Post-Irene

Weather is important—especially when it’s in the North East, it becomes a major media event.  Also the coverage area of our local media includes communities that had good reason to prepare for a hurricane.  In Philadelphia, we were only expecting a Tropical Storm, but multiple forecasts threatened sustained winds of 40-45 knots per hour with gusts up to 60-65.  For peace of mind we prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.

Friday

Although the sun was shining Friday afternoon, our office closed early as a show of support for Mayor Nutter’s preparedness plan.  Knowing all that we had to do, I was happy to take advantage of the extra hours.  Stopping at the market, I stocked up on staples.  The grey clouds had set in by the time I got across the Market Street bridge.  I ran into a marina friend, baby strapped on, and asked what their plans were.  She told me she and the baby would wait out the storm in the safety of a friend’s house while her husband tended to the boat in the storm.
The men in the marina had spent the last few days denying any concern, shoving their hands in their pockets.  “It’s just another storm.”  That they happened to be right in the end is happenstance and little more.
Once home, I began working on the sailboat.  The marina guidelines said “remove all canvas” which matched my Dad’s advice.  He warned that even a slight gap in the roller furling could create windage.  I took off the dodger and bimini which prompted Peter to grumble that he would have just tied them down.  Together we took off the mainsail and headsail and stuffed them into the sailboat.

Saturday

The next morning clouds hung heavy in the sky.  By afternoon the rain began and the wind picked up.  Gusts were now predicted at 55 kph.  Friday evening’s argument was resolved:  if the value of staying was the ability to respond to any problems, then being over-prepared to deal with them quickly and safely was paramount.  We spent the next several hours cleaning up anything that might blow and eventually moved our plants inside. I had an evacuation bag ready, life jackets and a flood light on the boat, extra lines a hand’s reach away. We took stock and decided that everything was replaceable except our laptops and my teaching portfolio which I moved to storage.  We settled in for a night of wind and rain, ready to respond to trouble, fix a broken line or evacuate if needed.

Sunday

Thankfully we only saw sustained 20 kph wind with the highest gust getting up to 37.  We were fine.  The wind and rain continued through morning and we saw sun late that afternoon.  The worst part is the inconvenience of having to hank back on sails so we can get out to enjoy the beautiful weather that always follows a hurricane.

View Full Album