Topic: Hurricane Irene And All East Coast Related End O' The World Disaster Type Stuff

[charlesoakwood]

[Pandora]

UPDATE on Governor Purdue's Declared State of Emergency:

Section 7.

This order is adopted pursuant to my powers under Article 1 of Chapter 166A of the General Statutes and under Article 36A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes.  It does not trigger the limitations on weapons in G.S. § 14-288.7 or impose any limitation on the consumption, transportation, sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages.

I am very glad to see this!

[Glock32]

I have family leaving the Cape Fear area today. They said it's getting bad already. I hope they got some surf pics before they left. I went down to Wrightsville Beach the night before Floyd came ashore and you could feel the waves through your feet as you crossed the dune line. They were huge.

[IronDioPriest]

UPDATE on Governor Purdue's Declared State of Emergency:

Section 7.

This order is adopted pursuant to my powers under Article 1 of Chapter 166A of the General Statutes and under Article 36A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes.  It does not trigger the limitations on weapons in G.S. § 14-288.7 or impose any limitation on the consumption, transportation, sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages.

I am very glad to see this!

It is a good result. But is it not state law in NC that when the governor declares a state of emergency, carry permits are suspended until the emergency declaration is lifted? If not, I misunderstood the situation there. If so, this waiver by the governor reeks of tyranny doling out benevolent permissions.

[Pandora]

UPDATE on Governor Purdue's Declared State of Emergency:

Section 7.

This order is adopted pursuant to my powers under Article 1 of Chapter 166A of the General Statutes and under Article 36A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes.  It does not trigger the limitations on weapons in G.S. § 14-288.7 or impose any limitation on the consumption, transportation, sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages.

I am very glad to see this!

It is a good result. But is it not state law in NC that when the governor declares a state of emergency, carry permits are suspended until the emergency declaration is lifted?

That's correct.  However, this time, she (Purdue) suspended the suspension in her SOE declaration.

If not, I misunderstood the situation there. If so, this waiver by the governor reeks of tyranny doling out benevolent permissions.

You didn't misunderstand the scenario as it is usually conducted, and yes, you caught the reek accurately.

Nevertheless, until we can get these totalitarian, shades of NO, fckheads out of our 2A business, this is as good as it gets for right now.

Also, if you noticed, a pre-hurricane grocery-run that included any adult beverage would have been verboten as well.

[Glock32]

The whole "state of emergency" crap was something the original omnibus gun bill would have partially remedied, but that provision did not survive and was not included in the final bill that was enacted in June. It should be a priority for the next session.

Speaking of that, that's a lesson the GOP could do well to learn from the left. The left never, ever, ever stops. They will not back off of their agenda. If they get thwarted today, they're attacking from another direction tomorrow. Our pols, on the other hand, have a tendency to just accept an incomplete compromise as having been the best we're going to get. I'm thinking of the repeal vote on Obamacare.

[IronDioPriest]

Well, in either case, it's good the Governor Purdue recognized the error/bowed to pressure/decided not to have this battle now in this political environment - and waived the bans.

I questioned because I received an email from one of my many conservative alert blasts last night, essentially saying that the governor's declaration made felons of everyone who was carrying their weapon at the time.

[charlesoakwood]

On Hannity, Joe Bastarti said it was going to go north instead of cutting east, something like Baltimore, New Jersey, then New York.  It ought to go straight up Pennsylvania avenue and sit there.

This is a seven hour visual loop and it ain't herky jerky.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/nwatl/flash-vis.html

[AlanS]

On Hannity, Joe Bastarti said it was going to go north instead of cutting east, something like Baltimore, New Jersey, then New York.  It ought to go straight up Pennsylvania avenue and sit there.

This is a seven hour visual loop and it ain't herky jerky.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/nwatl/flash-vis.html

If so, it'll only be a Cat 1 Hurricane. We don't even evacuate for a Cat 1 down here. And laugh at Tropical Depressions.

[John Florida]

[charlesoakwood]

 


Bastardi said it's going to Norfolk if she cuts up Chesapeake bay she could pick up steam
all the way to the Patuxent river.

[RickZ]

The humidity's climbing here in NYC.  Tomorrow into Sunday should be fun.  But at least the temps drop Sunday.

And yeah, they moved the Giants game from 7 p.m. up to something like 1 p.m.  Idiots.  They pull the same crap with hockey games and blizzards, only cancelling if a team or teams are travelling and get stuck.  But if they're both here, the show goes on -- with hardly anybody in attendance.  I'm sure the crowd for the football game with be huge(ly populated by morons more than is normal for a game).

[rickl]

RickZ:
Did you see Brendan Loy's comments about the football game in one of the links I posted last night?  Calling for preparation and evacuation while simultaneously playing a football game sends a mixed message, to say the least.

So how are you doing?  Where are you with regard to sea level, skyscrapers, and such?  Are you staying put or leaving?

[John Florida]

The humidity's climbing here in NYC.  Tomorrow into Sunday should be fun.  But at least the temps drop Sunday.

And yeah, they moved the Giants game from 7 p.m. up to something like 1 p.m.  Idiots.  They pull the same crap with hockey games and blizzards, only cancelling if a team or teams are travelling and get stuck.  But if they're both here, the show goes on -- with hardly anybody in attendance.  I'm sure the crowd for the football game with be huge(ly populated by morons more than is normal for a game).

