New York City was leaving nothing to chance as Irene Hurricane Irene rolled in its direction last week.
That was apparent by Saturday afternoon at Forest Hills High School in Queens, which had had been converted into a fully equipped evacuation center that could deal with 2,500 people if necessary.
Like each of the city's 65 evacuation centers, it was at the heart of a 'solar system' of shelters that could accommodate approximately 10,000 people.
"We spent yesterday bringing in supplies, cots, cribs and cages for animals," said coordinator Armando Chabran.
There had also been a good turnout of fellow volunteers, most of them city workers. "There are 34 here now. I was surprised," Chabran said. "We work 12-hours shifts. We're stuck here, of course, if it hits."
Each center reported regularly to a department of the Office of Emergency Management. "We're in constant contact," Chabran said.
In the end, New York City was left relatively unscathed, compared to its suburbs, and the volunteers weren't stretched. They weren't complaining either. Peter McDermott
