Live-Blogging Hurricane Irene

I'm managing a Red Cross shelter, mainly for people whose power was knocked out by the storm. We have 12 senior citizens and 3 kids.

Dinner was courtesy of the Dept. of Corrections. Only the best for us: bologna & cheese on white bread. Anyone vegetarian, allergic, or keeping kosher? Let them eat cake! (Or cookies, in this case, the only other thing they sent.)

They're providing breakfast too. At least I can get something from the snack & soda machines. Oh, wait: can't have those, schoolkids need to eat healthy! (D'oh!)

When I was their age, the school sold us jelly donuts, and we turned out OK.

Sort of.

Update:

Irene has passed us and is heading north. Very little damage done.

Lions and tigers and bears. Or bears, at least.

According to the media, this storm was "serious" and "needed to be taken seriously," because of the "pounding," "pummeling," "lashing," and "thrashing," that was "just unimaginable" and "just unbelievable," including things like water a few feet above normal (who could imagine that?) "just yards away" from the intrepid reporters, not to mention the gale-force winds they were braving (who could believe the storm would have those?), "and it's only going to get worse."

Also, the number of people without power was 2, 3, or even 4 million -- even though the numbers they gave only added up to around 1.5 million -- but they majored in journalism, dammit, not math, and if you're such an expert, why don't you give the news, you know, on Twitter, because that's what they're quoting half the time anyway, and ...

Great. Just arrived home and the power is out. Probably should have stayed at the shelter. They may want me back tonight anyway. After all, somebody's got to finish off the sandwiches.