Hurricane Irene Remembered One Year Later

Exactly one year ago, Syosset and Woodbury residents were emptying grocery store shelves of survival essentials, boarding up windows, and huddling with family members

Irene's size -- 600 miles in diameter, compared to Hurricane Katrina's 400 -- worried meteorologists and Long Islanders alike over the potential to do some serious damage. In Irene's aftermath, but thankfully, no one died.

Though Irene's wrath was felt in Syosset, it wasn't nearly as bad as some had anticipated. Some were disappointed that they had prepared so much for so little. Others were glad they had thought ahead, preferring the extra cases of water and food to not having any resources at all.

How did Hurricane Irene change your hurricane preparation plans? Are you more wary of storms now that you have seen Long Island can be threatened? Have your views stayed relatively the same? Or have you lost trust in weather reports, thinking they were too trumped up?

Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section.