And Now That She's Gone...

Update at 7:11 p.m.: My blog was incorrect. Though my home is personally okay, W went to take photos of Denville and all of Broadway is completely underwater. They are estimating about 2' of water. Denville is like my home. All the independent shops and restaurants have so much to repair. I am concerned for all and I am so sorry for their devastation. W will be posting his photos soon. He couldn't get near town because the water is so high. Instead, he stood with people from town and shop owners, at the closest point they could get, mouths agape at the extensive damage. HOW CAN WE HELP? Check his facebook page -- Ward Vogt Designs -- for photos soon. 

After a highly anticipated hurricane that caused me to fill my bathtub with water, filter enough drinking water into glass bottles for a week, stock up on flashlights, buy shelf stable milk, coffee, everything, Hurricane Irene has passed without doing much damage here.

I am sensitive to the fact that many of my neighbors have no power, and trees have fallen on their properties. Many have been displaced due to heavy flooding, as well, and getting out of W's community took quite a while. Most of his surrounding area is flooded (though his street was fine), and getting out was only possible by way of one route. It took us 30 minutes to get to my house, instead of the usual 10.

It could have been worse. I imagined objects flying through the windows, and roof tiles ripping off. I over prepared, which isn't so bad. At least now, I know that I am good on flashlights and powdered milk, and I can drink the water I bottled over the next week.

W and I woke up to some rain and wind, went back to sleep, and when we woke for the second time, it was sunny. The wind has since picked up, and a giant tree limb landed on my trampoline. I think that today's wind is far more dangerous than yesterday's hurricane (that was downgraded to a tropical storm, and later almost downgraded to a tropical depression).

How did you weather the storm? I am curious to hear your stories.

Here are some photos that I took with my cell phone. Definitely not as bad as it could have been. Thank you, Mother Nature, for sparing us.

Morris Avenue into Cedar Lake. Closed.

Rockaway Valley closed.

A tree falls in Mountain Lakes (actually, it's one of many).

Ouch. Our trampoline net is stressed!