BOOKMARK ME: Irene Heads Toward Us

Had enough Hurricane Irene yet?

We've had so much of the storm that forced Gov. Chris Christie to put New Jersey into a state of emergency that we figured we'd make a one-stop shop for all our Hopatcong Patch coverage.

Keep checking back below as we follow the storm into the weekend and until it passes.

. Tell us what you're doing to prepare, what you're seeing out and about getting ready. And once it hits, tell us how things are going with power and floods and weather by you.

Saturday Police Chief John Swanson says it's best to get off the roads early, and that emergency services are on standby.

We're down to Category One, but don't get too comfortable. This is still a big-deal storm

Friday: Several Hopatcong stores had empty shelves Friday afternoon as borough residents stocked up on essentials. Some customers searched for batteries. Others, gas and canned food.

: According to NJ Transit, rail, light rail and access link services will be suspended beginning Saturday, Aug. 27. Information for bus service has yet to be released.

Gov. Chris Christie told New Jersey mid-day Friday Hurricane Irene is "not like anything you’ve seen before."

: Some of the state's most hazardous facilities and toxic sites are located in flood-prone or low-lying areas, putting them at considerable risk to Hurricane Irene's wrath, the NJ Sierra Club said Friday.

Are you ready for Hurricane Irene? This guy is. And he's willing to show you the way. Just watch.

: All Morris County Park Commission Facilities will be closed Sunday, Aug. 28, because of the approaching Hurricane Irene, according to David Helmer, executive director of the Park Commission.

What hurricane? That's what Garden State Wakeoff organizers hope to say Saturday morning. One organizer even said Saturday will provide calm waters for the event.

Stay safe and take these tips from the Denville police department.

Thursday
: Lake Hopatcong will be lowered by six inches in anticipation of Hurricane Irene’s rain on Saturday night and Sunday, according to Russell Felter, chairman of the Lake Hopatcong Commission.

Hopatcong marina owner John Salamone shared these ideas with Patch. His top tip? Get your boat out of the water!

This is about the point where things got real.

Print this out, toss it on the frige. You never know when something bad will happen. Who you gonna call? Someone on this list.

As Hurricane Irene battered parts of the Bahamas Wednesday morning, threatening to sweep its way up the East Coast over the weekend, Hopatcong Police Chief John Swanson said the borough was equipped to deal with the storm.