Fathoming the Frankenstorm

Posted October 29, 2012 by Sarah Barton

I tend to not get too hyped up about storm forecasts. I recognize that people need to be alerted about the potential severity of a storm so they can prepare accordingly, but I personally don’t get caught up in the 24-7 Weather Channel or local news coverage. (Confession: in small doses, I do enjoy watching the live reporters who can hardly stand up due to the driving wind and rain. And how do their microphones not pick up any of the wssssh sounds from the wind?) On Sunday morning I picked up some bottled water and non-perishables, tested my flashlight, and collected some candles, so I felt like I was more than prepared for Sandy the Frankenstorm.
Sunday evening I was surprised to see that many Massachusetts schools announced Monday closures. Then I received an email from my Monday morning professor that she was cancelling our in-person meeting and putting the lecture notes online. Then Simmons called, texted, and emailed me to say that the campus would be closed on Monday. Are people overreacting to what Sandy has in store for us? Am I underreacting? I guess we’ll all find out as she blows through. I’ve never had to hunker down for a truly severe weather situation before, so maybe I’m underestimating what can go wrong.
So I’ll sit, and I’ll wait, and I’ll implore the power not to go out. I hope that everyone is overreacting, and that in retrospect Monday will have been just a really crappy weather day that I happened to have an online lecture. I’ve heard that taking an online class at GSLIS is a worthwhile experience, so Monday can serve as a preview of that. But if the power goes out and I don’t want to drain my computer battery flipping through PowerPoint slides, I’ll do what any librarian would – grab a book and read the day away. As long as Sandy doesn’t prove to be a complete catastrophe, there are worse ways to spend a day.