Since Hurricane Irene has been flirting with our friends and family all along the East Coast, I'm opening up this post as a place for updates, should you want to post any.
I'll start: If it weren't for the news we'd have never known Irene went by. Perhaps it was a little cooler and more humid than we'd normally expect for August, but we're back to hot-hot-hot now—and no less humid.
Next up, I'd like to hear from our nephew in Virginia, who should be feeling Irene's effects right now....
Update, placed here because I can't figure out how to put pictures in comments. Tree down at the Flounder (one of three trunks, actually). Click for larger view.
Photo credits PJS
More photos from PJS, 10 a.m.-ish. That's the view from the Flounder, not from a boat!
(Please note that comments have spilled over to a second page. Click the "Next" button at the top of the comments section to get to the most recent updates.)
Last I heard there were waves on the lake but he wasn't out surfing.
Mark will start a 48-hour shift at the station in a few hours. Brian and I will hold down the fort.
Thanks! I hear the surfers here had a blast with the 10-foot waves. (Well, not here precisely, where the lakes didn't even ripple, but over on the coast.)
The fort could have given you trouble in the wind if you still had it. :) Hopefully the house itself won't need much holding down.
Hey!
Lots of wind and rain here but not much else. a couple of trees went down outside of my dorm but they fell away from the building. Im not really sure whats going on around the rest of campus but i know there are some downed powerlines. Also, we still have power but the air-conditioning stopped working.
Hey!
Nothing major here has happened except a couple of trees have fallen outside my dorm. I haven't left the building really so i'm not sure whats going on around the rest of campus.
Thanks for the updates, Kevin. I apologize to all for not moderating your comments till now. We went to bed on grandparent time last night. I think from now on your comments should come straight through.
10:30 p.m. update from Exton: Rain.
11:30 p.m. update from Downingtown: Rain, tornado watches/warnings, minor leaks, busy EMT/fire/police.
And double sol games.
11:30 p.m. update from Exton: Lots of rain; half the family hiding from tornadoes in the basement and texting requests for snacks to those staying above ground. :)
12:15 a.m. update from Downingtown: Reports of cars floating, people on their roofs. M had to pull a police car out of a river.
6 a.m. update from the Flounder: Wind not all that strong yet, but relentless. It took down one of the trunks of the big tree, but it landed in the best possible place, damaging the neighbor's flag pole but neither of the houses. The rose of sharon bush blew down. As this is just the beginning, P wisely decided not to go out and check further. You can still see under the causeway. Weather precludes sight of the Maggie, though.
I've added a picture of the downed tree at the Flounder to the body of the article.
Updates:
Exton, 9 a.m. Well, we kept power all night. Still some rain and wind at the moment, but not much. I haven't ventured outside, but nothing looks out of the ordinary. Very happy to not be in one of the low areas. A quick on-line look tells me the lowest point in Downingtown is 255 feet. We are at 670 or so (lower in the basement).
Downingtown, 10:00 a.m. No power, no Internet, but everyone is fine.
Saybrook, 10:30 a.m. See new pictures added above. According to Bill, "The worst I have seen the water in 80 years." The causeway is now almost completely submerged. No news yet from the Maggie, obviously—equally obviously there must be a lot of water in her. People doing okay. They still have power, except for the oven; they turned off the breaker because it started beeping and giving an error code. (It was not in use.)
Granby, 10:30 a.m. Lost power at 8 - no real wind yet. Probably 7+ inches rain so far.
Correction: The waves are three feet over the causeway.
The Maggie is now visible. Can't see the damage, of course, but at least she's still there. :)
Clarification: Downingtown itself is a real mess, lots of flooding. But those we know in the area are on higher ground.
It's raining and somewhat windy. So far not worth all the fuss.
Wind is howling and rain pelting here in New England, just at noontime. We were out early for church (10 people showed) and had one detour on the way home for what we presume were downed trees or wires. Local breakfast shop stayed hope and had a small crowd looking for Western omelets. Looked like part of our street was without power. More tropical than hurricane right now, with branches and leaves down but no big trees yet. Best decision in building a house on a hill in a small community: the gas generator.
Noon update from New Hampshire: Well here we are waiting for the hurricane. Church was cancelled this morning for the first time in its 175 year history. I wonder if those making that call knew it was historic. And we got the word on Friday that school was cancelled for Monday in anticipation of the hurricane. Forecast for Monday is 80 and sunny.
Eric, you may find that having a generator is also a great way to make friends. :)
Here's a news video from Old Saybrook. We think that's Harvey's Beach in the background.
