HURRICANE IRENE [IMPORTANT INFORMATION]

Filed in National by on August 26, 2011

Track Irene’s projected path

The #DelIrene Twitter feed

More neat tracking and radar maps

National Hurricane Center

Phillyweather.net

Weather Underground

The News Journal

Delaware Emergency Shelter Information

DelDOT Traffic Information

Delmarva Power Outages

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Comments (51)

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  1. reis says:
    August 27, 2011 at 6:53 am

    I love the Phillyweather.net. They speak like real people. Never saw that site before.

  2. Delaware Dem says:
    August 27, 2011 at 7:58 am

    Yeah, I follow it for all big weather events in the area

  3. reis says:
    August 27, 2011 at 8:26 am

    Dewey has halted liquor sales. Yet another reason to avoid the beach this weekend. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110826/NEWS/110826045/Dewey-liquor-sales-halted?odyssey=obinsite

  4. jason330 says:
    August 27, 2011 at 9:33 am

    So if a massive disaster does not materialize, it proves that God is cool with gays, right?

  5. jason330 says:
    August 27, 2011 at 10:45 am

    I love the Weather Channel segments from Nags Head with some guy bent against the driving wind.

  6. AQC says:
    August 27, 2011 at 10:51 am

    Just came off the boardwalk at Bethany. It’s not too bad yet.

  7. phil says:
    August 27, 2011 at 11:03 am

    http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/noaas-phony-hurricane-coming-on-shore-with-33-mph-winds/

  8. puck says:
    August 27, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    Tornado warning for Sussex just came over the radio. All of DE is under tornado watch, but this is a new warning not a watch for Sussex. A warning means that a tornado is imminent and has possibly been sighted.

    Get to safety right NOW in Sussex.

  9. pandora says:
    August 27, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    Phil isn’t afraid of tornadoes. 👿

    Everyone else… be careful out there. Scary stuff.

  10. phil says:
    August 27, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    Really? you live your life in fear of tornadoes? tornadoes are a POSSIBILITY during lots of storms. I don’t flee to pennsylvania every time theres a thunderstorm.

  11. Delaware Dem says:
    August 27, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    In the case of Phil v. Irene, I am rooting for Irene.

  12. anonone says:
    August 27, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    Where’s Dorothy?

    I just saw Christine O’Donnell fly by my window on her bike.

  13. phil says:
    August 27, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    You are going to be disappointed, Delaware Dem.

  14. pandora says:
    August 27, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    Reports that Indian River Bridge now closed.

  15. anon says:
    August 27, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    Who has real information about whats happening in Sussex. WGMD is so lame.

  16. Delaware Dem says:
    August 27, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    Anon, the best source of information is the #DELirene Twitter I linked above. Go there now.

  17. Aoine says:
    August 27, 2011 at 3:48 pm

    IRB is not closed – it will at 4

    friend Markell on FB or the DSP new room – good info there

  18. anon says:
    August 27, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    Look at all the corporate media channels…they seem to skip Delaware. And Delaware local press, lame and more lame. Nothing on City channel 21..where Wilmington citizens might be turning to for some information. Nothing on WILM, dead air. WDEL regularly scheduled Saturday programming! So where is our information coming from?

  19. Aoine says:
    August 27, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    LEVEL 2 DRIVING restrictions in place for Sussex at 6pm

    kent co 8pm

    in NCCO at 10 pm!!

    GET OFF THE ROADS!! if you are evacuating to a shelter you are exempt

    if you a out fooling around – shame on you-hope the fine is fat!!

    http://dema.delaware.gov/Docs/Level_2_Driving_restrictions.pdf

    pay attention and believe it

    

  20. Aoine says:
    August 27, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    @anon – you dont need corporate media – you got me………!!

  21. Aoine says:
    August 27, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    power flickering in Sussex – may not be able to update a lot

    see:

    http://www.dema.delaware.gov

  22. Aoine says:
    August 27, 2011 at 5:52 pm

    what is really lame is DP’s ability to update the readership on what’s happening!!

    so lame….wonder how their crab feast went?….

  23. phil says:
    August 27, 2011 at 6:46 pm

    Checking in, not much goin on.

  24. Aoine says:
    August 27, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    dont know where u r phil but…

    http://www.delawareonline.com has a big pic of what u said not to worry about

  25. Rebecca says:
    August 28, 2011 at 8:07 am

    Power’s back. Whoot!

    Thank the goddess for protecting fools and drunkards. Apparently we were under a tornado warning but didn’t know because no power. Around that time I was looking out the window — fools — and the water was a solid sheet blowing against the house and the noise was almost deafening. Pretty scary. Anyway, it didn’t touch down here.

    If it’s safe where you are, go outside and breath. The air is immaculate, clean, fresh. Sorta strange.

    I just came in from putting the pump in the pool. Judging by the amount of water I pumped out before the power failed and the amount of water that’s in there this morning we got around 14 inches of rain last night.

