Community Corner
The Calm before the Storm
Middle River residents are keeping their wits about them in the face of impending Hurricane Irene.
With all the preparation complete, those in Essex and Middle River can only sit and wait as Hurricane Irene works its way up the East Coast.
Jason Hughes, 28, a member of the Army Reserves, is focused on keeping his family in Bowleys Quarters calm.
"People need to concentrate on a plan-for-the-worst, but hope-for-the-best type of scenario," Hughes said in the Middle River parking lot after a run for necessities Saturday morning.
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Hughes and his wife just had their second baby and the father is nearing the end of a paternity leave to be with his wife who, he said, is nervous about the approach of Irene.
With that in mind, the family stocked up on water, batteries, candles, and diapers in addition to foods to snack on if the power goes out. Should a power outage occur, Hughes said plans are in place to leave the house and stay with relatives.
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But a number of Middle River residents are unruffled by the storm.
"Unless something is really doing something, it doesn't really freak me out," said Kimberly Singletary, who lives off of Middle River Road.
Singletary, who didn't bat an eyelash about the Aug. 23 earthquake, said at this point, she's purchased water and extra bread, among other things.
Her response to Irene? "That's nature," the Middle River mother said.
Neilla Elrod, who lives across Ballard Avenue in Middle River, returned to the area last August after spending 12 years in Florida.
The make-up artist has stocked up on enough water and food for three days, but she thinks power outages will be "very minimal," and she's not convinced this will be a bad hurricane, despite
"I lived through a category 3 hurricane [in Florida] where my apartment was destroyed," Elrod said. "I'm not worried about [Irene]."
Nonetheless, Amanda Pollard, a Middle River Target team member, said the store is "out of mostly all bread, all types of cases of water, C and D batteries, and flashlights.
"We have baby water out there in cases if people are desperate," said Pollard.
Hughes fully expects to be activated [with the Army Reserves] to help with clean-up after the storm.
"The main thing is just to stay calm," he said.