After dropping my car off at a downtown Hampton parking garage - the City isn't charging for those living in lower lying areas - the boyfriend and I worked all afternoon (with the help of two wonderful friends) and into the evening moving all of the backyard furniture and plants into the backyard shed and the fenced in herb garden, getting the flood doors in place and moving all of the first floor furniture either to the second floor or placing it up on tables to get it some two and one half feet off the floor. Needless to say, I am exhausted and the boyfriend and I have showered and enjoyed a cocktail or two, The pictures below show the great room (a before photo is here) and some shots of the flood doors.
The good news is that Hurricane Irene seems to be weakening - although Isabel did the same thing in 2003 and contrary to forecasts went from at weak tropical storm back to a category 1 hurricane, catching Hampton Roads largely unprepared and doing over $1 Billion in damage. Tomorrow, if the storm remains on course to Hampton Roads and at least a category 1 storm, then we'll be moving items from the lower cabinets in the kitchen, a downstairs closet and the pantry and a floor to ceiling china cabinet. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:
On a different note, this blog has broken today all past records in terms of reader visits. I thank all of you for your interest and the loyalty of long term readers. Your support means more to me than you will ever know.
The good news is that Hurricane Irene seems to be weakening - although Isabel did the same thing in 2003 and contrary to forecasts went from at weak tropical storm back to a category 1 hurricane, catching Hampton Roads largely unprepared and doing over $1 Billion in damage. Tomorrow, if the storm remains on course to Hampton Roads and at least a category 1 storm, then we'll be moving items from the lower cabinets in the kitchen, a downstairs closet and the pantry and a floor to ceiling china cabinet. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:
Officials expect the Midtown Tunnel and Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel will have to close by Saturday morning between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Transportation's Hampton Roads District. The tunnels are affected not only by wind speeds, but by tides and storm surges.Obviously, the Outer banks - an area that I truly love - will bear much more of the brunt of Irene when it first comes ashore.
Irene is now expected to be a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, when it hits Hampton Roads tomorrow, according to the latest predictions from the National Weather Service.
Previously it was expected to hit at Category 2 strength, meaning sustained winds of 96 to 110 miles per hour. A Category 1 storm has sustained winds of 74 to 95 miles per hour.
Hurricane-force winds of about 90 miles per hour should start hitting the Outer Banks around 8 a.m. Saturday, according to Nick Fillo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wakefield.
The Norfolk area will start seeing hurricane-force winds around 4 p.m. tomorrow, with the eye of the storm passing by off the shore of Virginia Beach around 7 or 8 p.m., Fillo said.
On a different note, this blog has broken today all past records in terms of reader visits. I thank all of you for your interest and the loyalty of long term readers. Your support means more to me than you will ever know.
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