The Calm Before the Storm (Hurricane Sandy)

I am freaking the f out. I live on long beach island. I left due to the mandatory evacuation, but my husband stayed! I didn't want him to. I couldn't change his mind. First of all we just talked and he said the island is under water, already a few inches in our house he's moving stuff upstairs. He told me a big tree is already leaning over and rubbing against the house on the side of our bedroom . The hurricane hasn't actually reached there yet. I don't care about material things. I'm pretty resigned now to the fact that we could lose everything, we already have so much damage. But I'm so worried about my husband that the house could f ing float the f away Or that waves will end up crashing right over the house completely under water. I am scared for his life. And at the same time I am furious with him for staying there how could he send his family away and not want to stay together to comfort and protect them? I am at my parents in north jersey. Flooding we might get in the basement maybe from streams overflowing, giant pine trees surrounding us. We have food and batteries and flashlights, water. I just feel like my life is never going to be the same after this. Maybe I'm just panicked. Please pray for us and pray for that storm to die down and picture a huge umbrella of gods white light protecting us. All your prayers are greatly appreciated.

***update***
My husband is ok thank God. I mean he is still alive, and he finally made it off the island. We had 4 feet of water in our ground floor apartment, he was stuck in our landlords second floor for a coupledays. I was just reunited with him today. He is not okay emotionally, though. He is shaken and numb and still in shock. Also at times panicky and paranoid, post traumatic stress. At my parents house where I evacuated to, a tree fell on the house knocking power lines down onto the house and sparked a fire on the roof. My poor 7 year old daughter too, worried about her father drowning, in a house fire during a hurricane. We are all alive and that's all that matters. I don't know where to begin to start picking up the pieces of our life,, literally.
Thank you all for your concern, please keep us in your prayers

ETA: Kathy D - I am SOOO sorry!!! I will pray for your husband's safety. Tell him to just get the pictures you want to save and leave - nothing else is important enough to possibly lose his life over!!
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Thanks!! No, we don't have a back up generator. In our 16 years of living in this house - we have MAYBE lost electricity a total of 4 hours.

We are COLD right now - 45 degrees here and raining. It's been a steady rain and the winds are SLOWLY picking up...

Supposedly we are going to get clobbered. I am not stressing over it - I feel we are prepared. Panicking over it isn't going to change it...

Our gutters are cleaned out.
Our patio table umbrella is secured.
We have food, water, matches, firewood, flashlights, batteries, crank emergency radio, coffee!!! (for my husband), games for the kids...food for the dog...so I think we are as prepared as we can be!!!

Hope you are staying safe!!

Thanks. I am in Westchester. Have tequila, wine brownies chips dips so we are ready to have Sandy arrive for dinner lol. Stay safe everyone. Special prayers to firefights, police, emits and all public service workers. Have lots cooking in oven. My husband says I should cook like this all the time lol.
Gas grill has full tank of gas. Come on Sandywe are ready (not). Go away.

Kathy D, your situation sounds really precarious! Our thoughts and prayers are with your husband!!!!

Dawn

Thanks so much for your thoughts!!

We're in northern Vermont. We don't usually worry about hurricanes being this far inland, but everyone is freaked out because Irene decimated the state last year. Folks who are still recovering are bracing again...

We have no idea what will happen, so please continue to send good thoughts, especially for those who "live off the land" (e.g. the farmers whose cows are in danger again, the growers whose pastures might be destroyed, etc.).

H.

We're supposed to get mostly wind although coastal areas here will flood. I fully expect to lose power and be out for a few days. Most of our power lines are above ground and we have tons of trees in our area so we lose power all the time. We do have a generator, which we bought after Irene last year, but it's not hooked up into the main electrical system so we have to be selective with what we power up (fridge, a couple of lights, the cable/internet box, the modem, a TV and our laptops so that we can both work while the kids are out of school). We have a failed septic system that backed up into the house in a nasty storm a few years ago so I had that pumped this morning and got everything in the basement off the floor. We have some firewood for the fire place in case we do lose power and it gets chilly. Brought in most of the Halloween decorations, secured the lawn furniture, have flashlights and candles and water etc.

The storm surge has already flooded some coastal areas in southern Massachusetts and there are some areas without power. Right now though the skies are actually brightening, there is a little spit of rain and it's a bit windy. I guess this afternoon through tomorrow afternoon are when we'll see the most wind. Time will tell if it's as bad as they predict - best wishes to anyone in the path of this!

