I'm so happy I put things in writing. I predicted that I thought that it would downgrade to a tropical storm when it hit New York...She did. So I'm gloating a little.
Yes the beaches were bad but I mean are we THAT surprised that a massive storm left large waves? I mean 15 ft waves in the Atlantic Ocean isn't exactly impressive. Hell, bad storms on Lake Erie get to be 8-12 ft. and it's a lake! Anyone who has swam at Long Beach, Jersey shore etc, the waves are consistently pretty big. That's why I love swimming there, I love when waves take me out. This doesn't happen where I grew up on Lake Erie. We had break walls so the waves existed, but nothing like the ocean. When she hit Howard Beach, she was a hurricane (I think, it's pretty close it was right around there when it got downgraded), so you're telling me that that's only good for another 3 ft. to thunderstorms on Lake Erie? Sorry I'm not too impressed.
those of you who follow me on facebook know that I did say what would impress me. I felt that I should define what would be considered bad. I admit that I was a little worried my prediction would be wrong but alas it wasn't. So I was right, she was a tropical storm when she hit me in NYC. What I said on Facebook was that "If I lose power, I'll be impressed." Now, I thought she might knock out my power. Even everyone I asked of the 9 other people who weren't afraid that I spoke to said we would lose power. Granted, I think it was only like 2. I was skeptical...I didn't lose power as of yet. They say the storm passed but maybe a tail wind will kick up and take out the power. I'll write a retraction if that happens.
So, I'm not impressed. The storm passed while I was watching a TV show because I was told I had an hour. The Show lasted 45 minutes and when I turned the news back on, she was gone. I didn't hear her out the window. I didn't lose reception. I had no idea.
Now, for those of you who are impressed because of the millions of people who lost power. A) most of those were in the south, I gave her credit that she would be bad in the south...the one family I know in North Carolina wasn't too impressed with her, but they're 2 hours from the coast, so I don't think it's a very good example. Now hundreds of thousands in Long Island and Queens are without power, so you scream I should be impressed. Not so fast. The power company cut power to the evacuated areas in Howard Beach, the 5 Towns and elsewhere because they were worried the flooding would meet the electrical wires and if the electrical wires were hot, it could be very bad. So, it was precautionary. I don't know how many of the hundreds of thousands lost power from the Irene herself and not the electric company cutting off the power. So I'm not impressed with that either.
What about all the flooding you saw on TV? There was no beach at Howard Beach and Long beach (both in NY) and Longbranch (Jersey shore). Well my friend lives in the five towns (near Long Beach in Long Island) and I've had to drive to her house during downpours and massive showers. And I hydroplaned for most of the way to her house. One particular drive I remember, I was convinced my car wouldn't make it and ran stop signs because stopping I believed would guarantee my car wouldn't make it through....that was not during a tropical storm just a regular old thunderstorm. So, now the parking lot by the beach was flooded.... Again not too impressed. Fox News said, "It looks like Venice" I've been to Venice on at least three occasions. They don't have cars to go around, they have boats. In this "like Venice" place, cars were driving. Some turned around at an intersection because it was too bad...but emergency vehicles and garbage trucks blocked ways to the rockaways and other beaches. That couldn't happen in Venice, those cars would sink. So, A little hyperbolic there Fox News. Now I didn't drive to my friends house during Irene. She, like many others, heeded the evacuation notice. But I'm wondering how much worse it was than that time I drove to her house in a Thunderstorm. I saw cars and minivans hydroplaning through as they waved at the newscaster. I'm not too impressed. For me to give credit to flooding, those cars should have been being carried by the water down the street with the driver having 0 control.
For those who want to go upstate where they used rafts to get to people....fine, upstate may have gotten bad, but I didn't see that in Long Island, which still isn't New York City by the way. My comments were she wouldn't be too impressive in New York City and she wasn't by all my objective standards I put before. Sorry Irene. Now, it's not bad to be prepared in case shit does go down. But I still have never been in a Hurricane. I think this was my first tropical storm.
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