CaptSopwith 26 Posted August 28, 2011 Keeping an eye on the news today - Hurricane Irene has been churning up the East Coast of the United States for the last day or so. I checked the handy OFF pilots map that Olham keeps updated and realized that there are a large number of us in the storm's path. I hope everyone is well - Irene doesn't look as serious as many originally feared. How is everyone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted August 28, 2011 How is everyone? Not too bad. Just another rainstorm so far. I'm sorta' on the place where Cape Cod joins the mainland. Just got off the phone with a buddy in Philadelphia and he says the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiloh 12 Posted August 28, 2011 Thanks for checking in CaptSopwith. I'm in the hills of northwest Massachusetts and we're really just getting a ton of rain. Winds have been lower than expected and we still have power which is our biggest concern as many in Connecticut are currently without it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wombat 1 Posted August 28, 2011 Up here near Bangor, ME so far so good. Tonight will be somewhat more wild and wooly I expect. More worried about our 32ft ketch in Stockton Springs. Did everything I could on Friday to pull canvas and batten down the hatches. So now we wait. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
themightysrc 5 Posted August 28, 2011 Good luck to all you colonials - I very much hope that Irene's visit is both brief and uneventful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonL 0 Posted August 28, 2011 We are about 20 miles north of Philadelphia, PA . We had loads of heavy rain (the news was claiming 8 inches) but the winds were not as bad as they were expecting. We stocked up on beer, wine, and water. We still have a lot of the water left . Our house stayed dry and we did not lose electric power although many people in this area did lose power. To those north of us stay inside and ride it out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted August 28, 2011 Good luck to all you colonials - I very much hope that Irene's visit is both brief and uneventful. Here in the (roughly) Cape Cod area in southern Massachusetts, we have sunshine predicted for the next two days. It's looks like 'Irene' petered out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cptroyce 0 Posted August 28, 2011 Caught the brunt of the storm here in NY..8-10 inches of rain in as many hours. We're "drying" out..but all seems OK. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted August 28, 2011 . My son called a couple of hours ago to say that he and his wife are doing fine and riding it out in their apartment in Brooklyn. I sure hope everyone else fares as well out there. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptSopwith 26 Posted August 28, 2011 So far so good from the sound of things. Keeping my fingers crossed that that continues. Be safe everyone! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted August 28, 2011 Just saw the late news, with a report from New York. All the best to you over the pond! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiloh 12 Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) Well we had a major change in our weather here in northwest Massachusetts. We are homeless for the time being but everyone is fine. Our home is dry for now and we hope for the best. At around 1pm we lost power then 15 minutes later we heard the police on their megaphones saying "evacuate immediately"! At first the houses next to the river were evacuated then they evacuated half the village shortly thereafter. A dam up-river from us broke and sent a mountain of water our way. The river just across from our house came up quick - about 20 feet above normal levels - and we packed everything we could, jumped in the Jeep and I was able to snap these pictures just before we left. Shortly after this the water overtook those 2 bridges but I understand the river level is currently going down so we hope for the best. Edited August 28, 2011 by Shiloh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Von Paulus 8 Posted August 28, 2011 I hope nothing harm will happen to my fellow OFFers which might be in Irene's way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carrick58 23 Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) My relatives are on the east cost, N.C. S.C. and Va . Trees down some flooding and a lot of Rain I am in California and it was a 106 degrees today. Edited August 28, 2011 by carrick58 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smilingmonkey 1 Posted August 28, 2011 All the best to you guys and your families, whan nature calls it's pretty loud. Jeez Shiloh, you are well away from that mate. It reminds me of the scenes here in Australia earlier this year. It happens so fast and is devastating when it does. Good luck everyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonL 0 Posted August 28, 2011 Shiloh, you stopped to take pictures? Glad you are safe! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted August 29, 2011 Damn, Shiloh, that was a close one. Masses of water can tear everything down on their way. Good you were warned early enough! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaillyHo 2 Posted August 29, 2011 Gee Shiloh - that looks pretty dramatic! Hope you are only briefly dis-located and all is well again soon for you and yours. Best wishes to anyone else here caught in the line of fire (er, or water even) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiloh 12 Posted August 29, 2011 (edited) Thanks guys for all your well wishes. I'm afraid the region where I live has taken quite a beating. In my village, a whole building housing a business was swept away down river and I fear some of my neighbors have serious damage to their homes. I am now 2 hours away from home staying at a relatives and will attempt to make it home tomorrow. Many of the roads are closed due to flooding, damage, trees down, etc. so I'm not sure we will make it. I spoke with some old-timers yesterday and they said it was by far the worst they had ever seen in our village. Here is link to our local news station that shows even more devastating photos. I will report back at some time later today if possible and thank you guys once again for your support. Edited August 29, 2011 by Shiloh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayfarer 5 Posted August 29, 2011 Shiloh, glad they got that warning to you in time. My work is involved with monitoring river levels for flood defence and other requirements. A dam burst is one thing they hope they'll never have to deal with, even with the small ones we have. Hopefully the worst is over for the rest of the East Coast OFFers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted August 29, 2011 . Glad to learn that you and yours are OK, Shiloh. So then, from those photos you posted I take it you're considering a career as a storm chaser. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptSopwith 26 Posted August 30, 2011 Yikes Shiloh! Those photos looks pretty hair-raising! Glad you and your loved ones are okay, but my condolences on the loss to your town. Thankfully, you can always rebuild. Just glad everyone is okay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NS13Jarhead 6 Posted August 30, 2011 What a week in Virginia first an earthquake then a hurricane. What's next, locusts? Flaming hail? Seriously, though, I'm glad to hear that everyone is OK. We had a some rain and wind and thunder in my part of Virginia. A couple of trees fell on the road, but nothing major. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiloh 12 Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) Thanks again guys for your well-wishes and support. I got back yesterday and my town is starting to pick up the pieces. The damage could have been much worse if a dam holding back water in Vermont would have burst and I understand it was reaching its limits. I am told it could have covered my entire village with water - yikes! Right now we just need dry weather and it looks like it will be sunny and warm for the next 5 days so that will allow the water to subside and the ground to dry out. More than the storm itself, it was all the rain we got leading up to the storm that saturated the ground with rainwater. Then when the storm came, the water had nowhere to go. I have to admit it was rather exciting running around with my camera getting those shots as I am intrigued by severe weather. It does put things into perspective however when your family is in danger, and your home is in jeopardy so these storms can be "few and far between" as far as I'm concerned. I pray that everyone along the east coast is recovering from this storm and my best wishes go out to those who are still suffering. Edited August 30, 2011 by Shiloh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herr Prop-Wasche 7 Posted August 31, 2011 Glad to hear that you and your family are okay, Shiloh. I hope that you will be able to say the same for your house. Are there any OFFers in Vermont? I hear that there was a lot of flooding there, with many washed out roads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
