Hurricane Irene – And So It Begins

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I’m 45 years old and have lived in New Jersey for all of my life save two years. I’ve been here through some big winter storms and some big Noreasters, but this is the first time I recall this much attention being focused on a hurricane headed our way.

New Jersey State Governor Chris Christie has been asking people to leave the shore. To aid in this effort, yesterday morning he removed the problems of tolls slowing vacating motorists down and creating traffic by suspending tolls in both directions for the Garden State Parkway from Cape May to the Driscoll Bridge. I have never heard of the tolls being suspended before. There’s a reason the locals call the Garden State Parkway the Garden State Cash Cow after all.

As of 8 pm last night the Garden State Parkway was closed in the Southern direction at exit 98, within fifteen minutes of my house. I don’t recall ever hearing of the Parkway being closed before. Neither did my Dad. My guess is that the governor doesn’t want people there so by closing the major access road in they can’t get there and therefore won’t be there when Irene hits.

All Atlantic City casinos closed yesterday. It’s only the third time in 33 years that the casinos will be closed.

Some areas very close to me (within ten miles) were placed under mandatory evacuation. My own area is under voluntary evacuation. We’ve talked and as of this point we are staying. Most people do seem to be taking the storm seriously, some choosing to leave the area. In a press conference today Governor Chris Christie said more than 1 million people have left the Jersey Shore in the last 24 hours.

I myself am hoping, like many others, that the impact won’t be as great as predicted. No matter how severe, the hurricane is sure to have great impact on our area in many ways including tourism and economy, as well as the obvious physical property damage and danger to the people.

It has begun. The rain started falling here hard and steady here not long ago. There is a little wind on and off.

More to come, certainly from Irene and hopefully from me.