  26. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 9:15 am

    I’m downtown Rehoboth. Never lost power. No Damage. Didn’t even get awakened by the wind. So stupid to evacuate my area.

  27. anonone says:
    August 28, 2011 at 9:48 am

    Gov’t under-reacts = people killed

    Gov’t over-reacts = people safe

    Since natural disasters are unpredictable and gov’t has to make decisions BEFORE the disaster strikes, which do you prefer? People killed or people safe?

  28. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 10:14 am

    killed

  29. Miscreant says:
    August 28, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    “Since natural disasters are unpredictable and gov’t has to make decisions BEFORE the disaster strikes, which do you prefer? People killed or people safe?”

    Truth. I used to work at, or delegate staff, to the DEMA Headquarters in Smyrna (and before that, the ‘bunker’ in Delaware City) during all natural disasters. The general formula was to take the National Weather Service prediction, double it, and develop a plan based on the worst case scenario from that. Overreaction was the norm. Keep in mind, qualifying for federal assistance was a bonus. Typically, it wasted a lot of resources, but it arguably kept more people safe.

    I do miss those bridge calls. That’s when DEMA arranges a massive conference call with the Governor’s office, all the towns, the chiefs of every law enforcement agency in Delaware, DSP, DNREC, DelDot, Red Cross, National Guard, power companies, a representative of the NWS (Mount Holly, NJ), and many other miscellaneous bureaucrats. It’s the only place to get the real story on storms and blizzards, etc. I still have that number if I get bored.

    Not likely.

  30. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    Exactly. Grab federal money and scare people. Tens of thousands of people die in motor vehicle accidents every year. if we made all speed limits 5mph, and imposed the death penalty for breaking it, we could probably cut that by 98%. shouldnt we be doing everything we can to save those tens of thousands of lives? Would you rather people be safe, or killed?

    Whats that? That’s too extreme? So you’re saying there’s a trade off between the value of lives saved and the costs of trying to save them? So we’ve already established that you’re a whore, now we’re just haggling over the price…

  31. Miscreant says:
    August 28, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    “Would you rather people be safe, or killed?”

    Short answer for shorter Phil: Safe… dumbass.

  32. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    then you support speed limits of 5mph with the death penalty for violators.

  33. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    also, my comment was mostly in response to anonone

  34. anonone says:
    August 28, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Sorry, phil. The conversation was about protecting people from dying in natural disasters, not driving.

  35. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    no, the conversation was about media hype and fear mongering. No one mentioned people dying until you did. So, your argument about keeping people safe is irrelevant.

  36. anonone says:
    August 28, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    No, phil. The reference you cited initially in this thread was utterly and fully discredited by the events of the last 24 hours. You should be embarrassed by your own ignorance, anti-science politics, and callousness toward human life.

    The government acted appropriately in taking the actions that it did based on the facts it had. Markell and his staff were superb.

  37. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    really? i live FEET from the ocean in Rehoboth. no damage, no power lost. why did everyone need to be evacuated? the boy has cried wolf once again. what happens when there’s a REAL threat, as opposed to the hyped up fear mongering we had this time?

    I didn’t leave because I LOOKED AT ACTUAL METEOROLOGICAL FACTS instead of blindly following what the weather channel was selling.

  38. anonone says:
    August 28, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    The “ACTUAL METEOROLOGICAL FACTS” in the post that you cited here were FLAT OUT wrong, regardless of your personal experience.

    It was a hurricane, phil. Can you at least admit that?

    Hurricanes are not very predictable and I am very happy that things turned out better than anticipated. And I am glad that the government took steps to prevent loss of lives in the event that Irene had been worse. And I am sad that 11 people died in the storm, even though you couldn’t care less, apparently.

  39. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    why are you obsessed with the link i gave? i posted it way after i decided to stay. it played no part in my decision not to evacuate, or to call the media hypestorm bullshit.

  40. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    Every storm could have been worse. Should we evacuate every time there is a thunderstorm that could produce tornadoes?

  41. anonone says:
    August 28, 2011 at 4:47 pm

    I am “obsessed with the link” you posted because it is typical of the ignorant and politically-motivated anti-science that teabaggers and Paultards revel in, and you should have your nose rubbed in it.

    Dumb questions like “Should we evacuate every time there is a thunderstorm that could produce tornadoes?” only serve to cement your anti-science credentials. Tornado watches and warnings from the government save lives, but we have already established the fact that you don’t care about that.

  42. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 5:28 pm

    i am neither a teabagger nor a paultard. I’m a progressive democrat. I am VERY PRO SCIENCE. And it is THE SCIENCE that was disputing the overblown hyped up ratings chasing bullshit the media was spouting and the government was eating up.

    If it is true that i dont care about government warnings, it is because the government has cried wolf so many times that government warnings mean almost nothing.

  43. V says:
    August 28, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    I agree with Phil’s comments about cost. Yeah it’s really obnoxious to spend all the money to evacuate and nothing happens. But with something as variable as the weather, it’s also really expensive to airlift idiots off roofs who didn’t evacuate and their property flooded. Remember all that dramatic footage from Katrina? I wonder how much all of that costs. Plus the use of resources that shouldn’t have been used because they should have left in the first place.

