Irene...

Hey y'all!  I spent a good bit of the afternoon, and early evening listening to news radio today.  The big story is, of course, the impending arrival of Irene on the East coast of the US.


You've got everything from Joe Bastardi forecasting/warning/etc. of another Ivan type catastrophe, to other meteorologists saying "ain't gonna be all that big a deal."  Well, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.  Regardless of who is right, there is going to be one heck of a lot of damage.  I'm figuring that even if Irene weakens modestly, the bill on this chick is gonna be a whopper!


Irene already has been a "big deal," forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate, and forcing many millions to alter their lives, turn loose of some coins, and prepare for "whatever." 


My greatest concern is not so much the property damage (which is gonna be hefty), as it is the "people problems."  In such heavily populated areas, there will certainly be many deaths due to a variety of calamities that even weak hurricanes bring.  Then, you've got the problem afterward of looters, transportation impossible, power out for long periods of time, communications down (look for most phone service to crater...land lines, and cell towers), hospitals unable to handle the numbers (or inaccessible by first responders), and just plain old frazzled nerves that folks will be dealing with.


Y'all buckle your seat belts!  This ain't gonna be pretty.

Just a shout out to my kinfolks in North Carolina & Boston, MA & Manhattan (NY, not KS), my blog buddies in Virginia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and especially to our young friend Linda (an EMT in The Bronx).  Y'all are gonna have your hands full for a good long while.  You have our prayers.