...Sailors Take Warning!
this was the sky over the beach here early today...
You don't have to go home... but you can't stay here!
The East Coast Surfing Competition was going on here and had to come to an abrupt halt, kind of a shame they have to dismantle all the scaffolding and tents, since for surfers this would be some of the best waves seen this side of Hawaii!
We are still poised to get slammed, even to the old timers in this area this will be the worst storm probably since the one that created many parts of our city back in 1938, as of this morning we are expecting 110-120 mph here on what is basically the Northern "Outer Banks", and expect to see 12-15 inches of rain. At this point the generator may be a moot point for the well pump since it may be submerged, but short of the comfort of showers, we will still have plenty of drinking H20 available and have some plastic drums of water outside that we'll use and continue to collect that rain in to use for flushing, so basically backcountry camping in the city LOL. Hopefully by the time it gets further Northeast it will fall down to a manageable Cat 1 storm. The Cat 1's are what we normally get and other than a real inconvenience they are easily weathered without evacuation unless you have a special circumstance such as prone to severe flooding or a medical situation. We'll do our best down here to slow it down and break it up!
Evacuations have started for parts of our city, most of us have been advised to stay put. They will close the flood gates on the tunnels soon so evacuations have a limited time frame here. The Naval Hospital has issued an order (yes, they can do that to civilians LOL) for all pregnant spouses over 38 weeks to get to the hospital and stay there until services will be available again in the community. The Naval Hospital is on the other side of the tunnel, so if one would need them after Saturday at about 3 pm, they'd be out of luck. I just got word that Navy Relief Society is issuing funds to families with deployed servicemembers to help them get out of town, which is fantastic news for many families for whom funds are a deciding factor in evacuation. My husband, however, pedaled off to work business as usual today, so I'm left wondering when he'll be home. This is one of those things where if you are at the wrong place at the wrong time... like if they decide the need a team of "essential personnel" while he's there, he'll get tapped for the job and he'll be confined to the base all weekend! Just hoping he scoots out of there early today :)
I'll check in a couple of times before it's scheduled to hit tomorrow afternoon, and I will get together a "canned post" to go off at a scheduled time tomorrow afternoon - if I break in and stop it then all is still well, if you see it, then you know we are without power, internet and cell coverage. I guess that's the best I can do notification-wise! Now all y'all up the coast further get out to your gardens and get that harvest in, it won't be there after the storm!
Thanks for posting this. Just so hard to me to picture never having been through one. I'm nervous for you! We've got our fingers crossed Erin and will be looking for updates as you're able to provide them. Hang in there, your a tough farmgirl!! :)
ReplyDeletein that case I'd wish I was 38 weeks prego---TAKE CARE
ReplyDeleteOmg, he peddled in??? Now I will worry about him peddling back. (hand to heart on that one, you did me in) I really hope he doesn't have to stay but I totally understand how that works. I want him home with you guys selfishly (I'll admit it) but he has duties too. Oh gosh. You have brass @*$! Erin.
ReplyDeletePraying for your safety as well as ALL in the path. Take care, we love you and look forward to the news that you are all clear!
Praying for you all!
ReplyDeleteDo you have hurricane shutters for the house?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Irene is going to be something! I hope she calms down a bit before heading your way! The latest track doesn't look good for us either! I guess that I better get outside and start putting some things away.
ReplyDeleteBe safe...we will be impatiently waiting to hear from you.
Good luck! It's looking to pass directly over us :( I really hope it's been downgraded to Tropical Storm by the time it gets to CT. We'll be spending today & tomorrow getting stuff off the lawn and off the basement floor. Im thinking of stacking the lawn furniture inside the trampoline (ours has that high netting), both to contain the lawn furniture and to add its weight to the cinder-blocks that normally hold the trampoline in place. I expect we'll lose power, but I hope not for too long.
ReplyDeleteMy mother, OTOH, lives right on LI sound, about two blocks from the beach, right on a small river! She's on the second floor of a large condo complex, but I worry that she's being too complacent. Her plans: sit in the living room and watch the storm like it was a TV show! I had to call her to make sure she keeps her cellphone charged and ON!
You know all of us in the northern part of Minnesota are holding our breath until we hear you've made it through this one with minimal damage and inconvenience, but your folks and family in the mid and southern part of the state must be REALLY going around with crossed fingers!! If we lose contact with you, we're gonna assume the four of you (and two pups) are riding it out together, but it's so hard being out of contact. I guess this current world of instant communication has made us a little spoiled when it comes to that! Hugs to you all. (What have you rigged up for Mama Dove?)
ReplyDeleteMama Tea, honestly the worst part of it is after the storm, it always looks like Armageddon LOL, no leaves on any trees and nothing but power trucks and emergency vehicles all over and chainsaws, so that part of it we share with most other types of disasters like tornados.
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APG hahaha now I have that Wizard of Oz song in my head thinking of him pedaling... deedeedee-do, deedeedee-do....
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Judy,sorry, nothing makes me want to be pregnant at my age again LOL!
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Liisa, thank you, that means a lot!
