spoke to several people in "zone a" - the mandatory evacuation area by the river - none of them intend to do anything but wait out the storm inside "zone a".
all of these people live in the lower east side and some of them are old enough to remember parts of that neighborhood were declared "most dangerous block on earth" based on the murder rates.
i sincerely hope, for all my neighbors in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island that Irene proves to be another storm that just dumps alot of water on the city, with little property damage, really minor injuries, and no loss of life. streets flooded, roofs leaking, and subway lines closed - all noise but little actual damage. we'll know soon.