Doylestown Preparing for Irene

Get ready: Irene is coming for real.

That is the message Thursday from emergency services directors to people in the Doylestown area and beyond.

"We are seeing the real possibility of a Category 2 hurricane moving through the Philadelphia region," Cathy Engel Menendez, spokeswoman for PECO, said Thursday afternoon. "We are doing our advance prepartory work to be ready."

Chief Chuck Pressler, of the Central Bucks Ambulance and Rescue Squad, also is closely monitoring predictions for Hurricane Irene's track and intensity. What he saw had him urging the public to get ready.

"This language tells me this will be the worst experience I’ve ever had in my career," Pressler said Thursday. "The worst I’d ever worked was Floyd, and I think this is going to be worse than Floyd."

Pressler was reacting to the latest update from the Weather Channel, which described the possible impact of the storm.

"Irene is a hurricane that poses an extraordinary threat and is one that no one has yet experienced in North Carolina to the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast and New England," the forecasters' update read at 11:25 a.m. on Thursday.

Bucks County should brace for at least 5 to 7 inches of rain, Bucks County Emergency Management Director John Dougherty said Thursday afternoon via Twitter.

With the ground already weakened by rains on Thursday, the rain Irene is predicted to drop will make tree root systems "highly vulnerable" and unstable. The Weather Channel predicted extensive tree and power line damage.

"Electricity infrastructure will be greatly compromised for millions if not tens of millions of Americans," it said.

PECO has kicked into high gear to be ready to respond to the power outages the storm is expected to cause.

The company has all its crews on standby and also has recruited independent contractors to bolster its ranks, Engel Menendez said.

Company executives also are expected to make a decision today or Friday as to whether to bring in utility crews from a sister utility, Commonwealth Edison in Chicago, she said.

As the weather forecasters keep tabs on Irene's path, officials had a list of things everyone can do at home to prepare.

• People who rely on home oxygen should ensure they have a backup supply to last for at least a couple days, Pressler said. "In long-duration power outages, historically we see people start calling 911 after a day or two because they've run out of their backup supply."
• Diabetics or others who must refrigerate medication should have coolers and ice on hand to store the medication if a power outage stretches longer than a day or two.
• If the power does go out, call PECO immediately at 800-441-4141 to report it. Keep the number handy or even program it into your phone. "Hopefully no one will need it, but you don’t want to be walking around a dark house looking for it," Engel Menendez said. "And never assume that your neighbor has called us. The more customers who call us helps us determine how to dispatch our crews more efficiently."
• Move meats, cheeses, milk or medicine from the refrigerator to the freezer if the power goes out. "A partially full freezer can keep your food frozen for about 24 hours, but a full freezer will keep it frozen for up to 48 hours," said Engel Menendez.
• Unplug most appliances so they’re not accidentally damaged when the power comes back on. "Leave one lamp plugged in so you know when it’s restored," Engel Menendez said.

To keep tabs on Irene online, check out these resources:

The Weather Channel's Hurricane Tracker is constantly updated and shows the storm's predicted path and intensity. You can even type in your own address to see how the storm is expected to affect your neighborhood.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is advising the entire East Coast to prepare for Irene. Get updates on the agency's website.

The National Hurricane Center has video briefings, audio podcasts and advisories.

On Twitter, follow:

Pressler at @ChiefPressler

@Doylestown_WX for Doylestown-specific weather updates

the Weather Channel's Hurricane Central at @twc_hurricane

Got another Twitter handle or web resource you're following? Let us know in the comments, and we'll add it to the list.