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Union Square Manhattan, NY from my 2011 archive

August 26, 2011

Irene

I am from California, so earthquakes...a part of life. We had earthquake practice drills in school about as often as we had fire drills. But never, never have I ever thought an earthquake could occur in New York City. Then it did, on Tuesday. I was on the subway, did not feel a thing. People in New York were evacuating buildings. I was calm and quickly dismissed it. It was minor by California standards. However, today, I am preparing for a hurricane. "Hurricane Irene" as it is named.

I stocked up on bread, apples, and peaches at the Union Square Farmers Market; water, batteries, and candles at Ride Aid; and granola bars, peanut butter, and apple sauce at Key Food. At Rite Aid, I bought the last two packs of generic C batteries and there was not a flashlight to be found, anywhere. People at Key Food were stocking up on things like ground beef, fish, and frozen foods which seemed like the wrong approach. Stick to non-perishables. The Swede and I already had other things at home like canned beans, dried fruit, and nuts. We also have several small flashlights, varying sizes of candles, and a radio.

The city is literally coming to a standstill starting noon tomorrow. For the first time in its history, the MTA is suspending all subway, train, and bus service. And very likely, all bridges will be closed once winds reach 60mph. This evening I went to Plot95, where the mosquitos have seemingly not be given notice that a hurricane is coming, to harvest tomatoes, beans, bell peppers, eggplants, and lots and lots of basil, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, and lemongrass. Unfortunately, Plot95 is located in Zones B and C and has the potential to flood...if it does, I fear contamination. Think stagnate water in NYC, not pretty. And not safe.

Let us prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Be well.

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