New England Hurricane Henri

[chiguirre]

I wanted to check in and see how all the New Englanders are doing getting ready for Henri. I was in Boston for Hurricane Bob in 1991. I had no clue what I was doing and there was no internet to explain how to prep for a hurricane. We made it through unscathed but it was unnerving.

Now that I have lived in Houston for almost 20 years and I've hunkered down for Hurricanes Ike and Harvey, I'm more freaked out by hurricanes but I also know what I need to do. It's just a part of living on the Gulf Coast.

For New England that only gets a hurricane every couple of decades, it must be worse because most people won't have hurricane prep experience.

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by chiguirre

[AmandaVT]

I think RI'ers are fairly used to brushes with tropical storms. Growing up there, I feel like more summers than not, we had one to get ready for. Bob was kind of fun - I lived on the coast and remember post storm BBQ's and fun watching waves. My coworker has a wedding in Narragansett on Sunday evening though - it's looking very iffy!

[MEmama]

Coastal Maine here…Um, I mean I’ll lower the patio umbrella and maybe take down the bird feeders, but that’s probably about it. 

[MEmama]

1 minute ago, AmandaVT said:

I think RI'ers are fairly used to brushes with tropical storms. Growing up there, I feel like more summers than not, we had one to get ready for. Bob was kind of fun - I lived on the coast and remember post storm BBQ's and fun watching waves. My coworker has a wedding in Narragansett on Sunday evening though - it's looking very iffy!

Yup. I’d like to get the beach this weekend to watch the waves. We had plans to go sea kayaking with friends, but it looks like we should postpone.

[kbutton]

If this is what's causing all the rain in North Central PA and into bordering counties in NY, they've had quite a lot of flooding. I no longer live there, but I am seeing a lot of FB posts with the damage. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

2 minutes ago, kbutton said:

If this is what's causing all the rain in North Central PA and into bordering counties in NY, they've had quite a lot of flooding. I no longer live there, but I am seeing a lot of FB posts with the damage. 

That was the remnants of Fred. North central PA was hit very hard.

[MEmama]

1 minute ago, kbutton said:

If this is what's causing all the rain in North Central PA and into bordering counties in NY, they've had quite a lot of flooding. I no longer live there, but I am seeing a lot of FB posts with the damage. 

Up here we got the remnant of tropical storm Fred (I think) yesterday—lots of rain and brutal humidity. Idk if that’s the same system moving through that area?

[chiguirre]

51 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Coastal Maine here…Um, I mean I’ll lower the patio umbrella and maybe take down the bird feeders, but that’s probably about it. 

I laughed, but aren't you going to lose power for at least several days if it hits you?

TBH, I'm far enough inland that my hurricane prep isn't so much about wind damage or storm surge, it's prepping to go without power for a week or two.

[MEmama]

5 minutes ago, chiguirre said:

I laughed, but aren't you going to lose power for at least several days if it hits you?

TBH, I'm far enough inland that my hurricane prep isn't so much about wind damage or storm surge, it's prepping to go without power for a week or two.

Maybe?

We have a generator for the fridge and WiFi. That’s about all we need in summer.

[scholastica]

I grew up on Long Island and we knew how to prep for hurricanes. I think they hit the region frequently enough that most people do.

[Wheres Toto]

I don't think hurricanes are that rare in New England.  I'm just below (NJ) and I feel like we definitely get hit more often than once a decade.  Maybe we get a really bad one that washes away houses once a decade but we get ones that require some prep every couple of years.  

The big issue around here is old trees coming down and taking down wires leading to power outages.  We do have a generator so making sure that's ready to go is about all we'll do.  Maybe make sure the cars have full tanks of gas.  

[Lucy the Valiant]

We're activating the "PLOP" system (Potential Loss of Power). I, too, feel like New England gets at least the remnants of a hurricane every 4-5 years, with extended power outages - a more common source of power outages is a blizzard or Nor'easter, though.

One difference this time is that our ground is SATURATED with unusually high rainfall, which lowers the threshold for trees coming down (similar to the effect that leaves have in early snowstorms - more trees come down if the leaves haven't fallen yet). 