ETA @ Kathy D - sending a prayer up for you and your husband. I sincerely hope that he's OK and that you don't lose everything.

We've had rain since about 1pm Sat.
There are times when it's heavy but a lot of the time it's a fine misting rain.
It took awhile for puddles to form up on the lawn - late Sun you could see some.
This morning things are definitely looking soggy.
The wind has not been bad - we get some strong gusts.
Our power has flickered twice.
The way the storm path is shaping up, Sandy sort of scooted around Hampton roads, but we're certainly getting fall out from the edges of it.
(By the way - this is the strangest twistiest storm path I have ever seen - it's roughly 'S' shaped.)
The usual places that flood out have flooded.
Hatteras got beat up again - the ocean surf has been rough.
Schools are closed for today, the Navy sent 23 ships out to sea to ride it out, and bases are on essential personnel only - so most people are staying home.
We don't have a generator.
The longest we've lost power in prior storms was for 24 hours.
For us, NOAA is predicting it should start gradually tapering off through tonight and tomorrow.
There's nothing like a little 'interesting' weather to shake things up!

For us (1 hour west of DC), its just rain for now. more rain and high winds expected later today/tonight.

Kathy, my relatives live in E. Patchogue on Long Island. A few blocks from the beach, so they may be your neighbors. They evacuated too. Reluctantly. They've lived in that house over 30 years. Call your hubby and tell him to get out of there. Praying that he is okay and you get to hold this 'i told you so' over his head every time it rains for many years to come.
*Hugs*

our generator is gassed up and ready. so far only a little wind, steady moderate rain, but the power's already flickering.
hatches battened down!
khairete
S.

Be safe everyone! You are in my thoughts!!!

I live just 1 town over from Cheryl, and she is right. It's just raining. A little windy, but it's supposed to get worse through out the day. We have everything we need. Still have power. My next door neighbor said that in the 12 years they have lived here, they have never lost power, so I'm hoping it stays that way. I haven't been outside or even checked the temp, but it looks cold out! I'm just hoping it doesn't rain on halloween!

I'm on Long Island, east of NYC. I have family on the Jersey shore. The coastal areas are supposed to get hammered as it's also a full moon and what they call an astrological high tide (meaning high tides will be higher than any other time in the month). My friends who live close to the water are supposed to evacuate. I don't know if they will. We are about 3 miles fromt he water and 130 feet above sea level so we won't have flooding - but they're warning of sustained winds over 70 MPH, lots of downed trees and power lines. Schools, offices, and most places of business are closed. But essential personnel like healthcare workers and police still go to work. My husband is a NYPD sergeant I've become accustomed to being on my own with the kids during emergencies (9/11, the blackout of 2003, etc.) At least my kids are teens now and will be helpful. My mom is in a nursing home and they are fully staffed with all management on premises - so I don't ahve to worry about her either.

Thanks. I have to say I am glad I didn't go into work today as they closed our offices at noon and MBTA in Boston is closing at 2.

My husband bought a backup generator after we had Irene last year and were out of electricity for 4 days. At the time I thought he was crazy but now I am so excited as the generator can light up the whole house.

Stay safe everyone.

Thank you for checking in and being concerned :) Here in Dutchess County, NY, it is blowy and misting. We expect to be slammed tonight. The school district that my teens go to and that I work in, has closed school for today and tomorrow. I am hoping we'll keep our power til dinnertime, for a last hot meal and shower. We do not have a generator. I just hope our roof holds and we have no damage to our house. Anything else, I can cope with pretty cheerfully.
Hoping everyone else stays safe!

Praying for all of you in the northeast! We have family in Millville, NJ and they said earlier that they are expecting a direct hit. Funny (not haha funny, but interesting funny) because we live in south FL and this storm is going to be worse for the northeast than any storm we've had here this year. Kathy D., I am going to say a special prayer for your husband and for peace for you. Keep us posted everyone and stay safe!

I'm in NH, but I have a house that is "sale pending" in RI. Needless to say I am watching closely. I have family all over the New England states. We have a back up generator, and have made preparations. We are supposed to get some wind/rain here. Mostly worried about power outtages and falled trees. In RI, anything is worrysome. My home is in Warwick, so last year we got pounded by Irene. Plus, I have a wedding to go to in Narragansett, RI on Sat. Hoping their isn't a lot of damage there. Such a beautiful place!

My brother is in D.C. He still has power. He lives in a basement floor apartment, and has no generator. He says he has a flashlight, batteries, candles, a bottle of Rum, and his cat !

Thank you for your thoughts!!