Hurricane Day

Shall I try a hurricane post? Though we (Boston) don't seem to be in line to get a hurricane this time around. I have been through 2 of them, Gloria and Bob - both time I was living next to a beach, but a beach on a shallow bay, well away from any potential danger. It was the perfect kind of beach to stand out in the hurricane force winds and rains without worrying about waves or trees or flying patio furniture or loose wires - just me and nature. That was fun - though both hurricanes turned out to be a bit less than advertised. Bob didn't even knock out the power!

This time that won't quite work. I'm not living by a beach, I'm inland, in a nice tree lined neighborhood - no walking around in the hurricane this time, thanks! I am up on the third floor, in a big apartment building, on top of a hill - about as safe as I can imagine, from wind, rain, floods, you name it, even in the midst of a full blast hurricane. The power might go, the cable might go, but that's about the worst of it. (That and a very nervous cat.) The one thing I do have to worry about is a tree - a huge thing, just outside my window.



It's a big brute - this is on the third floor - and the closest branch keeps going, up well past the roof, straight up over the roof. (The rest of the tree is higher than the roof too, but it's growing away from the building, so I'm less nervous about it.)



I don't really worry about the thing coming down, especially if the winds aren't really going to get over 50-60 MPH - the storm hasn't gotten all that bad yet, and it seems like the winds are coming from the building side, so I don't think the tree is in real danger. I do worry about branches coming off and coming through my window. Though the most likely effect is that the cable gets knocked out - the wires go right up the side of the building. Plenty of room for mischief there.

So - this thing isn't likely to be much trouble here in Boston. Not for me, probably not much more than an inconvenience anywhere. (I mean, I probably won't even get a day off work out of it - it ruins my weekend, and I don't even get a free day off?) Obviously can get a lot worse elsewhere - hopefully not, of course. And if you are in a low lying area, well - the rain alone might make this thing a hell on earth. So good luck, everyone!