Hurricane Irene Visits All Things Brittany

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Impressions of Irene upon ATB

The first hurricane of 2011, Hurricane Irene, left widespread devastation and loss of homes last weekend as it aggressively made it's way from the tropics after battering the Bahamas and violently approached the East Coast. John and I tracked Irene's progression closely which had originally been reported as a major Category 4 hurricane. When Irene struck North Carolina’s outer banks on Saturday August 27 it was a Category 1 and hit New York City as tropical storm on Sunday. By the time the hurricane itself reached us it had weakened and been downgraded to a non-tropical storm. Weather forecasts revealed facts about past hurricanes informing listeners that, although several tropical storms have impacted New England, the last hurricane to make landfall was Hurricane Bob in 1991. Some of the reports we listened to indicated that Hurricane Irene could easily be compared to Hurricane Carol one of the worst hurricanes in the history of New England. Irene was predicted to follow the same path of Carol that slammed along the East Coast the last week of August 1954. Although Irene (fortunately) did not pack as much of a punch as Bob or Carol, she did hit a wide area from North Carolina up to Vermont including continued power outages, communities stranded by floodwaters, homes and properties totally destroyed, and extraordinary destruction in some areas. Our hearts go out to those who were effected in such a way by Irene.

We are thankful the storm did not produce more serious effects here at All Things Brittany. Nevertheless precautions were made to batten down the hatches as we checked to be sure we had necessary supplies in case of power failure due to the anticipated very strong winds and rain. Our bathtubs were full to the top with water, oil lamps filled to the brim, portable radios replenished with fresh batteries, propane levels checked for both grill and stove, food and water supplies assessed. As much fresh water as could reasonably be stored was set aside and the wait began. We lost power, water, and phone at 1 P.M. on Saturday, August 27th. It was not restored until yesterday - Wednesday, August 31st at 2 P.M.

We approached our situation as something to accept, to deal with, to grin and bear it, to cope with and above all to be thankful for what we had and what we still have. When faced with uncertainty, you know things can go from bad to worse in a heartbeat. You also know there’s not always advance notice whether a crisis will result - or not. To be without power, water, telephone could be a crisis depending upon the situation and especially the time of the year and weather conditions. Experiencing loss of home or life - that is a crisis. We simply experienced an inconvenience, a hastle to deal with in many ways. It could have been so much worse.

Where ever you are, it is my hope and prayer that Irene was a hastle and not a crisis for you and your loved ones. Better yet - I hope it was a non-issue. Take care and God bless you always, John, Ann and All Things Brittany