The folks in the Outer Banks and Delmarva areas are well prepared for a hurricane as they get them regularly. It's farther north in DC, NYC, and Boston where they are less frequent that makes Irene unusual. They do get massive winter storms that create huge waves and havoc along the Atlantic coast so they know what to do. A major rain storm on the New England coast feels every bit like a hurricane. The problem is evacuating the most densely populated areas of the US. There really is nothing comparable along the Gulf coast.

I'd love to have the rain either way though.

Please don't wish a hurricane for me! If we get one, we'll deal with it, but we don't want one. So, I guess to answer your question, I would rather a hurricane go anywhere else but here. What good is the rain if your roof is gone, your trees are down, and your garden is destroyed? When Ike came in, luckily I had a generator, but some of my neighbors didn't and our neighborhood was without electricity for 13 days. Imagine 13 days without electricity starting this coming weekend.
Jim

Thank you for answering. It's good to know those east coasters are probably better prepared than I thought. 13 days without electricity is a bad thing. I will just wish for the reservoirs and aquafers to magically fill with water.

Good question! I live right on Copano Bay; it's my backyard! I wish for just a Tropical Storm rather than a Hurricane! But at this point, I could handle a Cat 1 Hurricane. I have heard lots of people wishing for a weak tropical system, but not a big hurricane! Nothing stronger! We have stayed here through quite a few Tropical Storms and a few Hurricanes, but nothing stronger than a Cat 2. And when Alicia hit Houston back in 1983, it was a Cat 3 when it hit Galveston. I stayed as everyone that I knew. I think because of Katrina people are really afraid of storms now.

I wouldn't wish a hurricane on my coastal Texans but sure wouldn't mind rain SOMEHOW.

Celia might be the most important hurricane memory for those in the Corpus Christi area in 1970. I remember it was supposed to be a weak hurricane or tropical storm but picked up speed and intensity just before hitting the coast. They didn't evacuate and some people even went to the coast to experience the storm. Big mistake because it was much worse than predicted. Forecasting might be more accurate now, but best not to be too trusting when it comes to storms.

Rita will be the most memorable hurricane for our area. Forecast to come in between Freeport and Galveston, it turned and came in at Port Aurthur. In the mean time 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate the Houston area, and close to one hundred people died in the evacuation. It took my daughter and son-in-law 27 hours to travel to Graham, the same trip I made in 6.5 hours the day before. We will never evacuate for a hurricane again. I would rather take my chances with the storm than with desperate chaos in an evacuation fiasco. We have stayed during 2 hurricanes and a tropical depression, that dropped 43 inches of rain in 24 hours, and none of it was as bad as that evacuation.
Jim

Having never experienced a hurricane, I cannot imagine the trauma involved. However, Jim, if you are equipped to ride one out, you are probably correct in that's being better than the chaos of evacuation. Our weather is so unpredictable, I just wait for it to happen......our forcast changes daily (we are again awaiting relief from the triple digits, and once again, it is predicted for next Saturday........we shall see).

Rita was terrible for the evacuation problems, my family in west Houston went north to Huntsville spending hours on the road only to have Rita go directly over them and knock out power while power at their houses in Houston stayed on throughout. They stayed put through Ike and lost power for three days or so but thought it no worse than being on the road 10 hours to go 75 miles during Rita.

Carla is my first hurricane memory. We went to my grandmother's house in Austin while my dad stayed at work in downtown Houston. The storm surge pushed 50 miles inland and the water was 6' high on Main Street. The aftermath looked like a war zone from downtown all the way to the coast. An image I will never forget.

We've been through hurricanes all over the place. We were stranded at JFK during Gloria, the last big hurricane to hit NYC. Thanks to a wonderful USO volunteer who braved the storm in case someone needed help we found a place to stay and a ride there since no one was renting cars. It worked out, but not something we'd want to go through again.

Hurricane Isabel in 2003 took pretty much the same track as Irene and went right over us in Virginia. We were without power for a day but many neighbors and friends were without power for nine days to three weeks.

No, you don't want a hurricane when a nice rain will do the same thing.

According to our local weather forecast we are due for a pattern change after labor and several rain days are anticipated.

From their forecast to God's ears !!!!!!!!!!

My hubby had just been dropped off to start UT Austin when Carla hit. He was from Marshall, TX and had no idea what was going on, but he said it is something he will never forget. And regarding Rita, it was supposed to make a direct hit on Rockport, so we evacuated in our RV the next day to Kerrville. By that time we knew Rita was heading north, but we went on to make a mini vacation. My brother in Houston called and asked what we were doing. I told him and he asked if he could evacuate to Rockport, so I said sure. My sister was trying to get out of Houston in her RV and by the time she got from Friendswood to Katy her RV overheated and broke down after who knows how many hours. Since then my family stayed for Ike, but said that it was really bad! My sister said it was far worse than Alicia even though Alicia was a Cat 3 and Ike only a cat 2. Bottom line is: No one can accurately predict the weather, . . . .especially a hurricane. It's pretty scary when you think about it, i.e. evacuate or not evacuate. That's the million dollar question!

Linda, sounds like typical awful Rita stories from my own family. My aunt and her family tried to evacuate from south Houston and only made it as far as my mom's house. They stayed there, but mom was in Huntsville with my sister. That's how we knew the power stayed on!

my DH and his family went through Carla near Anahuac TX. His grandmother kept a diary of what happened. He still remembers the cattle crazy and bloated from salt water. When Katrina came in he said that nothing prepares you for the smell and the H*** that comes after.

Then there was Ike that took out his grandmother's old farm house that made it through Carla. grandmother ws deceased but Ike took that old house and split it in two.

I've never been through one, never want to. But wish that forecast for rain Friday was still a promise not a sneer.

sigh

It's too hot for too long
c

I'd rather have a Cat 1 hurricane than a Tropical Storm.
Don't any of you remember Allison?
Yeah, I've been thru lots of hurricanes in Houston. I even went on a date in high school during one: "But MOM, it's Friday night! It's only a Cat 1!" (My mother's from Ohio, she's always freaked out by hurricanes.)

Mostly hurricanes are no fun, but neither is drought.
A WEAK hurricane might be welcomed.

Oh yes, I do remember TS Allison! By that time I had left Houston and was living in Rockport, . . .BUT I was just outside of Houston (Hockley) visiting a friend when it started hitting early that morning. I said "Hey you are a friend, but I'm getting out of Dodge and heading back to Rockport, and you are more than welcome to come back with me"! Well it wasn't all that easy to get back home, but I left early enough that day that I made it. Yes, ALLISON was terrible! Glad I wasn't there!