It is all Irene!

I get hooked on these things. I slept very little last night. I was watching the storm as it progressed. Stupid, I know. But my nature.

I sent a text to Donna and Terri in New York City yesterday. R u ok? Donna telephoned me. All was well, she said.

Donna and Terri live in the upper east side. Good. Unless the East River overflows, there should not be a problem. They live in a first floor apartment. Bad. If the East River does overflow, they and their possessions will be saturated.

Donna said they had taped all the windows as a precaution. It helps to prevent the glass from blowing in.

Donna lived in  Key West for many years. She is an experienced hurricane person. I do not believe Terri has been exposed to one yet.

I asked Donna if the tub was full of water. It is needed to flush toilets. And to drink if one runs out of bottled water. Donna said the tub was empty. She and Terri only shower. Never soak in the tub.  Yesterday was the first time they ever turned the tub on. It was broke. No water. And no one to call at the last minute to fix it.

Donna said they hustled back to the store and were able to buy extra gallons of water. They had already purchased flashlights, larger battery operated lights and some sort of battery operated radio to receive outside news in the event the electericity shut down. Oh, and candles too.

The theater is closed. Broadway is dark.  Terri will not be singing for at least two days.

Be safe, my friends!

I love watching the newscasters reporting. They are all in a beach area. Nothing is really visible but some water, wind and maybe a bit of ocean. As the hurricane hits the areas where the broadcasters are situated, I admire their courage in standing there half bent over and getting beat up by the rain. My fear is that some day one of them is going to be blown away never to be found. That would really be news!

It seems the broadcasters at the scenes never sleep. They never change. Each was with me all night.

Generally, the pictures of damage shown are not revealing. How can pictures be taken in the dark? The videos which people take after the storm has passed and send into the TV stations are excellent. Post storm pics, the damage, if any, is evident.

There is something called expectation. We in Key West have learned from experience that the national media tend to over dramartize a hurricane. What they preach will occur, genrally does not. The storm is not as strong or damaging as first thought and reported. Ergo as the night went by, it seemed reporters were straining to report the event. Irene was not cooperating.

This is not to mean that Irene is not a bad one! It will be recorded as a hurricane that caused much disruption and did much damage. But, I suspect no where near what had been anticipated. Which is good!

I could be wrong in my observation. Tonight and tomorrow will show the actual damage incurred.

The wind intensity with Irene is not the major problem. Water level is. Surge is the word. The increased water level which rushes over land in varying heights. A danger to person and property.

Key West experienced a 6.5 foot surge after Wilma. Lisa’s home as well as many others were water soaked and ruined big time. Within 48 hours of the surge, streets were lined with water
soaked furniture and walls which had been ripped out. As far as the eye could see. A sight to rip out the viewer’s heart, also.  With the heat being what it is in the keys, mold is the danger. It must be removed/thorn out before it has an opportunity to take hold and destroy an entire structure.

The first floor walls in Lisa’s home had to be immediately ripped out to a height of 6.5 feet. Easy to know how much to tear out. The water leaves a line on the wall.

Fortunately, Key West missed the horror of Irene. It was not our turn to dance. We haved danced too many times in the past. This hurricane sought new partners.

The glorious Key West weather yesterday gave me an opportunity to visit the coffee house on Caroline and read the newspapers. My usual coffee house on Duval is closed for a week. Afterwards, I took a thirty minute wall in Home Depot. Lisa and family arrived later in the afternoon to swim.

I spent the evening in alone glued to the TV set.

I will be out tonight. Jean Thornton and I are having dinner at La Trattoria with Kathy.

Enjoy your Sunday!

4 comments on “

  1. Enjoy your dinner tonight Lou. Irene luckily largely spared my area of Virginia thanks to the mountains that shred it's winds and rains.

  2. How many time do u have to tell us about Lisa,s house hit by the hurricane and if you put tape on windows it does nothing to help stop the crashing of them. That is an old wives tale.

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