The motto of this hurricane was "Prepare for the Worst". Storm tracking has gotten much more predictable, and so when the projected pathway of Hurricane Irene included major Atlantic seaboard cities, those cities responded. They closed airports and public transportation early. Newark airport was closed before even the edge of the storm reached it. It was not even raining. The call for taking cover was heeded well in advance.
I had planned to be on the East coast, but when United who hadn't initiated travel offered to let people rebook for another time, I took it--I couldn't afford to be stuck in New Jersey.
My family members, on the other hand, were more adventurous. They left on Friday knowing that they were headed into the eye of the storm, and they went anyway. And their flight home was canceled. As expected. Not as hoped for, but as expected. Not a huge problem--they were all prepared with a plan B--they had a car rental reservation for both Saturday and for Sunday (always cover your back in a natural disaster). My husband, a life-long lover of severe weather, was disappointed not to be able to experience a hurricane--we do not live in hurricane country so this was his opportunity to be in one. Category 1 was right where he wanted to be. But he chose the more conservative choice--to get back to work on Monday. The best part was that no one was even a little bit surprised or upset to have to drive 18 hours to get home. When I asked my youngest son about it, he noted that he spent his entire childhood on long car rides in the summer, to places he can't even remember, so this really seemed like no big deal. I thought we were showing them the great National Parks of the west, but apparently we were giving them the life skill to sit still in a small space for long hours and not be miserable. Maybe that was the better experience.
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