I can say I've been through a hurricane sort of like I can say I've been in an earthquake. Yeah, sorta.
Boston got brushed by Hurricane Sandy. That's enough, thank you. I don't need a more zealous hurricane experience. Was there a lot of storm hype? Yes. A CNN headline right now reads, "Death, Floods, and Destruction."
Certainly, there was some of that. There's a simple rule when severe weather hits: Don't do dangerous things. I'd love to say I followed that rule with Sandy.
However, I was scheduled to work last night. My work is 54 miles from home and offers no mass transit options. As winds picked up over 50 mph and gusted near 60, that's when I left for work. It wasn't really raining, which was good, but I followed my Dad's words about driving in snow: There's no such thing as going too slow.
Those words came in handy on the way home. The commute to work was no problem. The return route was trickier. It was raining hard and winds were still gusting up to 50 mph. Our front tires need to be replaced, so driving was sketchy.
As I came within 10 miles of home, a guy wouldn't let me pass him. He kept speeding up (I was going all of 55 or 60 mph), so I eventually just dropped a hundred yards behind him and let him lead the way. There's no such thing as too slow.
I was watching the guy in the Nissan Pathfinder because it's hard to see huge puddles on the interstate. The lights were working, but it's water on dark-black asphalt. After a couple miles, I saw the Pathfinder throw up a spray and swerve to the right hard. He almost rolled his SUV. I took my foot off the gas, tapped the brake a little, then coasted through the same puddle. Water shot over the roof of the car. But I went straight and didn't try to do anything with the wheel. Just hold on.
Our Mazda Tribute made it through that bay of water just fine and brought me home to Amy, who was watching TV and had the furnace on. Not a bad way to weather a storm.
Living in the city can be a good thing when severe strikes. According to power maps I looked at last night, 2 percent of Boston addresses lost power at the height of the hurricane. Neighboring communities had as many as 94 percent of residents without power; over 300,000 people were without power this morning.
People died in this storm. I don't know how. If I'd stayed on our couch, drinking wine and enjoying the furnace, the biggest danger I faced yesterday would have been a 2-inches in circumference branch nearly hitting me in the dog park. The risks I don't take for Daisy Duke.
Lots of things were impressive about this storm. We had consistent wind over 40 mph, with gusts to around 60 mph. I stood in those winds at the dog park. For my Minnesota friends, of which there are many, the experience was not unlike standing in the emergency exits at the Metrodome, which woosh you out with the pressurization of the domed stadium.
The high tide was cool to check out, but I did so very safely and for a short period of time. When severe weather's coming, there isn't anything to be afraid of. Just don't taunt it. Stay in your home. Don't try to rewire your electrical system. And slow down when you drive.
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