The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit us early Sunday morning, and in my neck of the woods (northern Manhattan), it was pretty much just a strong thunderstorm that I slept right through. I didn’t lose power and it was sunny by 11 am.
However, not as much can be said for other areas of the greater NYC area—New Jersey, Queens, and Brooklyn all had areas with power outages, downed trees, and flooding, and it was even worse in upstate New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and some parts of Massachusetts, where they’re still recovering from flooding and power outages. But the worst part of the storm for New England seems to be in Vermont, at least according to the reports I’ve seen from friends who are currently trapped in their house (thankfully on a hill) because their whole road just washed away; bridges are washed away and in nearby towns the whole downtown is flooded. I hope that despite the millions in damage to farms and businesses, that the people and animals who live there are okay.
Here are a few links and videos from Jo Knowles, a YA author who lives in Vermont, who is the friend I heard about the situation in VT from:
The Bennington, VT Banner reporting on damage in that area
Ottauquechee Over Banks Flooding Rt. 4 West
This one gets down to show how it’s affecting Vermonters on a personal level—their whole road is washed away.
Originally published at Stacy Whitman's Grimoire. Please leave any comments there.
As writers, we understand loss. We fill jump drives or external hard drives with precious data or we backup our files on the cloud in case we need access from anywhere.
But are we prepared for a true disaster? Are we ready if a fire strikes our office (or wherever we write), if a tornado demolishes our home, or if a hurricane forces flood waters into our lives?
As Hurricane Irene raced up the eastern seaboard, the
library in
Upper Jay, New York braced itself. But the community, situated in the
AuSable River in the Adirondacks could not have imagined the devastation to the community's library.
The basement of the Wells Memorial Library filled with water. On the main floor, about two feet of mucky water wiped out the entire children's collection. Those books were on the lower shelves, where small hands could easily reach and select a picture book for reading pleasure.
In an interview yesterday, Library Board of Trustees President Marie-Ann Azar Ward said nothing was on the floor of the library's basement because it has had water in it previously.
"But the main building has never experienced flooding in 105 years and this is a flood-prone river valley."
The children's collection wasn't the only genre of books that were damaged. The Adirondack collection and archives were "severely curtailed," and the lower two shelves, filled with fiction, biographies, reference books, DVDs and large print were ruined.
Ward estimates that 50 percent, approximately 5000 items, have been removed from the library.
Since the flood, over 20 people, from age 4 to 80, have spent dayss salvaging undamaged items and discarding mud-caked and water-logged books, furniture and supplies.
New York Governor Cuomo tagged the library a
Labor for Your Neighbor site. On September 3, 15 volunteers from other New York communities worked to clear heating ducts and dry wall from the building's basement and fix the handicap ramp.
Ward said the library serves a population of about 2000 across four villages. The library operates on a yearly budget of $30,000. She said the library raises 70 percent of the funds during a yearly book sale.
Unfortunately, those items were in the basement.
Since word of the devastation leaked into social media outlets, the group has received offers of books, as well as monetary donations. Author Kate Messner shared photos of the flood's impact on her
blog.
NPR's Melissa Block discussed the flood damage with Azar Ward on September 1 and Ward said the library will face tough decisions.
We writers may prepare for personal loss of data, but libraries - which are limited by public tax dollars and annual book sales - may not be financially ready for a drain on resources.
My mom is a librarian and I grew up at school and in the library. I cannot imagine this kind of loss. More importantly, I can't imagine the impact of not having a library readily available.
Is your local library prepared for the unthinkable?
by LuAnn Schindler. Read more of LuAnn's work at her website.
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| Transferring a sketch for a map assignment on my old-fashioned light box during the week without power. |
I'm thinking of calling last week "The Lost Week," or "The Powerless Week," and I'd like to hit the reset button for the month of September, please! Like thousands of other folks across the Northeast, our power went "poof!" last Sunday morning due to Hurricane Irene, and we didn't get it back until seven days later. (Seven long, cold-showering days!)
We were fortunate to have use of a generator, without which there's no water from the well; and we have a gas stove, so we were able to cook. The husband even managed to hook up a TV and the wifi box halfway through the week, though the fishtank mysteriously kept blowing the fuse. It could have been so much worse– I can only imagine how devastating it must be for those who lose their homes to flooding and fires– so we can't complain too much. But still, the week left us feeling generally discombobulated. Glad to be moving forward now!
Below is a sneak peek of part of a sketch from
this project (which I'm casually calling the "Sled" book.) I'm starting final art now. Yay!
Yesterday, we got the basement carpet up. It had been more or less dry for a couple of days, but we missed the mold deadline by a long way, so it had to go. No underlay, just 675 square feet of stubborn, unyielding fabric, glued fast to the floor. It may not sound like much, but boy did it take some shifting. Every slice of carpet stuck to the concrete like a great sticky thing that didn't want to let go of the...er thing it was stuck to.
It didn't help having to work around the furniture, but after three-and-a-half-hours of sweaty, exhausting work, our once comfy carpet was cut into managable pieces and placed in a couple of doxen extra large garbage sacks.
(Read more ...)
We made it through. Our house didn't take on too much water (we're on a hill), but there was unprecedented flooding on nearby roads and we did lose power for three and a half days. After surviving without electricity, reading by booklight or flashlight, eating take-out food, going without hot showers (ick!) and being cut off from the internet, I realized one thing.