(Editing to add: I definitely know a blizzard and a hurricane are not the same thing, but the prep does overlap quite a bit. I'll likely go make fresh flower arrangements out of zinnias, too, so Henri doesn't just smash them all.)

Here's our PLOP:
 

1. Showers for all.

2. Laundry all caught up.

3. All dishes, counters, floors clean.

4. Bathrooms clean.

5. Transfer station run.

6. Gas station run: gas for generator & vehicle tanks filled.

7. Library run!

8. Grocery store run & “camping food” meal plan

   8a. dog food / toilet paper / paper plates, bowls, cups

   8b. wet wipes & hand sanitizer

9. Flashlights / glow sticks ready & in each room before dark.

10. Make coffee. Lots of coffee.

11. Water in pitchers & pots.

12. Charge phones, Kindles, computers.

13. Make ice & re-arrange freezers.

14. Check emergency go-bags.

15. Check smoke and CO detectors; replace batteries if needed.

16. Fill wood hopper & bring wood inside, too.

17. Check the yard for items to be put away and / or tree limbs over wires. Flip trampoline.

18. Check generator & extension cords.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Lucy the Valiant

[AmandaVT]

My uncle sent me this - it's never good when Jim Cantore is in town!! 😂

[Lucy the Valiant]

Annnnnnd DH just fulfilled HIS special storm prep: Ice Cream Run! The first time we lost power for a long time, we actually lost all the ice cream in the house thinking the power would be back shortly. So the tradition became a 60-minute countdown: if the power remains out for 61 minutes, we eat every single bite of ice cream in the house (yes, even though we now have a generator, LOL). Which - of course - means, that when there's an EXPECTED power outage, DH runs out and "tops off" the ice cream supply . . . just in case. 😉 (And from the looks of the shelves Every. Single. Time. - he is not the only one in New England with this special tradition, haha!)

And all the spoons are clean.

I love that man.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Lucy the Valiant

[Junie]

16 minutes ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Annnnnnd DH just fulfilled HIS special storm prep: Ice Cream Run! The first time we lost power for a long time, we actually lost all the ice cream in the house thinking the power would be back shortly. So the tradition became a 60-minute countdown: if the power remains out for 61 minutes, we eat every single bite of ice cream in the house (yes, even though we now have a generator, LOL). Which - of course - means, that when there's an EXPECTED power outage, DH runs out and "tops off" the ice cream supply . . . just in case. 😉 (And from the looks of the shelves Every. Single. Time. - he is not the only one in New England with this special tradition, haha!)

And all the spoons are clean.

I love that man.

We purposely buy ice cream when we have a storm, too.

Years ago, one of my little dds was terrified of wind especially.  When we had major storms like hurricanes it was really hard to console her.  One time when we had a storm going through we lost power and knew that it would be out for several days.  I got out the ice cream and told the kids that we had to eat all of the ice cream in the house. 

They thought I was joking until I forced them all to have seconds. :)

The next time we had a storm watch, she asked excitedly, "Do we have any ice cream?"  And so it became part of our storm prep routine.

[Amy in NH]

Came across I90 from Rochester NY today, and passed at least 3 dozen utility trucks from all different states - all headed east.

[Amy in NH]

4 hours ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

(Editing to add: I definitely know a blizzard and a hurricane are not the same thing,

A nor'easter blizzard is just a winter hurricane.

[Lucy the Valiant]

2 hours ago, Amy in NH said:

A nor'easter blizzard is just a winter hurricane.

Wellllll, yes and no, LOL. This has been a topic of discussion at our house lately. 😉

[YaelAldrich]

I live in Boston. My friends are pulling in their yard stuff but not much more. I have a friend with their summer house in Buzzard's Bay MA and they didn't answer my text about whether they were coming back to Boston or staying put. 

However, we're going to be coming back from the OBX NC later today. We've driven through hurricanes before but never in the NE. Let's hope we can get home tomorrow!

