Before Irene
Friday, August 26th, 2011
Did the light seem a little off the norm at sunset? No green sky or anything but…
Irene could easily knock out the power in NYC, at least on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. In my Downtown Manhattan neighborhood, I imagine the Con Ed facility on 14th Street has adequate means to thwart the storm surge, but it is in the evacuation zone, and you wonder. Salty, conductive sea water does not play nicely with electrical circuits. Co Ed workers are the best, I have real respect for the tough dirty job they do, keeping the electrons flowing. They’ll get things fixed, but it may take a while. Cell service and land lines may be overwhelmed or damaged. And our internets, twitters and facebooks will likely evaporate for a bit.
- Fill containers with drinking water, and fill the bathtub to use as wash water and for flushing. If you live above the 6th floor electric pumps fill the water tanks on your roof. Plus the storm surge may contaminate the drinking water.
- You should have flashlights and batteries, and a battery powered radio.
- Locate your nearest fire call box. They are land lines and will probably work. Report any smell of gas or fire.
- If it gets windy, X masking tape over windows to help keep them from shattering.
- Close your drapes and blinds to help protect you from flying glass.
- If it gets really bad, an interior room with no windows or possibly your hallway may be the safest place.
- Outside, be wary of stray current, you know, the kind that shocks dogs and people with the winter snow salting, again sea water is much more conductive than fresh water. And watch out for flying objects (tree branches, construction materials, flower pots, and broken glass, air conditioners).
- Stay inside with a good book.
- And relax, it usually isn’t as bad as the news makes out, but we should be prepared. New Yorkers react surprisingly well to emergencies. Help your neighbor if you can. It may turn into a party like the 2003 blackout.
i saw the sky in union square walking out of the whole foods, doppler radar maps indicate light precipitation in the atmosphere.
But did it feel odd to you? A bit ominous, or am I dramatizing?
it did look odd, and i had a "something big is coming" feeling, but i forgot all about it trying to navigate the crowds on 14th st.
Very helpful post! Stay safe you and everyone else out there in Irene’s path. The latest I heard is 8 inches or more of rain expected in the immediate NYC area, which is a lot. Plus since it’s such a big storm, even if the winds are less than hurricane strength, the fact that they’ll be blowing for up to 24 hours is obviously not good..
Another tidbit I heard is that in a major metropolitan area like Manhattan, even if the winds are blowing at say “just” 50 mph, when that wind is funneled and concentrated down those concrete canyons of skyscrapers, the actual wind speeds in those areas can be 70 mph or so.