Is Rockland prepared for her touchdown?
Having lived a good chunk of my life here in Rockland, I have not yet encountered a major catastrophic event in quite a long time. The last agonizing natural event that is stuck in my memory was the Blizzard in 1997 that affected Rockland County. I remembered it vividly because that was the day when the entire surface area of Rockland was covered with more than 30 inches of snow, and shoveling all that snow was not fun at all. Fast forward to the present, and within a span of just 3 days I experienced a 5.4 magnitude earthquake and a soon to be Category 1 Hurricane that already has forced more than 2 million people to evacuate their homes. Could our government officials and our paranoid neighbor next door be overreacting to the situation?. There are several facts we need to consider that correlates with a severe storm like Irene, we will experience extreme strong winds that spans more that 100 mph and severe flooding could be eminent. But what devastation can result from her are all speculation since we cannot foreshadow the future. Is all the hype surrounding Irene necessary? What if we received the same warning prior to the earthquake (imagine that) there would have been a statewide panic due to a speculation of impending doom and everyone would have stacked up on goods and anything they can put their hands on. Yet when the earthquake happened, I was in the shower and did not feel even a slight tremble.
What I do notice during these times is that it seems to bring everyone closer. I received a call from my mother and a couple of friends from out-of state wishing for a safe Hurricane experience. I only seldom get calls from my mom who also lives out of state, my mother had always been very emotionally distant, but I still love her. I realized that its ironic how sometimes different events, circumstances and even tragedies can sometime bring people together. It also slows down our momentum and make us appreciate and realize the gratitude we have within the present moment. Lets face it, times like this makes families bond and stick together as a unit. Maybe it can be a psychological effect or maybe it’s just human nature, in which we bond closer to those that we love in times of uncertainty. Can Hurricane Irene bring the same level of catastrophic event as the Hurricane Katrina? I definitely hope not, and I don’t think so. There are plenty of factors that evoked the major damage that was caused by Katrina including the breaking of the levee that caused the majority of the devastation. Yet, Hurricane Irene can bring with her some severe flooding and we should be prepared for that. Being in Rockland which meant being close to Indian Point, does bring up some concerns, but as an optimist I always stay more on the positive side of things. Let me know your thoughts and opinions. How are you preparing for this event?
Rockland County 
I don’t think Rockland county has as much to worry about as say, NYC or any other areas closer to the coast.
I, for one, am prepared enough.
I’ve closed my windows, have bottled water handy and bought some nonperishables yesterday. It was crazy to see how empty the bottled water section was at the supermarket. Canned soup, meats and cold cuts were pretty much gone too. I can understand canned goods, but don’t people realize that meats and cold cuts, you know, are perishable?
Through this weekend, I’ll mostly be hoping that the electricity stays on.