Looking Back: Hurricane Irene a Year Later

It's been exactly one year since Hurricane Irene landed on Long Island. Though it was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it arrived, everyone braced for the worst.

Long Islanders tuned into every Patch update up the East Coast from the Caribbean Sea where it inflicted its most terrible wrath on the Bahamas, peaking as a 120 mph Category 3 hurricane.

As the storm neared Long Island on Aug. 27, residents for disaster supplies, business-owners boarded up store windows, municipalities rushed to get the word out about evacuation plans, and by. Some people even found occasion to .

The said it was "preparing for the worst" and put all personnel at the ready.

Irene was considerate enough to do most of her dirty work in the middle of the night between Saturday Aug. 27 and Aug. 28. Driving rains and winds up to 70 miles an hour caused --mostly from downed trees, downed power lines, and flooding--though no deaths were reported in the area.

Hurricane Irene was the first time the Town of Huntington contacted residents through their “robocall” emergency notification telephone message system.

"As a result of that experience," said town spokesman AJ Carter, "the Town came to appreciate the benefit of the system and, as we used it throughout the year, the limitations of our vendor. As a result, the Town Board voted to switch vendors (beginning next week) to one we believe will allow us to contact residents more effectively."

Though the area weathered the Irene well, the storm was much weaker than expected. The 2012 hurricane season has just begun. Would you be prepared for another? Do you think that government agencies and utilities are prepared? What did you learn from Tropical Storm Irene?

Tell us in the comment section below.