As Hurricane Irene slowly approaches, it's not too late to leave town should you choose to do so. For residents in ground-level homes, the mayor has issued a mandatory evacuation order. In case you don't have friends or relatives to stay with, the city now has a shelter open in the Wallace School at 1100 Willow Avenue.

Even if the storm weakens, we may nonetheless see widespread and severe flooding—as deep as five feet in some places. Hurricane or no hurricane, this city floods quite easily.

For those hunkering down in your apartments, you can find sound advice from the city and the feds posted online. And as BigGovernment's Michelle Lancaster reminds us, you should have a way to fight boredom (without Internet, TV or DVD's). She recommends old-fashioned diversions for the kids—and whiskey for adults.

Stay dry, be safe and have fun!