Catherine Arcure, former food writer for the Ann Arbor News, now lives on Long Island in New York. She wrote this account of her experiences with Hurricane Irene for AnnArbor.com readers:

My mother’s middle name was Irene. Years ago, I knew a song that the Weavers or Patti Page sang called, “Good Night, Irene.” My father favored an actress by the name of Irene Dunne. Until this week that’s about all I associated with “Irene.”

I am a transplanted Ann Arborite who has lived in New York City for the past dozen years. I’ll always consider myself as an Ann Arbor Townie but I have to admit that the hustle and bustle and excitement of all that is in New York City has made me happy to be here, too.

I’ve seen and experienced a lot since I moved here but nothing quite like these last few days with Hurricane Irene.

Early in the week, there was buzz about a storm headed towards Florida and perhaps up the East Coast, the ninth in this early part of what is becoming known as “hurricane season."

Some of these storms have not even made the news, except to those die-hard Weather Channel watchers….but as the week progressed, Irene was gaining fame as a growing storm that might warrant some special attention. As days passed, she became a headline.

News conferences were called in her honor and “the City that never sleeps” pulled out all the stops and became a quiet place, except for Irene’s howling winds and her intense rain.

I live in Manhattan, adjacent to the mid-section of Central Park, where this year there has been a record amount of rain. That was even before Irene arrived on the scene. Since Saturday, that amount grew to be a history setting one.

The result, pre-Irene, is that the ground is soft, trees are a bit loose in their soil, things are ripe for uprooted trees. Central Park, as much of the region in and around the City, has become ripe for the devastation of wind and additional rain.

When people started to really be aware of Irene, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called a press conference and announced that “we will be ready for Irene."

And, the City listened. Preparedness was the by-word. Shelters were set up, evacuations planned, tips on hurricane readiness were given out…what one should have on hand, what a plan for leaving one’s apartment or home would make the most sense.

Friday, the warnings from Bloomberg became stronger. People were urged to evacuate low-lying places in the City and in outlying areas where flooding could occur, they were asked to voluntarily leave so that first responders would have an easier time of dealing with the real emergencies a full-fledged hurricane would bring.

Battery Park City in Manhattan was given special warnings, as were places like Staten Island, Fire Island and other barrier islands. People learned of the increased dangers of high winds on the skyscrapers of the City (the friction of the wind increases exponentially as one moves above the tenth floor).

The frightening aspects of shattered glass and other debris were made clear. And, the devastating problem of high waves at high tide and the destruction they would bring along the coast not only of Manhattan but of the whole five burroughs and the areas of nearby Long Is land were made painfully clear. People began to evacuate.

My family and I were on Long Island, and we determined it would be safest to stay there. We were away from the beach but in an area of old, beautiful trees, bays and low areas.

We prepared as directed by filling our bathtubs with water as the likelihood of no water and no power was high. We purchased drinking water, food, and restocked our supply of C and D batteries and checked flashlights. We moved anything from outdoors that might blow…furniture, plants (except the heavy pot with thriving tomatoes growing in it).

More came from Bloomberg. In all of the history of mass transit in NY had never been shut down…but it was to happen thanks to Irene. That included subways, cabs, trains all stopped at noon on Saturday. No private cars or taxis would be allowed on the streets after 8. Everyone was asked to stay inside. Airports, of course, were closed.

The television pictures were eerie…Time Square with hardly a soul out on a Saturday night; waves on the beach of Coney Island coming up over the Boardwalk; rain coming down in walls of water, not just sheets of it. And, the eye of the storm was still almost 12 hours away.

Through the night, the trees in the back of our house began swaying in a way I’ve never seen trees bend. Some began to break and leaves whirled in every direction.

Reports from the beach were ominous. When high tide was set to arrive at 8, the waves were predicted to be 22 feet high and with the surge were predicted to erode the beautiful beaches of which these towns on Long Island are so rightfully proud.

The wind was more than a howl…it was menacing. 85 to 100 mile an hour sustained gusts were reported.

Eight o’clock this morning came….from New York City we learned that Irene had hit and Battery Park City streets were water filled; garages and first floors were flooded; but the Hudson had not risen to the levels feared.

There was hope. In our area, beach roads were reported to be under 3-5 feet of water. The winds continued but the snapping of branches and uprooting seemed less frequent. Power flickered but for us stayed on although hundreds of thousands of people are without precious electricity and will be eating by flashlight or romantic candles tonight.

Sunday was quite a day. As the wind died down this late afternoon, we went to see the beach near us. We couldn’t see it well as the wind near the shore was still so strong, eyes couldn’t take it.

But we were aware that the large sandy expanse that used to be there was gone, replaced by pounding surf and rip tides. Large lifeguard station chairs had been uplifted and carried over high dunes and down a hundred yards or so and lay askew in roads and parking lots.

I’m sitting now on Sunday night looking out my window and watching still bending trees and hearing the wind at a more quiet level. It’s been quite a 24 hours and definitely an unforgettable introduction to Irene.

And, those blooming tomatoes are no more, our loss to Irene’s blow.

Arcure runs a business, Manhattan Manners (teaching manners to children), and The Protocol Professional (teaching manners to companies and adults).