How's the weather?

[Nicklab]

Irene was for lack of a better word, underwhelming.  No damage to speak of in my own area, but then I do live on a hill.

[Morgbug]

So more hype than substance? 

Obviously it could have gone the other way as well, so happy that people are faring well. 

[Nicklab]

There are pockets of flooding all along the east coast, so it wasn't completely overhyped.  But there was a high level of concern that the storm was going to hit New York City and do some very serious damage.  The word is that the storm dropped in intensity from a Category 1 to a Tropical Storm late last night, but the National Hurricane Center was hesitant to notify people of the downgrade out of a sense of caution.

[P-Siddy]

I can vouch that it was pretty much a whimper than the howl they were predicting. I saw minimal damage on the streets in the Upper East Side (small branches mostly). The biggest damage I saw in our area was a sign for a bus stop that had been bent down. And I think we've had bigger gusts of wind after the storm passed.

[Phrubruh]

My uncle lives in Maryland and had one of his 150ft trees fall over at destroy his deck. Just a little closer and it would have hit the house!

[McMetal]

Underwhelming MY ASS.

I guess if you only factor in the state of New York, which apparently is the only state that matters in media coverage. 

The thing was DEVASTATING here in VA. We got the worst of it by far, whether you are talking about flooding, stomr surge, rainfall totals, wind gusts, fatalities, power outages, etc.

75% of central VA was without power, most of us still are. Let me, tell you, it is no picnic living with no electricity for 3 days+ with 2 kids aged 4 and 6. If you're not ready to eat a bullet by the third day it's only because you've become completely numb to the unrelenting mental anguish.

Along with Isabel, that is the worst storm I have ever been through, there are trees down all around our neighborhood, many through people's houses.

I am thankful that more people up and down the coast were not affected, but for those of us that were it remains a very stressful situation.

[P-Siddy]

Underwhelming MY ASS.

Yes, I think Nick means where he lives, as I meant in Manhattan, where we were expecting the worst, thanks to the media. Good thing it didn't turn out that way. But that certainly doesn't mean that no one gives a damn about the Carolinas and Virginia (I think they got a lot of coverage). It sucks for all that got effected by this. Hell, I have a friend that lives in the 'burbs of Philly and he was spending most of his night emptying out his basement of water.

As for the media, yeah, I think they may have given NYC a lot of attention, but Irene was supposed to make a huge impact on the city, the largest storm we were supposed to have seen since 1882, I think they were saying.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, because our experience was underwhelming doesn't mean we're belittling the experience others south of us did. Stay strong, McMetal.

[Jesse James]

A big one hit here a few years ago...  I'm thankful this thing didn't take a path up this way because the last one we got smacked with caused a buttload of destruction around here.  I know I had a basement to clean out, insurance companies to argue with, and about 3 trees to cut up just on my property much less trying to help my neighbors get things cut down on theirs.  What a mess.

Fortunately we had our power back right away in that one...  I was almost trapped overnight in my car halfway between home and school, and I had early pneumonia on top of it that only worsened after that mess.    A little rain would've been nice, but everyone here was really not wanting the track to come more to the interior of the East...  Such a mess.

[Nicklab]

Underwhelming MY ASS.

Yes, I think Nick means where he lives, as I meant in Manhattan, where we were expecting the worst, thanks to the media. Good thing it didn't turn out that way. But that certainly doesn't mean that no one gives a damn about the Carolinas and Virginia (I think they got a lot of coverage). It sucks for all that got effected by this. Hell, I have a friend that lives in the 'burbs of Philly and he was spending most of his night emptying out his basement of water.

As for the media, yeah, I think they may have given NYC a lot of attention, but Irene was supposed to make a huge impact on the city, the largest storm we were supposed to have seen since 1882, I think they were saying.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, because our experience was underwhelming doesn't mean we're belittling the experience others south of us did. Stay strong, McMetal.

Exactly.  When a storm is projected by numerous forecasts to be headed for New York City, THE most densely populated city in the United States, people get a little nervous.  Especially when you take into account just how many people were evacuated from their homes.  The precautions that were taken in New York were well beyond the mark.  All in all you're left thinking that the greater NYC area dodged a major bullet.  As for my own situation?  I was lucky.  There are many in the tri-state area without power.  Flooding has still left some communities cut off.  A good number of roads are washed out.  And water supplies in some towns have been compromised.  But I think there were legitimate concerns about a hurricane making a direct hit on a major city, and Hurricane Katrina is still very much fresh in people's memories.

And that's not to diminish the flooding that's happened in upstate New York, parts of New Jersey and Vermont.  Vermont has some SERIOUS flooding issues because of this storm, and has had these issues since the late spring.  I was up there a few months ago and there had been flooding in the central parts of the state, and Irene compounded some of those problems.

I have no doubt that both North Carolina and Virginia took a pounding.  That's where the storm came ashore, and from the coverage I saw out of the Virginia Beach area I know it was intense.  I hope you're able to hang in there, McMetal.

[Chris M]

I know some of you aren't religious and some of you are, but just take it for what it's worth, there are those of us who are here in the south that are untouched by this particular storm praying for you and your situation.  If you don't believe in prayer, then know that our thoughts are with you.

I've never done floods or hurricanes (other than relief work after Katrina), but tornadoes are a sport where I grew up in Texas so I can understand the frustration of having little infrastructure in place when you would really like to have it.

[McMetal]

Thanks guys, we just got power back last night, so things are looking up here.

I was only venting in regard to the media coverage, not anyone's posts, it just seemed out of whack to me somehow. But ya I get it, media is all numbers driven and they would rather panic as many people as possible rather than focus on the actual facts.

[Nicklab]

I don't know what to tell you dude.  In all the coverage I was watching, I saw live reports from the following locations:
-North Carolina (Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Atlantic Beach, Cape Hatteras)
-Virginia (VA Beach, Norfolk, Arlington)
-Maryland (Ocean City)
-New Jersey (Asbury Park)
-New York (Battery Park, Long Island)
-Massachusetts

And this was all as the storm was going on.

[Phrubruh]

Wait... there is a town called Duck?

East coast.....

[Paul]

Yesterdays Tornado outbreak was freakish. 

As of now there are no fatalities reported. This is incredible when you consider the damage and the Truckstop that was hit and the semi trailers that were literally dropped on houses. 

More rain on tap for this am.

[Rob]

Yesterdays Tornado outbreak was freakish. 

As of now there are no fatalities reported. This is incredible when you consider the damage and the Truckstop that was hit and the semi trailers that were literally dropped on houses. 

More rain on tap for this am.

That footage was incredible.

Where exactly did the tornado(es) pass through?