    My concern actually wasn’t about the weather itself. it was the PEOPLE. i was worried about losing power, about the area around me not being able to deal with flood waters, and all the idiots out yesterday that made me go to 6 gas stations before I gave up without filling up. Coming from that perspective I think it was safe to be cautious.

    I also don’t disagree that the weather channel probably LOVED this shit.

    On an unrelated note. I’m glad you’re ok Phil. There’s actually some pretty heinous flooding around where we are.

  44. Aoine says:
    August 28, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    phil is one of the ilk that if it doesnt happen to them or directly effect them – they dont care and only whine about how they are inconvenienced

    however, I doubt “phil” drove down Savannah road in Lewes this AM and turned left on Donovans road and saw the trees into houses and all the catastrophic damage

    nor drove down Cedar st in Lewes, if you didnt have a truck or other high vehicle it was impassable with flood waters

    or drive down New Road in Lewes and see the roof ripped off the Holloway’s house and partial roof ripped off Dr, Rios’ house..Luckily, those homeowners HEADED the GOVERNMENT WARNING to get out – and did so….they are alive today

    but unless it blows directly up phil’s ignorant ass – its not a problem

    good luck phil – hope you never need governement services out there off the beach in Rehoboth…glad you are ok otherwise

  45. anonone says:
    August 28, 2011 at 7:02 pm

    Except, phil, the the junk science you linked to was wrong and the government science was right. It wasn’t overblown (ironic pun noted), it was right. The junk you posted was politicized alarmist bunk from a global warming denier.

    As far as “crying wolf,” the science of weather prediction is largely statistical and therefore has uncertainty associated with it. A 60% chance of something happening means that under similar conditions, the event occurs 60% of the time. Whether or not the event happens, the prediction itself was not wrong.

    People with your attitude get eaten by wolves. Or drown. I am glad that neither has happened to you.

  46. phil says:
    August 28, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    again, your obsession with a silly link that played absolutely no part in the conclusions i reached. Also, the science is the science, what you mean is the GOVERNMENT INTERPRETATION of the science. go ahead, buy into all that biullshit.

  47. Miscreant says:
    August 28, 2011 at 9:17 pm

    “But with something as variable as the weather, it’s also really expensive to airlift idiots off roofs who didn’t evacuate and their property flooded. Remember all that dramatic footage from Katrina? “I wonder how much all of that costs. Plus the use of resources that shouldn’t have been used because they should have left in the first place.”

    Regarding “resources”: I once had a supervisor who would say something like “Those government employees are getting paid anyway, whatever the hell they’re doing. So who gives a flying fuck if they’re wasting time on shit that could actually save a life…”

    At first, I kind of resented his attitude, but eventually realized he had a good point.

  48. meatball says:
    August 28, 2011 at 9:41 pm

    The problem with weather prediction is statistcs. If I told you that you had cancer and there was only a five percent chance you would survive with treatment…..

  49. meatball says:
    August 28, 2011 at 9:48 pm

    Also, no one ever thought, predicted, or supposed this was going to be a Katrina. How many of you actually live at or below sea level? Anyone, anyone, Buller…

    A little self reliance would be nice people. Why are so many people afraid of just about everything? The Media, maybe.

  50. cassandra m says:
    August 28, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    The problem with weather prediction is not statistics — it is timing. If you are going to order an evacuation or call for states of emergencies, you have to do that a few days ahead of the event. A few days ahead of the event, you have to rely on the best models possible. And every model relies on the best possible presentation of multiple variables that effect the event. So on Friday, local officials had to call it with the data they had. If they had an additional day (or maybe half day’s) data, they might not have pulled the trigger. But then, it would have been too late for an orderly evac if the storm turned out to be bad.

    So basically, the Governor and his people are in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. If they didn’t act with an abundance of caution all of you would be in here sneering about that incompetence. Mother Nature turned our way this time, but the Governor and the State employees working this thing did a damned competent job here.

    And as for Katrina — even Katrina wasn’t Katrina. That storm was much less severe than predicted when it finally hit NO. It was the levees that broke that drowned the city. And no one plans for levees failing on that scale.

  51. Miscreant says:
    August 28, 2011 at 10:13 pm

    “A little self reliance would be nice people. Why are so many people afraid of just about everything? The Media, maybe.”

    Truth!
    Meatball, glad your chickens made it through the storm. Bear in mind, DEMA has a plan for poultry producers, too. Only, on a large scale.

    “How many of you actually live at or below sea level? Anyone, anyone, Buller…”

    Not lived, but spent over a week at the Salton Sea in the southern California desert. Hundreds of feet below sea level. It got flooded a lot. I met Leonard Knight (Google him, you’ll be amazed) there… a remarkable man (unless you’re one of those rabid anti-Christian asshats).

    Good times.

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