Editorial: The looming threat
We have been through this drill many times, and fortunately, our precautions often prove to have been unnecessary. But as Hurricane Irene leaves the Caribbean and approaches the East Coast, residents are taking stock of worldly goods and well-being.
The first ominous forecast came on Tuesday, showing a projected strike of the storm’s center right in the Chesapeake Bay. Tuesday just happened to be Aug. 23, the 78th anniversary of the great 1933 hurricane and flood. That legendary storm is slipping into the history books as those who lived through it meet their maker. Hurricane Isabel of 2003 left ample memories and lessons on the damage that a cyclone can cause. Tropical Storm Ernesto in 2006 brought flooding nearly as bad and said, "Don’t forget."
A different sort of warning about the power of nature came with the 5.8 earthquake in central Virginia on Tuesday. It was something entirely new for many residents already watching the tropics, and possibly helped to focus attention on the looming threat.
Let us hope that the lessons of Isabel, the warnings of forecasters, and evacuations on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, keep everyone tuned in to the possible danger lying ahead. Be prepared. Irene may turn away (Wednesday’s forecast placed its course a bit to the east, which might spare Tidewater), or it may strike. Forewarned is forearmed.