First things first.
My heart goes out to all of the people from the Outer Banks to New England that are facing the after-effects of Hurricane Irene right now, including major flooding that is ravaging many people’s homes and livelihoods. And the lost lives, of course, are the most devastating of all of Irene’s effects.
It’s not the scenario I imagined, certainly, where a hurricane does this much damage this far north, while leaving so much of the typically hurricane-pillaged areas relatively untouched.
Many organizations have already set up relief efforts all along the coast. The American Red Cross, for instance, is soliciting financial and blood donations (Irene has interrupted many blood drives previously scheduled, so the Red Cross is eager to keep supplies steady) and deploying volunteers. Click here to donate and/or volunteer.
Two other organizations also involved in Hurricane Irene relief efforts are The Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse. Both organizations accept online donations and are also recruiting volunteers.
On the personal front, we received wonderful news late Saturday afternoon about our house. LCB and I had been watching webcams and so forth much of Friday and Saturday, and were predicting that we would at least have some damage to our deck from Irene. Against the odds, it seems, when a storm like this hits our island, our house and even our deck remain intact. We are most, most thankful. Soon, we’ll be traveling back there to see friends and assess the house for any small impacts of Irene.
I hope the waters recede quickly for my northern friends, and I hope the rest of hurricane season 2011 proves to be mind-numbingly dull for all.
We lost power at midnight on Saturday night and still have none. The power company is giving the worst case scenario predictions to everyone, which is by Sunday at 8 pm. But I’ll take having no power and throwing out some ice cream to being flooded out of my home or store, which is the case for anyone in NJ near a river, thanks to the already heavy rainfall that we had received prior to Irene. My husband’s coworker lent us his generator since he didn’t need it, so we have power for about 4 hours a night to recharge the fridge and freezer and get online for a while. So much damage.
But I am so happy to read that you and your family and homes are fine.
I am so sorry you have to live without power for so long. Even though it’s minor relatively speaking, it still makes carrying on with life quite difficult. But yes, I can’t get over what so many people are going through with the flooding in so many areas. It’s so sad to watch people losing their homes and businesses, knowing there’s little if anything that can be done other than to watch it happen.
I’m so glad you don’t have to deal with the flooding, and hope your power returns a.s.a.p. Having access to a generator is great, but I’m sure it wears thin quickly. Best wishes with everything right now.