Preparing For Irene



West Haven, CT after 1938 Hurricane

As I look at Facebook posts from a variety of Connecticut meteorologists, the possibility of Hurricane Irene making landfall here seems to be growing. A lot can change between now and Sunday, but it is clear that there's no time like the present to make preparations. We should know more as the storm's projected path becomes clearer on Friday. It is not too early to load up on batteries, safely store away things that could become outdoor projectiles and know your evacuation route in the event you need one. We have had reason to grow complacent with the lack of major tropical storms over the last few decades, but this week's news of the rare 5.8 magnitude earthquake - centered in Virginia and felt for hundreds of miles - served to remind us how rare events can still happen. Other wild weather news across the nation this year, including tornado outbreaks, wildfires, heat waves and our own snowbound winter experience, are all wakeup calls to plan ahead. We also have advances in weather forecasting that were almost totally lacking when the Hurricane of 1938 took the Northeast by surprise.   My mom at 15 is on the right in the picture.   All that technology is wasted when we fail to take it seriously. I'll be on the air Sunday 10am-3pm at 102.3 WMOS (The Wolf) inside Mohegan Sun.   That should be interesting.