weekend with Irene

8/26  

I am very concerned that this hurricane will be almost as fearsome as that earthquake was.

I grew up in South Florida. In the sixties the newspapers published hurricane tracking maps. You tracked the hurricanes by listening for the coordinates on a transistor radio and sticking map pins in the map. I think it made it feel you had some power and control over the scary chaos around you if you could track its progress. And it was fun. Its useful to know that you in the eye and its not safe to come out. Now I look at satellite videos of the crazy beautiful storm to rise above it all. 

Panic video-renting in Williamsburg. In the other stores people line up with 8 packs of small bottles of spring water and chips. Its almost as bad as last minute Christmas shopping, except the panic is worse at Christmas.

August 28, morning

Wind and rain coming from the east. Ceiling leaking on that side. I guess its here.

Nothing you can do until its over, and its barely begun.

"Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!
You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout
Till you have drench'd our steeples, drown'd the cocks!"

I hope nobody's cock drown'd

‎"At 800 AM EDT the center of Hurricane Irene was located by an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft and NOAA Doppler radar near latitude 40.3 North, longitude 74.1 West or about 40 miles south-southwest of New York City. Irene is moving toward the north-northeast near 25 MPH and this motion with a continued gradual increase in forward speed is expected during the next day or so." forecast.weather.gov

I feel all the information from satellites and computers is telling me less than I used to get with a transistor radio and a paper tracking map from the Palm Beach Post.

August 30, 5:30 AM, morning after the storm, I see Orion and Sirius out the kitchen window.