One thing about Irene really leaves a bad taste in my mouth

I know a lot of places are still under a bit of water, and a lot of people are still without electricity, but I think the Northeast tried to prepare for this as best we could. Buildings were sandbagged and boarded up, people raided grocery/convenience stores for all the emergency supplies imaginable, my local Home Depot sold out of backup generators even though they were going at $900 a pop, and mayors/governors everywhere told people to GET THE FUCK OUT. I mean, they evacuated the parts of New York City that were most likely to be seriously damaged--that has NEVER happened before.

But they missed a spot. No evacuation was planned for the prisoners on Riker's Island. Every other barrier island was evacuated, as well as some low-lying inland communities, but the 12,000+ prisoners--most of whom are low-level offenders, not hardened criminals--who are trapped in cells on an island composed primarily of landfill were not granted the right to a fair chance of surviving the storm (had it been as bad as predicted). Though committing an offense temporarily takes away one's right to liberty, it doesn't mean we can disregard these people's right to LIFE. Even the UN says that prisoners cannot be ignored in times of emergency like this. It disgusts me to see these people entirely neglected--our prison system is supposed to be a place to rehabilitate people, not to abandon them in cages while we protect ourselves. Prisoners are wards of the state, and the state has an obligation to protect them as it protects all its citizens. Their families should sue for like, the endangerment of their welfare or something. And this just goes to show how our prison system just doesn't give a damn about prisoners anymore. Fucking animal shelters looked for people to take the cats and dogs in to protect them from the storm, but these human beings weren't offered that same decency. You can't mandatory evacuate people selectively, that a) defeats the purpose and b) constitutes abuse--there's no other way to cut it. It makes me sick. 

Wanted: Snuggles

There's a lot of things I crossed off my hurricane supply list: 9-volt battery for my alarm clock that has a radio, brightly colored duct tape to make safety Xs on the windows, bread, non-perishables like granola bars, chips, crackers, candy, all the bottles of water in all the world. All check. There are flashlights on every floor. I gathered every candle (I think there are almost 40) in my house and piled them on my mom's dresser, along with a lighter and two half-empty giant boxes of matches. We brought in all the random crap from the backyard and put it in the basement. I have all the board games gathered in the living room, my GRE prep book spread out on the dining room table, two fun books to read next to it when I need a break. My cell phone and MP3 player are fully charged. I will fill one of the two bathtubs with water tomorrow afternoon in case we lose water pressure.

...Maya Reid don't play. I am generally a rather anxious person, and when NJ is facing a land-hit by a hurricane for the first time in 108 years, I feel like it's the day before we found out about college admissions all over again. My stomach is in KNOTS. I'm as prepared as I can be, I know. There's nothing else I can do, I know.

But my grandmother and my mom's ex I'm still in I-want-you-to-be-my-daddy with live in mandatory evacuation zones and aren't leaving. *increases worry* My mom is already having some fairly serious car trouble, so the possibility of flooding could do us in transportation-wise. *increases worry* There's a leaky window in my mom's bedroom and our roof has problems from time to time. *increases worry* My area is just entirely unprepared for something like this. *increases worry*  

I read a news article earlier saying Atlantic City Electric is warning people to prepare for power outages that could last for days. *increases worry*

Some official from Cape May County has said on the news [this is a paraphrase], "To all the people ignoring the evacuation, who want to try to ride it out, this is what you need to do. Get an index card, write your name, address, SSN, next of kin, and next of kin's phone number on it, and put it in the bottom of your shoe. We'll need it to identify your body." *increases worry*

Governor Christie said on the news this evening, "Get the hell off the beach." That's a direct quote. *increases worry*

And see, there's one thing on my emergency preparedness list that I can't get [well, okay, one thing in addition to a backup generator, a gas stove instead of the electric one we have, and a landline telephone]...someone to cuddle with me during the whole thing. [My family isn't a touchy-feely people. They give me major side-eye when I even want hugs.] I want to wear the necklace my best friend got me for my 16th birthday because it makes me feel safe. I want to wrap myself in the quilt my grandmother altered for me. And I want someone's arms around me, want them so bad it hurts. But I will settle for my two teddy bears from my father, one given to me the day after I was born, and the second given to me the day I graduated from high school. I know it's stupid to think this stuff will protect me, but...I'm a silly sentimental woman most of the time.

And maybe this isn't the most eloquent way to say it, but I'm scared SHITLESS.

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UPDATE: GREG IS COMING HERE TO SURVIVE THE STORM. IRENE, YOU HAVE MADE MY LIFE WONDERFUL.