping for the best, preparing for the worst," he added.

New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency for New Jersey, and is asking people to steer clear of the Jersey shore this weekend.

The declaration that will allow the state to deploy resources as they prepare for the storm.

Hurricane Irene is expected to arrive in the New York area late Saturday or Sunday with the most ferocious Category 2 weather predicted for the eastern parts of Long Island.

Meteorologists warned its exact path remains hard to anticipate and it could change track at any moment.

Bloomberg said New York City itself was unlikely to experience the worst of the weather, but evacuations were possible for some low-lying areas such as Coney Island and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, and The Rockaways in Queens.

South Beach and other coastal Staten Island areas, as well as Battery Park City in Manhattan could also be at risk of flooding.

The Mayor said any decision to evacuate would not happen until late Friday, and it would likely be a recommendation, rather than an order.

A total of 270,000 people would be affected by such an order, Bloomberg said.

To prepare for the imminent storm - which has wreaked a path of destruction through parts of the Caribbean and is expected to hit the Carolinas by the weekend - officials recommended packing a bag with essentials and moving items to upper floors in a house.

Residents in areas at risk of evacuation were urged to seek alternative shelter.

"See if that long lost cousin would be willing to put you up overnight," Bloomberg said.

The city has been coordinating with the MTA and state authorities to ensure adequate safeguards are in place ahead of Irene's arrival.

The NYPD is deploying 33 police boats and putting another 50 small boats at precincts.

The Office of Emergency Management command center is open, and hospitals are checking that emergency generators function.

One of the biggest concerns could be falling trees and branches, an issue the Parks Department and the Department of Sanitation were addressing.

Bloomberg urged New Yorkers not to swim in rough turf and said outreach to the homeless and elderly communities was being stepped up.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...#ixzz1W43f426t

[ThrillsNSpills]

I think that hurricane Irene was sponsored by Poland Spring.

You can't get bottled water anywhere.

[ThrillsNSpills]

all these weather experts on TV but none say when this crap's gonna hit.

Someone tell me what a person pointing to a map with these read and yellow blobs of color rolling over a map is supposed to mean?

[Va Beach VH Fan]

New York ??

Let's hope it strays a little farther east here so we just get a shitload of rain....

[Bob_R]

New York ??

Let's hope it strays a little farther east here so we just get a shitload of rain....

We're going to get hammered by rain. It's actually already raining today but that's from a different frontal system.

[Jagermeister]

I guess Long Island is being evacuated?

[VAiN]

I'll tell ya what.. I was reeeeally hoping I'd get a 3-4 day weekend from this hurricane, but nooooooooooooo. I hope you guys in the NE are ready for some action if it's coming your way..

[Jagermeister]

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/hurricane.tracker/

[Jagermeister]

Media frenzy. I hope they are not crying wolf.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/08/25/tropical.weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Editor's Note: Check out "Open Story: Hurricane Irene," a collaborative effort of CNN and iReport contributors who are documenting the storm as it moves across the Atlantic Ocean. Read more about Hurricane Irene from CNN affiliate WBOC.

Miami (CNN) -- Five governors declared states of emergency Thursday as Hurricane Irene threatened to wreak havoc along the United States' Eastern Seaboard.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley declared emergencies for their states, while North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue declared a state of emergency in counties east of Interstate 95. The emergency declarations allow states to free funds and prepare resources that may be needed.

If Irene continues along its current track, "from a flooding perspective, this could be a hundred-year event," Christie said. He encouraged voluntary evacuations to begin immediately. "Anybody who is on a barrier island should go," he said.

Christie said it was too soon to know whether there will be mandatory evacuations.



Hurricane Irene batters Bahamas

East Coast prepares for Irene

FEMA: People need to be ready to act

Charleston mayor worried about surge In parts of North Carolina, mandatory evacuations were under way Thursday.

The military moved more than two dozen ships out to sea ahead of the storm.

As of 2 p.m. ET, the Category 3 storm was pounding the Bahamas, with its eye over Abaco Island, the National Hurricane Center said.

Cat, San Salvador and Long islands "took direct hits," said Gayle Outten-Moncur of the National Emergency Management Agency. "There has been bad flooding in some areas."

By Thursday afternoon, no deaths or injuries had been reported in the island chain. Officials reported widespread power outages, impassable roads, downed trees and flooding in some spots. Still, they expected tourists to return by the weekend.

Maximum sustained winds were at 115 mph as the storm worked its way northwest.

"I didn't really want to take my chances," said Janeen Wall, who left her vacation spot in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, to make it back to Richmond, Virginia. "Also, if I waited for an evacuation order, I would have to share the road with more than a few thousand other folks trying to leave at the same time."

A mandatory evacuation order was in effect for residents and visitors in Hyde County, North Carolina, which includes Ocracoke Island, reachable only by boat or private plane, on the Outer Banks.

Ocracoke resident Farris O'Neal, 40, told CNN that for the first time he may head for the mainland instead of sticking out the storm. "It's different this time," he said. Since the last big storm, he has gotten married and had two children. "My wife is sick, and so's the baby."



Gallery: Hurricane Irene intensifies

Irene reaches Category 3 near Bahamas

Florida prepares for Irene

Irene strikes Turks and Caicos RELATED TOPICS
Hurricane Irene
Natural Disasters
Bahamas
Nearby Dare County, which includes Manteo, Nags Head, Duck and historic Kitty Hawk, had an evacuation order for tourists only.

