At Least We Won't Have Deadly Flying Fruit

Freelance writer Troy Robinson, a Morris Plains resident, met up with Irene in Puerto Rico. Here's what he had to say:

The Island of Puerto Rico is no stranger to tropical storms and hurricanes. In fact many people on the island considered Hurricane Irene a "minor" hurricane. 

"Hurricane Hugo and George were much worse than this one," said Margarita Torres, 60, from Carolina, a suburb of San Juan. "Irene was mostly heavy rain. Hugo was a lot of wind. Powerful, scary wind!" 

Torres said she is used to dealing with hurricanes. But the residents of Morris Plains and Morris Township ... hurricanes?  Not so much.  So here are some tips from the people of Puerto Rico.

"We clear everything from the yard and around the outside of the house," said Edwin Acevedo, 52, of Rio Grande. "Small pieces of wood, garden tools and lawn furniture become weapons. After Hugo, very sharp debris was stuck in trees and in the sides of houses.”  

One thing that Morris Plains residents will not have to worry about: flying fruit. Particularly coconuts. Many people in Puerto Rico remove fruit from trees to ensure their cars and property do not end up looking like a fruit salad. One benefit of being on an island with coconuts, they are an excellent source of water and nutrition.

They also trim palm branches and other tree limbs to avoid damaging not just property, but power lines. Power seems to be the first thing to go- along with running water. Many people in Puerto Rico have generators and are prepared to go without power for a few days. 

Rene Acevedo, Edwin’s younger brother, offered some good advice for people using generators: "Make sure you don’t run it in the house! Put the generator somewhere where there is good ventilation."

He said that during every hurricane season, a few people die, not as a result of the storm, but from carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Some people try to use propane grills and even charcoal in the house when the power is out,” he said. 

Carmen Albelo of Canovanas had an excellent tip for keeping food cold after losing power.

“I freeze a lot of water in Ziploc bags a few days earlier, and then I use them to keep the food cool in refrigerator and in coolers for as long as we can,” he said.

There is also an added bonus to the Ziploc ice bags: “As the bags thaw out you can use the water to drink.”  

A good supply of water is key, as many people pointed out. Simple things like washing, brushing your teeth and flushing the toilet will be less problematic if you have plenty of water stored. So a good idea is to bottle water for drinking and hygiene, and fill buckets- maybe even the tubs, coolers, old two liter soda bottles for emergency water that’s not necessary for drinking.

Most of the Puerto Rican people seemed very well-prepared for Irene. One of the things everyone seemed to stress was the belief that everyone should stay together in the strongest room in the house - away from windows, glass, and large furniture.

Hurricane Irene hit Puerto Rico, generally, as a category one Hurricane. High winds ripped a few branches from trees and even snapped a few trees in two. Rain, flooding, and mudslides seemed to do most of the damage around the San Juan area. By Tuesday the rain was still heavy, though intermittent, with booming thunderstorms. 

Power, water and cable services had been restored to most places in San Juan by Saturday morning. A few of the suburbs were still lacking power, but county workers were clearing branches and repairing power and water lines throughout the outlying villages.

As the people of Puerto Rico watched Hurricane Irene approach the United States, many empathized with the concerns and fears of the people in the path of the storm. Most have relatives in the States, particularly in the Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York City areas.

One man, who said his name was “Tio Johnny,” said he hoped people prepared for the storm.

“It’s better to be prepared, and have it blow over, than get caught with nothing,” he said. “Mother Nature can be very unforgiving if you don’t respect her.”