[BakersDozen]

will ask this ? on new post

Edited August 22, 2021 by BakersDozen

[MEmama]

5 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

I live in Boston. My friends are pulling in their yard stuff but not much more. I have a friend with their summer house in Buzzard's Bay MA and they didn't answer my text about whether they were coming back to Boston or staying put. 

However, we're going to be coming back from the OBX NC later today. We've driven through hurricanes before but never in the NE. Let's hope we can get home tomorrow!

Stay safe! 

[HomeAgain]

5 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

I live in Boston. My friends are pulling in their yard stuff but not much more. I have a friend with their summer house in Buzzard's Bay MA and they didn't answer my text about whether they were coming back to Boston or staying put.

There was a mass exodus yesterday from the cape, with a lot of muttering about Bob.  The roads haven't been that busy since pre-pandemic.

We are currently downgraded to tropical storm warning. Our main concern is still power outage at this time, but nothing beyond that.

 

Stay safe and drive slow, @YaelAldrich.  Hopefully you can avoid the worst of it.

[Eos]

10 hours ago, Junie said:

The next time we had a storm watch, she asked excitedly, "Do we have any ice cream?"  And so it became part of our storm prep routine.

This reminds of the children's book Thundercake by Patricia Polacco.

It looks like just fog, showers, and big surf here, so we're planning to make kelp pickles on Tuesday when there's lots of fresh seaweed washed up.

[chiguirre]

8 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

I live in Boston. My friends are pulling in their yard stuff but not much more. I have a friend with their summer house in Buzzard's Bay MA and they didn't answer my text about whether they were coming back to Boston or staying put. 

However, we're going to be coming back from the OBX NC later today. We've driven through hurricanes before but never in the NE. Let's hope we can get home tomorrow!

Fingers crossed for you!

[whitestavern]

I was supposed to be in the path (CT) and originally had a hurricane warning, but it's been downgraded to a tropical storm warning. So far just some light rain on and off this morning; no wind yet. 

[MEmama]

3 hours ago, Harpymom said:

 

It looks like just fog, showers, and big surf here, so we're planning to make kelp pickles on Tuesday when there's lots of fresh seaweed washed up.

Ummmm…kelp pickles?!

Recipe please?

[YaelAldrich]

10 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

I live in Boston. My friends are pulling in their yard stuff but not much more. I have a friend with their summer house in Buzzard's Bay MA and they didn't answer my text about whether they were coming back to Boston or staying put. 

Friend texted this morning. They came back to Boston. But the husband had to go to upstate NY (Pocanos) this morning to pick up kids from summer camp. 

[AmandaVT]

Tree down and power out at my aunt's house. Dad reports "lots of leaf junk" - while almost certainly muttering under his breath about future yard work. 😂 Aunt has lost power, dad still has power. Both in Newport RI.

[YaelAldrich]

Driving on the peninsula part of MD. Sky got black and about 10 minutes later the sky opened up. Thunder and lightning. Heavy heavy rain.

[Eos]

6 hours ago, MEmama said:

Ummmm…kelp pickles?!

Recipe please?

Go get your kelp and bring a little jar to get some ocean water.  Slice the kelp stipes into little O's. Rinse them well and put them into a clean glass quart jar.  Slice a garlic clove and a few slices of onion and put them in with the kelp.  (We don't use the frond or the bulb.) Make a brine with 2 cups of cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp of salt, 1 Tbls of ocean water, several black peppercorns and a bay leaf.  Heat it to the boil, then pour the brine into the jar with a spoon in the jar to keep it from cracking.  Let them cool, add 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, then refrigerate. 

Editing to say dd reminds me we do use the fronds but cut them up into very small squares.

Edited August 22, 2021 by Harpymom

[whitestavern]

So water is now pouring down our basement walls 😞 Luckily just a dirt/brick/concrete basement (275 yo house). Water on our lawn is over the ankles. And we're just beginning here. 

