Storm Coverage: How Essential Am I?

Here we go again.   This time 60 million people could be in the crosshairs of Hurricane Sandy or her effects in a storm that is expected to linger longer than most.    I was asked to man the Mohegan Sun studio of 102.3 The Wolf on Monday evening - at the height of it all.    At first I thought I'd have to evacuate where I live anyway, so why not hunker down in a massive complex where I'm hardly likely to even notice the effects of Sandy?    Then I started to hear revised forecasts calling for strong wind and rain to begin even sooner and the increased likelihood of our station simulcasting everything from the Cumulus New London broadcast center anyway.   That begged the question: Why would I want to risk my safety to watch over live coverage from somewhere else?    I remember too well the drive in to the studio during Tropical Storm Irene last year.    Being a hardcore radio guy, I am normally the first to jump in when there's an emergency.   When the cable and internet go out and newspaper delivery often gets disrupted, radio rules!    If they need me to take part in the active coverage out of New London, I'd be open to that.    It's not my first rodeo with this radio storm coverage thing, but if they're covered at broadcast central I'll opt to stay safe by the time things get wild.    We'll see.   I hope you don't go out in this storm unless you absolutely have to.

UPDATE 11/2:   I went in early Monday as the storm was just getting started and pulled a marathon air shift from Mohegan Sun, being there from 2pm to midnight with no regrets.   No doubt I lucked out with the storm winds and rain decreasing by midnight and getting my own power back a day later.   When I see the aftermath of devastation up and down the East coast, I appreciate what I have.