The hatches have been battened

As the atlantic provinces brace for the remnants of Hurricane Noel - and memories of Juan are dredged up - we have loaded the house with firewood, locked the patio furniture in the garage, and taken down anything that could be wisked away to the land of OZ. Coming from Ontario we are accustomed to weather forecasts that are somewhat less than accurate. Storms, rain and snow, have been predicted before and when a sunny day results we become jaded to the Chicken Little world of meteorology. Not so here in Nova Scotia. When the call is for weather that requires neighbours to watch out for each other, it's taken seriously. As seriously as 130 kph winds and 70 mm of rain can be.