It could have been worse.
For instance, thousands in Vermont are
still without power, still battling floods. And many bridges in that state have been swept away. So Pennsylvania got off easy.
After Irene stormed through my area, the sight of uprooted trees and downed wires were common.
Along with a very swollen and muddy Brandywine Creek. My son took the following photos:
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| The picnic park was a complete wash-out on Sunday. For the first time I can remember, the water went over Rt 52! |
11 Comments on Aftermath of Irene, last added: 9/4/2011
The clean up after Hurricane Irene continues.
(Read more ...)
Living in New Orleans I always considered myself being hurricane ready, until the big one came. I don't have to say her name do I?
Anyway, you think to pack for the weekend and you'll be back home in no time.
This is not always the case and I don't want you to be like me, unprepared for the worse. Prepare now! Here is a list I wish I would have had while planning to evacuate at the last minute. (meaning don't wait until the last minute)
1.) Bring more than 3 days worth of clothes. Pack for a week if you have room.
2.) I would have gone to the pharmacy and filled all our prescriptions.
3.) I would have taken a lot more money.
4.) I would have reserved a room a long time before it was time to evacuate, esp. with the dogs. Only a hand full of hotels would take dogs, so we ended up in a horror movie type motel. Yuck! But I bless them for taking us in.
5.) I would have learned how to TEXT on my cell. The cell phones don't work at all. The systems were down and I couldn't reach 1/2 my family.
6.) Which brings me to #6. Get info on all your family and friends on where they are going. Stay together if you can.
7.) Buy lots and lots of water, batteries, candles, can food, breakfast bars, drinks, etc. (bring some with you, and leave some behind)
8.) Turn your refrigerator to the coldest temp. Your food might last a little longer.
9.) When you are gone, buy tons of ice & food before you come back. (bring ice chest with you when you evacuate.) Oh and don't forget your favorite coffee. Other states may not have what you like. You'll need it if you are staying up driving all night or if you are holed up in a stinky hotel room for days glued to the TV.
10.) Fill up as soon as you know there is a storm coming. The gas lines will be insane!
11.) While away buy several gas containers and fill them. (if you have a trailer, put them on the trailer and not in your car.)
12.) If you can buy a generator before the storm, great! If not, buy one while you are evacuated. (like I said before, buy a small trailer to put behind your vehicle if you can for the gas and generator).
13.) If you have time, get your car oil checked and changed. Check your tires too. Don't want to end up stranded on side the road.
14.) Find a place for your pets way in advance if you can.
15.) Talk with children's schools and see if they have a place online to hear updates about schools. Bring kids books and uniforms.
16.) Did I say bring all important papers such as, insurance, bank info, bills, etc.
17.) Grab your photo albums & keepsake stuff.
18.) Back up your computers on a jump drive. Bring laptop if you can or raise your CPU off the floor. Raise all important things off the floor or put in ziplock bags.
19.) Bring all chargers. Cell phone, etc.
20.) If you have a gun, bring it. I wish we would have. Things got a little crazy coming back to NOLA after Katrina.
21.) Grab one of your phone books from home. If you pretty much know you'll have damage before you get home, call a contractor now and book them before you have to wait in line of a hundred other people. (my hubby is a contractor, so we didn't need this one, but all our friends and clients did.)
22.) Get your elderly loved ones out of harms way. They can't help themselves. Help a neighbor too if you can. Exchange #'s with your neighbors, they might be home before you and can call you or vice versa.
23.) And people, tape does not work, it is useless. Board up instead.
24.) Leave if you can before everyone else leaves. The grid-lock will be hell! (esp. with kids,
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With a massive hurricane forecast to hit much of the Eastern seaboard this weekend, we here at Stately Beat Manor offer the following information to help our readers survive the coming storm.
1010 WINS reports that:
- Gasoline, ATMs, and batteries are hard to find in New Jersey.
- The Metropolitan Transit Authority may suspend service system wide due to possible flooding and extreme winds.
- The City has ordered that all hospitals, nursing homes, and senior citizen homes in low-lying areas must evacuate by 8 PM Friday.
The National Hurricane Center has updates, warnings, and forecasts here.
The National Weather Service also has local conditions and radar, along with regional warnings.
FEMA also has an excellent site for preparedness. (They even have comics for kids!)
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For those living in New York City, the following is a helpful site. Of great concern is the storm surge, the mass of water propelled in front of the storm. Some may recall Hurrican Gloria of 1985, which followed a similar track. However, that storm occurred at low tide, while Irene will arrive at a high tide caused by an almost Full Moon. The surge can destroy large buildings, and can occur before and after the storm has passed.
The city has created a Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder. Residents can also call 311, although that system has delays even during normal times. A detailed PDF map can be downloaded, which also shows public shelters.
Hurricane brochures and maps in various languages are also available here.
Given the “new normal”, everyone should maintain a “go bag” for emergencies. From the above brochure:
A GO BAG SHOULD INCLUDE
Copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, photo IDs, proof of address, etc.)
Extra set of car and house keys
Copies of credit/ATM cards and $50-$100 cash in small denominations
Bottled water and nonperishable food such as energy or granola bars
Flashlight
Battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries
Up-to-date medication information and other essential personal items. Keep a list of the medications each member of your household takes, why they take them, and their dosages.
Also inclu
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very cool post! thanks!