Carteret County also issued a mandatory evacuation order for visitors in part of the county. On Friday, there will be a mandatory evacuation for all residents of Bogue Banks, said county spokesman Rodney Cates.

Ocean City, Maryland, Mayor Richard Meeham announced a mandatory evacuation beginning at midnight, CNN affiliate WUSA reported.

Sunday's dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, remains on schedule, officials said after studying the track of Irene. They will make another assessment Friday.

The cone of uncertainty -- the area that could be affected by Irene depending on what path it follows over the next several days -- includes much of the Northeastern. Even if the hurricane does not make landfall, heavy rains could trigger flooding.

"The biggest concern is getting people to pay attention and make sure they are ready," Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate said in an interview with CNN. Residents should have the necessary supplies and an evacuation plan ready, he said.

The National Hurricane Center has said Irene could strengthen to Category 4 status.

The storm could weaken as it works its way up the U.S. East Coast in the coming days. "As it gets closer to the Northeast, it will run into the cooler Labrador Current, and that -- along with some more wind shear -- should allow Irene to lose some strength," said HLN meteorologist Bob Van Dillen.

The U.S. Navy is sending 27 ships based in Norfolk, Virginia, out to sea to ride out Irene, a senior Navy official told CNN. An aircraft carrier is among them. Another 28 ships will seek more sheltered areas.

Three submarines were heading out to sea as well.

CNN's Larry Shaughnessy, on board the USS Wasp, could see several warships ahead and others behind as they steadily worked their way out into the Atlantic. There are 1,500 personnel on board the Wasp -- 1,000 sailors and 500 Marines. Things were orderly on the ship, Shaughnessy said.

While the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise was heading out, three others in Norfolk were in various states of maintenance and could not safely be put out to sea.

Military officials planned to make a decision Thursday about moving aircraft in the area, as well.

While Florida is not expected to get the worst of Irene, the state was feeling the storm's effects Thursday, said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.

"Rough surf, rip currents and erosion on Atlantic beaches and wind advisories with gusts to 40 mph expected," Jeras tweeted.

On the Bahamas island of Mayaguana, several churches reported damage, including losing parts of their roofs, the National Emergency Management Agency said. Dozens of homes were damaged, as well.

On Crooked Island, a high school's roof was blown off. Part of one church, St. John's Baptist, collapsed. On Acklins Island, a large portion of the settlement Lovely Bay was destroyed, and several homes were blown away, NEMA said.

A police station's roof was blown off on North Cat Island, along with other damage, Bahamas Information Services said.

Bahamas officials said they expected visitors to return quickly to the island. Airports were expected to be back in operation Friday morning and cruise ship ports were scheduled to reopen late Thursday.

"Initial assessment of the impact on major tourism areas in Nassau and Grand Bahama Island indicates limited damage and points to a quick return to normal operations," the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation said in a statement.

The death toll from Irene in the Dominican Republic increased to two, according to Jose Luis German, deputy director of the Emergency Operations Center in Santo Domingo. One person died in Puerto Rico.

South Carolina state officials have decided not to order evacuations but urged boaters and swimmers to stay out of the water.

Storm preparations were less intense along the Virginia coastline and the Eastern Shores of Maryland -- the area swamped by Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

One resident was hopeful that Irene would pass close by.

"Dear Irene, please bring rain. Thank you," read a handwritten sign on a mailbox in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, region, where residents are being affected by smoke from a stubborn wildfire that has been burning in the Dismal Swamp.

"Hurricane Irene may be the only way to get enough rainfall to assist the firefighters and put this relentless fire out," said Penelope Penn.

In Crisfield, Maryland, Ginger Wilson said her family will stay put as Irene approaches this weekend.

"We'll probably have some extra water, get some canned vegetables and foods, and make sure the pantry is full," she told CNN affiliate WBOC-TV. "Just have any extra supplies -- batteries, radios, anything that would be helpful."

The last major hurricane to strike the United States was Wilma in 2005, which was a Category 3 at landfall in southwest Florida, Jeras said.

Hurricane Katrina, earlier the same year, was also a Category 3 at landfall. The most recent hurricane to make landfall in the United States was Ike in 2008, which hit near Galveston, Texas, as a Category 2.

[Bob_R]

The sun just popped out here and tomorrow is supposed to be 87 degrees and sunny. Now, Saturday and Sunday is a different story altogether. Rain, rain, and more rain.

[Nitro Express]

Irene is a good name for a hurricane. We had a crazy cleaning lady when I was growing up named Irene. I always would keep my room spotless because I didn't want Irene in my room. She was scared of snakes. Even fake toy ones. I loved snakes and had lots of toy ones. She would go bat shit nuts even seeing a rubber snake. She would drink Olympia beer and tomato juice together for lunch and your prescription pain killers and expensive scotch had a way of disappearing when Irene was around for some reason.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I firmly believe The Weather Channel is dedicated to scaring the living shit out of everyone, thereby having people continue to tune into them....

Some schmuck on there just said it was "a storm of our lifetime"....

I mean yes, it's gonna be a big storm, but come the fuck on.....

[VanHalener]

Speaking of rain...
Is there not a fire still burning down in the Carolinas?

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Speaking of rain...
Is there not still a fire burning down in the Carolinas?

Yup, although probably not for long.. Right on the NC/VA border actually...

[VanHalener]

Glad the rain is on the way then. Our water tables need this rain as well.
My girl split for western Maryland with family. Hurricane party starts Saturday morning.