I live in New York City, which is now on almost complete lockdown waiting for the hurricane to arrive.

All traffic has come to a halt. The only people on the street are those walking their dogs.

The mayor and governor halted all mass transit Sunday night at 7 pm. Most stores and restaurants closed by 5 or 6 pm to allow their employees time to get home. Most people don’t work near their place of residence. Last night, supermarkets had been swept clean of water, milk and all essentials. There won’t be any more deliveries until mass transit is restored. Most restaurants and stores will remain closed because their employees can’t get to work.

The storm was predicted to arrive by 4:30 am. When I woke just before 6, it was not yet here. No wind, no rain. By 7, there was some of both.

We were told there would be no garbage pickup all week and advised not to put our garbage bins out. So I dutifully taped the garbage cans shut, so the lids and cans would not blow away. But much to my surprise, the city trucks began collecting and I had to hurry out into the rain to untape the cans and put them onto the street.

Will the newscasters be proven right? Is this the storm of the century? Will it be the worst in our lifetime? That is what they are saying. They say that often. They should say it sparingly. Remember “the boy who cried wolf”?

We shall see. We are prepared for the next few days. Like one of the three little pigs, I am glad to be living in a brick house, in my case, a brick house that is attached on two sides to other brick houses.