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Dani,no shutters - have you seen how much they cost LOL? Hurricanes are a rich man's disaster haha, the poor move furniture or slap plywood up :)
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Robin, yes, get out there and secure your stuff, it makes it so much easier at cleanup time, immediately after the storm it's usually bright and beautiful outside so you can get right back to enjoying the weather while everyone else is prying tomato cages and lawn chairs out of tree trunks!
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Alison, you better turn that trampoline upside down or it will get shredded to bits! I'll be thinking of you and your mom as it moves north, I sure hope your mom keeps an ear out for any evacuations for her area!
We had ours installed after going through Hurricane Charlie and yeah, not that cheap.
ReplyDeleteI hope it isn't bad for you all Erin.
ReplyDeleteBeing on the Southern New England coast is tricky.....all hell *might* break lose for some areas, but we also could get a heavy rain and some wind gusts. Nothing unusual. The thing that has me concerned is the tornado threat we will be facing.
Anyways, I wanted to drop in and wish you luck, and say thanks for past videos, this year I went out and got a portable solar shower and some 5 gallon water containers for us to fill (thanks to seeing your gear). I feel so much better about the prospect of going electricity free for days now.
hey Erin, I wonder if you put mama dove's basket (nest) in a box if she would sit on it there, maybe you could trap her in it and pull her inside for the storm. Or better yet maybe pull the nest inside last minute in hopes of keeping the egg(s) safe and warm until the worst has past. Funny what i worry about isn't it? (I know you are survival woman, but the images of broken eggs from your last storm are still on my mind.)
ReplyDeleteOh, we'll be crossing our fingers for you, and anything else that will cross, too! I will be thinking of you and your family. Hope all goes well, and waiting for your update as to your safety.
ReplyDelete~~Lori
Hang in there and stay safe. Hope damage is minor and no injuries or worse happen with Irene and the folks effected (or is that affected, I can never remember?) Make it a fun "learning" experience.
ReplyDeleteSafe journey through the storm, Erin. If anyone can make it comfortably and safely, it will be you and your family! And thanks for taking the time to let your friends know that you're okay. That's a lot of rain! I'm going out after work tonight to strip down the cherry tomatoes before they end up in the next county as paste! I think we may all need to move to Minnie Soda soon.
ReplyDeleteMama Pea, my mom is pretty cool about it all, but then again it takes a lot to rattle her, at least that's the way she plays it off!
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Dani, oooh I'm jealous! We have "interior" pretty shutters LOL, maybe I'll duct tape those shut! Years ago we lived out in Sandbridge which is the Northern end of the Outer Banks (rented) and we got big bucks off our rent one time for hanging all their shutters for them during one of the hurricanes, the owners lived up in NJ and I think were grateful they didn't have to drive down here and do it!
Kelly, exactly - you got it, girlfriend! Life without power is a whole lot easier to take if you are able to at least wash up a bit, more like a bad camping trip LOL... without that water... well, I hate to think of those that didn't bother to fill those containers!
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And - about the nest - there's no way the basket can stay hanging so I think I'm going to try and wedge it on the deck behind a planter today to see if she will return to it at that level, I'll make sure she's watching me when I do it, but honestly I sure hope that egg doesn't hatch today, just in case... it's a whole lot harder somehow to see a baby die than an egg. I don't think I'll be able to trap her, I'm afraid I'll stress her out too much. I really don't know what to do about her - makes me wish I didn't see her out there :(
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Lori, I'll give updates as much as I can, even if it's just a word or two!
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Ruth, you got it - all I'm concerned with at this point is my family's safety, all else is just fluff when you put it into perspective!
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Susan, LOL I don't know about "comfortably" but I'll settle for the "camping trip from hell" at this point hahaha! I'm telling you, Saskatchewan doesn't seem so far-fetched an idea this year! :)
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off to go get laundry off the line now... it's all very non-exciting stuff for the next 12-24 hours!
Be safe. Hope the kindle and cell phone are fully charged! And you have lots and lots of yarn and games for the boys.
ReplyDeleteNartaya, check! That Kindle will come in handy... as long as my book light battery works LOL
ReplyDeleteAre the boys handling it ok?
ReplyDeleteI'm with ya, Sweetie, on pins and needles. We can only hope and pray for the best.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about the poor pregnant women. Yikes. That is a good thing to camp out at the hospital.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting nervous about this storm and I don't even live anywhere near where it's gonna hit! I'm keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteDani, the boys are doing well, we just keep assuring them that most "stuff" isn't important, and that we will keep them safe!
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Gran, me too!
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Jane, too bad they just evacuated the area around the Naval Hospital, yikes!
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Sparkless, thanks!
We're down to about 18 hours left now, it's boring around here so we are biking down to the oceanfront to watch the surfing competition :) I'll take some pics!
Gosh, you just sound so calm about this. I hope you're okay. Will be checking for updates. Take care!
ReplyDeleteHang in there and keep up updated as you can. We're watching and thinking of you and all our other friends and family out East. And, of course, we're hoping the beach house we want to rent next summer will still be there ;)
ReplyDeleteJudy