Immediately after our Send Off party on Tuesday Aug 23, team members had to transition from a “Build and Display” mindset to “Survival Mode.”  The Hudson Waterfront was a great location for construction and a party, but less than ideal for weathering the first hurricane to make landfall in NYC metro area since the 80’s.  With the help of students working in Steven’s Davidson Lab, our team was able to fully assess the threat of Hurricane Irene, conduct an analysis, and plan a course of action to best prepare our house for the storm.  That was Wednesday.  Thursday saw the windows boarded up.  The porches and water management system were removed, as well.  Friday involved lifting the house up 4ft off the ground, cleaning the ground of the site, tool sheds, and the shop to make sure that materials were not lost to water damage.  Finally, Saturday required a small team of faculty to anchor the house before the storm to protect from wind damage.