GOOD NIGHT IRENE! (American folk standard) *

* If you read to the end you'll find lyrics to an equally fitting song.

I don't want to alarm anyone, just remind you of the Boy Scout mantra to "Be Prepared".

Today's Troy Record reports "With wind gusts between 70 to 73 mph, the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service forecast that Rensselaer County will be one of the harder hit areas in the Capital District on Sunday by Hurricane Irene. 

The area can expect between three to five inches of rain and sustained wind speed between 55 and 60 mph, said Kimberly McMahon with the National Weather Service. This is forecasted for southern Vermont, Berkshire and Rensselaer counties and will subside by Monday morning."

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2011/08/26/news/doc4e573401455eb351798771.txt

According to the Times Union, "With rains from Hurricane Irene expected to start late Saturday and continue into Sunday, forecasters expect localized flooding and trees to tumble -- with the risk worsened, said Maglaras, because this spring and summer have been relatively rainy, leaving the ground saturated and unable to hold much more moisture."

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Region-girds-for-rough-ride-ahead-2141530.php

Yesterday, Governor Cuomo "Declared a state of emergency in New York in preparation for the potential impact of Hurricane Irene, which may hit New York State this coming weekend.

A state of emergency enables New York to use state resources to assist local governments more effectively and quickly, allows the state to activate the national "Emergency Management Assistance Compact" to bring in resources from out of the state, and enables New York to access key federal resources earlier in anticipation of an emergency."

http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/08252011HurricaneIrene

NYC Mayor Bloomberg offered this advice concerning Hurricane Irene at a press conference yesterday: "New Yorkers should prepare themselves by stocking up on some basic supplies and making what’s called a ‘Go Bag’, a bag that you could take with you at a moment’s notice if you have to leave home, and it should include things like drinking water, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, any important medications that you take, essential documents, such as passports or other forms of ID, and an extra set of car keys and house keys."  http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2011b%2Fpr307-11.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1

The American Red Cross offers a complete Hurricane Safety Checklist at:

http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/Preparedness/checklists/Hurricane.pdf

The NYS Emergency Management Office web site offers Hurricane Safety Tips at:  http://www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/safety-info/publicsafety/hurricaneprepare.cfm

Pete Stenson

PS Reminds me of The Band's "Look Out Cleveland"

(Chorus:) Look Out, Cleveland, the storm is comin' through,

And it's runnin' right up on you.
Look out, Houston, There'll be thunder on the hill;
Bye-bye, baby, don't cha lie so still.

Was Wedn'sday evenin' when first we heard the word,

It did not come by train nor bird.
T'was when Ben Pike stepped down to say,
"This old town's gonna blow away."

Chain lightnin', frightnin' as it may seem,

Must not be mistaken for just another dream.
Justice of peace don't know his own fate,
But he'll go down in the shelter late.

(Chorus:)

Hidin' your money won't do no good,

Build a big wall, you know you would if you could, yeah!
When clouds of warnin' come into view,
It'll get the ol' woman right outta her shoe.

(Chorus)