BOSTON – New Englanders pride themselves on being a hardy lot, facing blizzards wearing only a light sweater and a scarf. A major East Coast hurricane is another matter, however.
Attendees of the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) here in Boston crossed their fingers and did a collective breath hold, hoping to carry on in the midst of the maelstrom. But the City of Boston and the storm named Sandy had other plans.
The MBTA, or "T," as the transportation system is known in these parts, shut down today, Monday, Oct. 29, at 2 pm, and ASTRO officials announced that their shuttle buses would do likewise, threatening to leave high but not dry many of the estimated 12,000 attendees – most of whom are not staying at a hotel within walking distance of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Boston is at the outer edge of the predicted high-wind zone, and is expected to have less rain than places just a bit farther south, such as the Connecticut coast and the north shore of Long Island, but experience from previous storms, and from Hurricane Irene last year, has Boston-area emergency officials on guard. Hope for the best; expect the worst.
As of this writing, it’s up in the air (pun intended) as to when things will resume, but keep your eyes on this website: as long as you (and we) have power, we’ll be posting stories from the ASTRO meeting.
* ASTRO resumed on Tuesday, October 30.