EDGE Miami

This season’s last issue of the Fire Island News marks the end of an era of sorts for this humble reporter.

There were several washovers on Fire Island during high tide as Hurricane Irene passed over the area, but the storm caused minimal damage in gay resorts from Rehoboth Beach, Dela., to Provincetown, Mass.

Fire Island remains under a Hurricane Warning and a mandatory evacuation order in advance of Irene continues. The last ferries from Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove to Sayville will run at 11:50 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27.

Natural disasters often leave a path of devastation, and the recent earthquake and threat of Hurricane Irene across the East Coast underlines the importance of preparedness for these potentially life-changing events.

People along the East Coast from the Carolinas to Maine continue to brace for a direct hit from Hurricane Irene over the weekend.

Officials and residents from Florida to the Carolinas stocked up on supplies, dusted off evacuation plans and readied for the worst as Irene, the first hurricane to threaten the U.S. in three years.