While all of Long Valley seems to be focused on the home-opener football game on Friday, real concerns are brewing in the Southern Atlantic as the historic Hurricane Irma and Jose have their eyes on a strong landfall in Florida. Although the path of the storms, according to many meteorologists, are predicted to pumple the south, a New Jersey landfall is still possible.

Varsity Football Coach Kevin Hennelly enthusiastically responded when asked if he is concerned about damage at his family home in Long Beach Island.

“I don’t care about the house, I have a football game to prepare for.”

However, he also offered more inspiring and truthful words, stating, “a home can be replaced but a family cannot”.

In the South, a historic string of hurricanes makes it harrowing approach to the U.S. Irma is on her final approach to making a devastating landfall in Florida, and is expected to first make landfall in Key Largo and then from there continuing up the spine of Florida through Miami until eventually making a turn right along the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas.

It is too early to predict exact timing and severity but she (or at least remnants) will affect the Northeast. Not far behind her is the smaller but powerful Hurricane Jose, which is forming in the direct wake of Irma. This is a rare circumstance and if Jose follows the same path as Irma and strikes an already damaged Florida, the effects will be unimaginable.

Casey Andrus, a WMC senior, has felt the dangers of having a house close to the beach. Beachside in Costa Rica, his vacation home is susceptible to tropical storms, but his family has taken precautions to avoid any catastrophes, including from Hurricane Jose.

“My house is built on a cement block, so any storms just create a large puddle around my house instead of inside it”.

Although there is a small chance of the hurricane hitting Costa Rica, Casey Andrus and his family are prepared, along with others who brace for impact.

While three hurricanes have been heading towards the East and Southern Coast of the U.S, people from all over the country, including Long Valley, have been affected. As Hurricane Irma and Jose head closer to land, millions of people brace for the lasting impact.