Lawd! I have NEVER seen this from the NWS before:

[RoccoR5955]

71. Most of Irene's damage was due to the rain

Sandy's will not be rain, at least here in the Hudson Valley, but winds. Winds will knock down power lines, and cause other damage. I do not see quite similar damage here in Ulster County, as there was with Irene. I don't expect all the small bridges to be out. Believe me, Irene was a great disaster here. I don't expect the same from Irene. I believe that much of the wind will be dampened by the mountains on either side of the valley. We have the Catskills and Shawgunks on the west, the Taconic range on the east, so the only thing to be concerned is with are winds running directly north up the Hudson.

We were hit hard last time, I believe that folks here will take care to use caution this time, and hopefully, we will not be hit so hard. I don't think that eastern inland areas will be hit as much as those west of the Hudson, as that is the track that it looks like the storm is taking.