This is my account of enduring Hurricane Irene in Freehold Township, NJ. Below is a timeline of events that describe how Hurricane Irene affected my hometown.
Preparing for Irene – Friday August 26, 2011 4:41 pm EST
I went to the local gas station to buy gasoline for my portable generator. There was a long line of people waiting to do the same thing. I realized that my 2.5-gallon container would not hold enough fuel so I shopped for a bigger one. Unfortunately, Home Depot, Sears and Wal-Mart had none left. The containers sold out quickly.
The Rain Comes – Saturday August 27, 2011 6:00 pm EST
It rained heavily in Freehold Township around 6:00 pm. The sump pump in my basement worked hard. As long as I had power, my basement would stay dry. However, my neighborhood is notorious for having power outages during storms. It was only a matter of time before I lost power.
Loss of Power – Saturday August 27, 2011 10:00 pm EST
I lost power at 10:00 pm. I immediately started my generator and placed it at a safe distance from my house. It was raining hard so I covered the power outlet on my generator. I now had power for the refrigerator, sump pump and other small appliances. [Generator Safety: Portable Generator Hazards]
With my 2.5 gallons of back-up gasoline, I had about 12 hours of power. I feared that the power outage would last longer than that. To double my power supply, I cycled my generator on and off every 30 minutes. I relied on my battery back-up sump pump when the generator was off.
Radio Updates – Saturday August 27, 2011 10:30 pm EST
I tuned my radio to 101.5 FM and listened to New Jersey residents relay information about Hurricane Irene. I heard story after story about flooding, power outages and damage. I followed the action as Hurricane Irene moved closer to my town.
Power Temporarily Restored – Sunday August 28, 2011 1:00 am EST
At 1:00 am, the power came on in my house. I turned off my generator to conserve gasoline. The rain and wind died down. The news reports insisted that this was only a temporary break in the weather. The worst was yet to come. A tornado watch was also in effect.
Power Lost Again – Sunday August 28, 2011 3:45 am EST
I lost power again at 3:45 am. I started my generator and noted the time in my log. The rain and wind increased. The weather reports predicted intense conditions for the next 10 hours. I continued to cycle my generator through the morning.
Hurricane Irene Leaves the Area – Sunday August 28, 2011 10:00 am EST
By 10:00 am, Hurricane Irene left the area. I drove to the local gas station and saw that it was open for business. I no longer had to worry about my supply of gasoline.
The Aftermath – Sunday August 28, 2011 10:40 pm EST
Hurricane Irene took a toll on Freehold Township. It flooded streets, blew down trees and disrupted traffic lights. Home basements flooded. Many of my neighbors lost power during the storm. There aftermath of Hurricane Irene was widespread. [Hurricane Aftermath: In Irene’s Wake: N.J. Under Water]
Latest Update – Monday August 29, 2011 9:45 am EST
Many streets in Freehold Township are not passable. I still do not have power. The power has been out for 30 hours and counting. Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents are also still without power. It is calm in Freehold Township right now but it will be a few days before everything is truly back to normal. [Hurricane Aftermath: Hurricane Irene’s wrath sends N.J. utilities scrambling, 660,000 still in dark]