C’mon Irene

• Lori Palminteri
• Uncategorized
• September 5, 2016

This obnoxious nature-taunting picture was taken late summer 2011, on the Eve Irene would visit Long Island.

Growing up a beach bum on the south shore of Long Island, we knew Irene was going to do damage, but not nearly as bad as News 12 was making it out.  If you want accurate storm forecasts, check surf websites.  Because they don’t hype it up in the fear mongering money making way the media does.  The surfers look at the science, unbiased, because that’s the best and only way to predict waves.  Or if you know any Quint-like sea dogs, ask them.  Because it’ll be both accurate and hilarious.

Surfers look forward to hurricanes and tropical storms.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want people’s lives ruined and turned upside down from flooding… except those people who live right on the water, they’re kind of asking for it.  But in the Summer of 2011, I was looking forward to Irene, because I like storms.  I could sit around watching lightening strike for hours.  I wasn’t going to have work, nor shows, nor anything to do, so me, and my neighbor and childhood best, Wesley, decided we were going to go for a hurricane bike ride.

It was late when the hurricane was in full swing.  Every one else was sleeping.  This is when Wesley, myself, and our long time friend Bobby decided it was the perfect time for a bike ride through the neighborhood.  Bobby had lived on the water, and was evacuated from his house, so he was staying at Wesley’s.  We thought it best we go check on his house (we didn’t actually think that was a good idea, we are just adrenaline junkies).

I used my sister’s bike because I think I had a flat tire on mine at the time.  The amount of salt water we went through would later make the chain on her bike snap.  I wore board shorts, and a rain jacket.  I think I did bring my cell phone, in case of an emergency, but double wrapped it in plastic.

It was pouring.  The winds were insane.  We were soaked from being outside for 30 seconds.  We were laughing like lunatics, and having the best time.  The further south we got on Pease Lane, the deeper the water became.  Close to Montauk highway (which near the Great South bay), the water in the street was flooded up to my knees, on my bike.  Forging the flooded streets, the wires on the telephone pole started sparking up, and that’s when I realized, “oh, we could actually die doing this.”  And for some reason, fear fueled fun, and we made our way closer to the bay.

The bay water had risen up so high, you could barely see where the dock dropped off.  You couldn’t see far, because the rain and wind was assaulting your face.  The bay was nothing but white caps and sloppy waves.  There was a swing set, close to water, getting smashed by waves, and Wesley jumped off his bike to go on it.  Bobby and I hung back, because even we thought that looked like a bad idea.  We couldn’t even see him until he came back.

Irene was growing angrier.  We figured it was only a matter of time before the power went out.  We headed back home, through the rivers in roads, the wind trying to knock us off our bikes.

The morning was calm, and the damage was done.  We didn’t get flooded where we lived, but a lot of people further south did.  There were trees fallen, and power lines dancing in the street, and for some reason the post destruction of a storm brings me a sort of joy.  There was literally nothing else to do that day, so Wesley, Bobby, and I got back on our bikes to survey the ruin of Irene.  A lot of my friends lived near or on the bay, so we rode our bikes to one house, helped lift furniture if needed, had a beer, recruited another biker, and went to the next house.  And did the same thing.  We’d help clear some branches or whatever, drink booze, add a member, go the next house.  By the end of the day, we had several bike riders, just exploring the neighborhoods to see what got wrecked, as we were also kind of getting wrecked.  It was a really fun summer day, and Irene brought with her the gift of swell, which we surfed for days after.