As some of you may know, I am located in the great state of Maryland, which is currently in a state of emergency due to Hurricane Sandy. Our governor, along with several others in the surrounding states, have declares states of emergency as a result of Sandy, which is a combination of tropical storms, which have veered it in our direction. Sandy started off as a routine hurricane nearing the end of hurricane season, but the timing of it, with the position of the moon bringing in high tides along the East coast, a high pressure movement from Greenland, and chilly Arctic air from the north, Sandy has been pulled up north and has grown in strength.

Though Maryland is a state that has very mild weather comparable to a good portion of the country (tornados are extremely rare, snowfall above 6 inches is uncommon, earthquakes are very rare, etc), we do have to deal with hurricanes every once in a while. When we first got the news about Hurricane Sandy, most Marylanders laughed it off, but still reluctantly made their ways to the store to get a few things, “just in case”. Now that impact seems to be inevitable, I wanted to put something out to readers of this blog that I may not be able to check this blog for the next few days.

Millions are expected to lose power as high wind speed may knock down power lines, trees, and make it difficult for crews to repair downed lines. I’ve already gotten an email from my governor that early voting has been canceled for tomorrow in the state of Maryland because of the storm, that coastal cities are facing mandatory evacuations, and a plead that basically reads “please don’t drive tomorrow if you don’t have to”. Most coastal cities along the East coast should be facing similar circumstances. I’ve also gotten an automated phone call from my electric company to reassure me and others who received the same call that they are bringing in thousands of technicians for support to help with the inevitable downed power lines. The local news is advising residents that if the power goes out, it may be out for the remainder of the week. The worst of the storm is expected to be Monday night which will coincide with the full moon. Tuesday will see very high winds and the heavy rain will continue throughout the day.

So, while this is not going to be nearly as bad as any of the storms that residents of Florida experience every year, it may prevent me from accessing the internet for the next few days. Unfortunately, this will very likely affect the Bad Romance writing challenge as I very likely won’t be able to post winners for the next few days. As a result, I will accept new submissions to anyone who would like to submit a last minute one. If I don’t respond to your email this week, I have not forgotten about you. Please just assume that I have lost power or internet access for the time being and I will respond to you as soon as I can.

In the meantime, we are still getting ready for the floods that are anticipated and for the rest of the evening, I will be finishing with laying out sandbags and rounding out the night with Sandy S’mores. For anyone else affected by the Hurricane, please be safe! Stay at home, curl up with a flashlight and a good book, and wait the storm out.