Hurricane Irene Now Aiming at New York and Boston Areas.
With yesterday’s rare 5.8 magnitude earthquake which many people in New York felt, you would think that this small East Coast state has had enough trouble from Mother Nature for one week. However, following on the heels of the quake comes Hurricane Irene. Forecasters are now saying that Irene could make landfall at or near Long Island on Sunday with winds of 80 mph or more. If this occurs it will cause havoc with extremely heavy rainfall, downed power lines, widespread flooding and more. The storm has residents from Boston through Virginia Beach on alert for potential flooding and wind damage.
Folks in North Carolina are now bracing for the wrath of Irene which is the first major hurricane of the season. The massive storm system was swirling through the Bahamas this morning, packing winds of 114 miles per hour with storm surges and heavy downpours of rain. If Irene does proceed on the course forecasters expect, it could dump many inches of rain on the New York area which will most likely challenge or break local and state-wide records. Trees could become uprooted by winds when the ground is soaked which could cause major problems for a great many home and business owners.
Hurricane Irene is now a Category 3 storm and it is expected to intensify further over the next few days before making landfall in the United States on the weekend. The National Weather Center in Miami is warning of an “extremely dangerous” storm surge as the massive system gains strength before hitting the East Coast.
Everyone on the East Coast should be keeping an eye on this first major hurricane of 2011 because thus far it has fooled forecasters as it as veered off its expected course. The path of the storm is plodding toward a possible strike on the New York area which means that property owners should take stock and ready their land, businesses and homes. It is wise to know your community’s emergency plan and to stock up on a few essentials. Also, if you happen to live in a flood prone area or on the coastline, consider sealing off your basement and installing storm shutters (new or homemade) on the outside of your structure. A Category 2 or above strength hurricane can flood thousands of basements in just one community and can also wreak havoc on roofs and on above-ground tanks on properties. It also can turn toys and other things left in yards into missiles which could shatter windows, doors and even kill.
