In an unprecedented event, NYC evacuated approximately 370,000 people from lower Manhattan this morning and has completely shut down all mass transit since noon today (read more about it here).
I have to say that I am very impressed with the organization and communication of the city with it's population. There seems to be a sense of preparedness innate in the New Yorker, for obvious reason. It creates a sense of security so necessary to take care of its almost 8 million people.
Growing up on the Gulf Coast, this is not my first hurricane. I've been paying attention to the news and the weather, planning accordingly. As of right now it looks like our biggest concerns in the city are flooding, power outages, and getting the mass transit back in order after the whole shebang is over, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Luckily, we are not in a flood plane. In fact, the hurricane would need to be a cat four or higher to cause our zone to be evacuated. We happen to be in one of the safest areas. For this reason we are choosing to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm. Check out this link for more information on NYC hurricane evacuation zones. If for some unforeseen reason we are forced to leave our apartment we are planning to reporting to Hunter College evacuation center on 68th & Lexington.
Our hurricane Irene preparedness picture montage plan is as follows:
Water...errr...
water!
Rations
Supplies
First Aid Kit and life saving dog
I also filled up the tub with water in case we need water for bathing or flushing the toilet. And I froze some zip-lock bags full of water so I can store food for a little longer in case the power goes out.
Right now we sit and wait. The rain is barely coming down and the trees are still. We'll report back manana.
