Earthquake and Hurricane Irene in the same week? Seriously?

On Tuesday afternoon, there was an earthquake on the east coast.  The fault was located north of Richmond, but tremors were felt in North Carolina.  I was working from home and felt something funny.  At first, I thought it was the washing machine messing up - that was until I realized that the washing machine wasn't running.  It was an unreal sensation and I am hoping I don't have to deal with that again anytime soon.


Since the earthquake, my mind has been filled with thoughts of Hurricane Irene.  My parents live in Beaufort, North Carolina.  Yesterday afternoon, the forecast had Irene going right through my hometown.  No good.  I swear I talked to my parents multiple times yesterday because this is the first hurricane that I have really been concerned about.  I am not sure why, but I just have a bad feeling about this one...

My folks are choosing not to board up the windows on their house.  They have relatively new vinyl siding and windows and would rather not mess it up by drilling plywood in the vinyl.  I am not liking that idea, but it is their home.  I am relieved to know that my Daddy is planning to go pick up my Granny and bring her to their house.  She lives in a mobile home on the other side of the county and I was so scared for her staying alone.  

I have made a few preparations for us.  We are likely to have some wind and power outages in Raleigh.  I have located and refreshed batteries in our flashlights.  I picked up some extra snacky-type foods and 3 gallons of water.  If the power goes out, the hubs and I will enjoy PB&J sandwiches, double dark chocolate cookies, goldfish crackers, and some other fun stuff.   
Anyway, Hurricane Irene will be dominating my thoughts until I know that my parents and family are safe.  We may have a little wind in Raleigh, but that is nothing compared to what the people I love are going to deal with in the next day.  If you live in an area that is likely to be affected by Irene, please prepare and stay safe!