This whole Irene thing is really freaking me out, too. I'm in Pennsylvania, and I've heard we may be like 90 mph winds, and after the earthquake, tornados, and torrentiel downpours we've been having lately, my fear is what this wind will do to our trees. We live in the woods, and lost so many already from the tornado. We plan to drain our pool a bit, too, so it doesn't overflow from the 12" of possibly rain. BTW, pool water is a great resource for flushing toilets!
On a lighter note, this is why you all need to get yourself a treadle or hand crank. Inclement weather causing power outages don't even make a difference in my sewing room. Everything is people powered!
Take care everyone, and prayers going out to you all.