[MEmama]

28 minutes ago, Harpymom said:

Go get your kelp and bring a little jar to get some ocean water.  Slice the kelp stipes into little O's. Rinse them well and put them into a clean glass quart jar.  Slice a garlic clove and a few slices of onion and put them in with the kelp.  (We don't use the frond or the bulb.) Make a brine with 2 cups of cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp of salt, 1 Tbls of ocean water, several black peppercorns and a bay leaf.  Heat it to the boil, then pour the brine into the jar with a spoon in the jar to keep it from cracking.  Let them cool, add 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, then refrigerate. 

Thanks! What kind of kelp? 

[Faith-manor]

17 hours ago, Amy in NH said:

A nor'easter blizzard is just a winter hurricane.

Not wrong! We very occasionally get something like a hurricane on one of the Great Lakes but with snow. It is crazy! 

I hope all of you in the region are safe and sound, hunkered down, but well. Be safe everyone!!

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, whitestavern said:

So water is now pouring down our basement walls 😞 Luckily just a dirt/brick/concrete basement (275 yo house). Water on our lawn is over the ankles. And we're just beginning here. 

Oh my! I am so sorry.

[AmandaVT]

Update from home - we Facetimed and it looked like a blustery day. My uncle sent me this picture- at least no one is trying to surf today!! 

[Junie]

2 hours ago, whitestavern said:

So water is now pouring down our basement walls 😞 Luckily just a dirt/brick/concrete basement (275 yo house). Water on our lawn is over the ankles. And we're just beginning here. 

I'm sorry.

 

[Eos]

2 hours ago, MEmama said:

Thanks! What kind of kelp? 

Sugar kelp.

[Wheres Toto]

We're getting a ton of rain and there's some flooding but that's about it for us.  We're not directly in the path but the end of the swirl is heading right over us. 

[whitestavern]

Looks like our little area of CT was hit the hardest. H and S managed to rig up a plastic sheeting system around our foundation to reduce the flow of water. Rain has stopped so water is receding now. We think we got around 4 1/2"

[YaelAldrich]

Got back to Boston just now. Don't see any significant damage to the area. Small limbs of trees down. No rain. Good night y'all!

[Matryoshka]

Henri pretty much gave Boston a miss - it grazed RI and took a hard left over CT and up into western MA.  Here in eastern MA it... rained. There may have been a gust of wind. This pretty much sums it up.. 😂

We actually got a lot more rain from Fred leftovers.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Matryoshka

[Carrie12345]

I’m so far away from where the action was supposed to be but, combined with the Fred rain, Henri has made my county a mess. Lots of vehicle rescues last night, roads closed, voluntarily evacuations... Lots of yuck.

[MEmama]

5 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Henri pretty much gave Boston a miss - it grazed RI and took a hard left over CT and up into western MA.  Here in eastern MA it... rained. There may have been a gust of wind. This pretty much sums it up.. 😂

We actually got a lot more rain from Fred leftovers.

 

That’s the same here. DS spent the day at a friends lake house which had no rain at all; we got a bit but nothing unusual. 
As I removed a hummingbird feeder in anticipation of actual weather, a hummingbird flew right by head looking for its snack. So the feeder stayed and all was well. 🙂 

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

I’m so far away from where the action was supposed to be but, combined with the Fred rain, Henri has made my county a mess. Lots of vehicle rescues last night, roads closed, voluntarily evacuations... Lots of yuck.

Ugh. Sorry it hit you instead. 😟

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:

Ugh. Sorry it hit you instead. 😟

 

1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:

Ugh. Sorry it hit you instead. 😟

[Carrie12345]

Sorry ‘bout the blip.

Just to clarify, I wouldn’t say we got “hit”, but I guess it could be interpreted that way. Something like 5” of rain, on top of whatever Fred had given us. Winds were not involved, thank goodness. 

[Matryoshka]

16 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

Sorry ‘bout the blip.

Just to clarify, I wouldn’t say we got “hit”, but I guess it could be interpreted that way. Something like 5” of rain, on top of whatever Fred had given us. Winds were not involved, thank goodness. 

Yeah, remnants of Fred gave us more rain than Henri, but maybe I should say thus far... the remnants of Henri are going to pass by us later today (it's in upstate NY now??); we'll likely get more rain from it then than when it gave us a miss yesterday.