Waiting...

Like almost everyone on the eastern seaboard, I've been following the progress of Hurricane Irene.

I'm sitting here looking at maps and trying to figure out how some folks we know are making out. Folks who moved to Virginia Beach and Gloucester, VA (right across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay). At this moment they're (hopefully) elsewhere. AccuHunch is reporting over 15 inches of rain already in the southeast portion of Virginia and Irene is swirling around an eye that appears to be right off Virginia Beach.

Most of New Jersey is already getting rain and bands of rain have swept as far west as Binghampton, NY where there was a report of over 1 inch. Same for down near Lewisburg, PA. One long, skinny but very intense line of showers down that way has dropped over an inch of rain.

The Aerie will see none of that. We may get a third of an inch of rain overnight but it looks like the storm track has shifted slightly eastward and lands west of I-81 will be spared the wrath of Irene.

Terry spoke to her Mom today. The old gal lives in Linden, NJ about 4 miles west of the Kill van Kull on Newark Bay and only a couple dozen feet above sea level--maybe. Terry went through a check list of things Mom needed to do (get food stuffs and anything else you want to save off the floor in the basement, plug up the basement sinks and shower, fill your freezer with ice cubes--use water bottles if need be, fill the bath tub, roll up your porch awnings, get the garbage cans inside the garage, fill your car's gas tank, etc.).

Mom is still of the mind that, "Oh. It's going over Staten Island. It won't affect me!"

Terry tried to explain that the strong winds will be reaching out 75-100 miles on eaither side of the track and even the rains alone will create flooding problems. I think she got through to her.

Later, Terry got an email from her cousin Nancy--Joe's sister. Her Mom lives across the street from Terry's and she (Nancy) stopped in to see if they were prepared. Nancy said Mom had done most all the things Terry had said to do and was pretty well set. Nancy reminded Mom that there was an older phone in the basement that would work even if the power went out. She also told Mom that she (again Nancy) would be staying over at her Mom's house for the next few days so if she had need, she should call. (Jessica is still in the house with Grandma and should be able to lend a hand.)

Not much else to do for them from 200 miles away. Except say a prayer. And that's been going on for a while now.