by Tobias Van Buren

Created on: September 21, 2008

September 21, 2008

TODAY - 70 YEARS SINCE THE HURRICANE OF '38

http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurr1938.htm

Recently, Hurricane Hanna passed through, and it came right over New York City, but not as a hurricane - more a moderate tropical storm. We were lucky - this time - especially Long Island! In 1985, September 27th, we had Hurricane Gloria - again our being lucky.

It's been 70 years since that devastating hurricane - 'Long Island Express', and we're overdue for another one like it - or even worse! We've had many through the years. Dan Rattiner (Rat-TEE'-ner) of Dans-Papers mentioned Hurricane Carol (1954), Hurricane Donna (1960) - he did not mention Hazel (1955), which passed just west of New York City, and we got some pretty fierce winds from that one! There was the one in late November 1950, which I well remember - when my grandmother snapped - our having to take her to the doctor through near-hurricane-force winds, driving rains - in a convertible no less - our '47 Pontiac. She was hospitalized for five years - mainly Wingdale - 'Snake-pit'.

Hurricane Gloria was supposed to be a direct hit on New York City, but the eye went right over my brother's - East Setauket - and the storm was not as bad as predicted - though pretty bad! I was working at the World Trade Center in those days, and a couple days before, it was decided that it be closed. A HURRICANE HOLIDAY!

On this day in 1938, World War II was assured, with Hitler rampaging through Europe - Czechoslovakia. In November, he'd set fire to bookstores, in 'Krystal Nicht' (spelling?). I was not even a dream in my parents' eyes - well maybe in my mother's - she wanting a daughter the second time around having had a son 7 years before. I was delivered fifteen months after the hurricane, conceived six months after. Too bad there were no sonograms back then, or I'd have been aborted! My name probably would have been Christine, since Christopher was the name she wanted to name me being a boy. My father won out on that - 'TOBIAS' - or how would I have fit into the '666' scheme? that IS my number, and it was important to GOD that be my number. It is not what you THINK - the number of the Anti-Christ. You've got to REALLY READ the Bible, read between the LINES!

My mom and dad always talked about the Hurricane of '38 - as has my brother, just having had his 6th birthday that August 23rd. My dad told me he was on the last Staten Island ferry! Trees were down all over Fair Lawn (Radburn), NJ where we lived - but the little one my brother had planted, survived. I wonder if it is still there, if only I could go back and know where it is - just a little older than I am!

1938 was quite a year - within the 'Sandwich Generation' Dan Rattiner and I were born (1936-1942). Judy Garland sang Happy Birthday to Clark Gable, and was being groomed for 'The Wizard of Oz'. It was the year Orson Welles scared us with a realistic Martian invasion radio broadcast - October 30, 1938. The '39 cars were rolling out, and there was Benny Goodman's famous Carnegie Hall concert of 1938.

Today is a lovely day - THIS September 21st, 2008. We're near the Equinox, which comes a little EARLY this year (tomorrow around 11:40 a.m.), because of the added LEAP day. Normally, fall begins on the 23rd of September. The summer side of Earth's orbit is somewhat longer than the winter side.

THE DAY IS COMING, when there will be a hurricane like the one of 1938 - A MATTER OF ODDS. I think I will still be around, and I'm nearly 69! Are we prepared - LONG ISLAND prepared - the HAMPTONS?

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