Hurricane!

It's been an active week, and it's going to get a lot more exciting this weekend:

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the United States' most populous city was bracing to experience at least tropical storm conditions and flooding starting on Sunday from Irene, which could hit Long Island as a Category 2 hurricane.

"We hope for the best but prepare for the worst," Bloomberg told a news conference, adding some evacuations could be possible. The city was positioning rescue boats and helicopters, working to minimize street flooding and gearing up at hospitals. Evacuations were possible.

"The city has already seen the power of Mother Nature once this week, and Mother Nature may not be done with us yet," Bloomberg said, referring to Tuesday's earthquake that shook the East Coast, frightening millions but causing no deaths.

Forecasters warned that even if the center of Irene stays offshore as it tracks up the mid-Atlantic coast, its wide bands could lash cities like Washington and New York with winds and rain, knock out power and trigger flooding.

Oil terminals, refineries and nuclear plants from the Bahamas to Rhode Island were preparing.

Four catastrophe bonds totaling over $1 billion could leave financial investors exposed to insured losses if Hurricane Irene makes a U.S. landfall.

Earth to Mike: Mother Nature is never truly done with anything, must less as recent a development as modern civilization.

If nothing else, librarians all over the five borroughs are even now going over their flood preparation policies to see what might be needed to prepare (as we are.)