 When you look out and see all the birds going in one direction you know it's close.They know the way out of Dodge.

[rickl]

It's raining again here.  This has been the wettest August on record in the Philly area.

The ground is saturated and the stream beds are full.  Inland flooding is going to be a huge problem with this storm.

[rickl]

Seen in a comment in the hurricane thread at Ticker Forum.  Yes, I know that South Carolina isn't involved with this storm, but it's funny.

URGENT - URGENT - URGENT (FOR IMMEDIATE DISSEMINATION STATEWIDE)
Warning to all South Carolina residents of a possible hurricane threat. The path of this hurricane is still unclear and may be a threat to our state.

Although meteorologists are predicting landfall somewhere to the north of South Carolina, state emergency preparedness officials are making two basic but important points:

(1) There is no need to panic.

(2) We could all be killed.

Hurricane season is an exciting time to be in South Carolina. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one." Based on experience, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1. Buy enough food, beer, and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.

STEP 2. Put these supplies into your car.

STEP 3. Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Halloween.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in South Carolina. We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items: HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and

(2) It is located in Nebraska.

Unfortunately, if your home is located in South Carolina, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place. So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

Since Hurricane George, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bubba and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bubba and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys.

SHUTTERS: Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major hurricane -- all the toilets. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages:

Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap. The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off.

Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December.

Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

Hurricane-proof windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Nebraska.

Hurricane Proofing Your Property: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc.. You should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE: If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "South Carolina," you live in a low-lying area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES: If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! South Carolina tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies: 23 flashlights At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes off, to be the wrong size for the flashlights. Bleach. (We don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for, but it's traditional, so GET some!) A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant. A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.) A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through Hugo. After the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.) $35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck, and remember: It's great living in South Carolina.

[rickl]

I think I'm about as well-prepared as I know how.  I have plenty of non-perishable food, bottled water, beer, tobacco, flashlights, batteries, toilet paper, hand-cranked radio, etc.   My car has 3/4 tank of gas, which should be plenty since I can't envision a scenario where I would be forced to evacuate.  I don't live near the water, and there don't seem to be any tree branches that could pose a threat to my house.  There is a tree in my front yard which could pose a problem if the whole tree blew down, but it's a young one.

The thing that I'm most concerned about is losing power for a prolonged period of time.  A couple months ago I lost it for 24 hours, and that sucked.  I'd rather not repeat that experience.

Yesterday at work I thought of buying a backup generator.  I've never used one before, and after talking to a co-worker about it, I decided to give it a try.  If I could use it to keep my refrigerator and computer running, it would be worth the expense.

So when I left work on Thursday, I headed to Home Depot.  I asked the guy if he had any generators, and he sort of laughed and said, "No, we sold the last one this morning.  We don't have any rental units, either."

I then drove up the road a ways and tried Lowe's.  I walked in at the same time as another guy and we were both looking for generators.  The man at the counter said that he was expecting a truck that evening, and to call back in an hour or two.  I went home and called at 8:00.  He said the truck wasn't going to get there that night, and to call in the morning.  When I woke up this morning, I called and was told they were expecting a delivery, but they were only going to get a limited number.  They already had a bunch of people waiting for them, so they were going to be sold out the moment they arrived.

Well, that was the end of that.  I went in to work and worked a normal day, picked up my paycheck and headed to the bank afterwards.  I went in to the bank, deposited part of my check and took the rest in cash, as I normally do.  I left the bank and decided to go to the gas station to pick up some ice, which I figured I might need to keep my food cold if and when I lost power.

I pulled out of the bank onto the road.  I was behind a flatbed truck which was carrying a load of boxes.  I noticed that all of the boxes said "Portable Generator".   

The truck was heading to Lowe's!  I followed it, and pulled into the parking lot right behind it.  I went inside...and saw a whole bunch of people standing around near the entrance.  I went to the service desk and asked if there was a waiting list for generators.  The woman said, "No.  We're getting 30 generators, and there are already 30 people waiting for them."

So my spotting that truck when I left the bank was almost Providential, with emphasis on "almost".   

[RickZ]

rickl,

I'm staying.  I'm in northern Queens, just south of Laguardia Airport.  I'm in a rather sturdy 6 story prewar, with 48 units.  Plus, I'm on the third floor, so no flooding.  An added bonus is that most of my windows face north and west.

I'm heading out in the morning to get some stuff, along with refilling a prescription.  Then I'm making pork stir-fry and mixing some adult beverages in the evening/early Sunday morning.

Another thing is we rarely ever lose power as most of the wires are underground.  The only power outage I can recall of any serious length (longer than an hour) was the massive East Coast Blackout of 2003.

That reminds me to cook all the Italian sausages I bought, just in case I need some snacks.

ETA:  My neighborhood is called Jackson Heights for a reason.  We have some slight elevation, and that never hurts.  I'm more worried about a friend on Staten Island.  She's about 1/2 a mile from the northern beaches on the Atlantic, just south of the Verrazano.  They may have to evacuate and, if that's the case, she'll cross the island and stay with her parents (there are enough hills on Staten Island that it won't become New Orleans).

[Pandora]

It IS funny!  Thanks!

[John Florida]

Pan you feeling yet?