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This will be a category one weak hurricane or downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reaches you. Windows open or closed, sounds to me as if the old advice about tornadoes has stuck with you in memory. That advice has been discredited. Close the windows. Cover broken windows to prevent interior water damage from heavy rains getting blown inside.

The boarding and taping you've seen in news reports of hurricane preparation are not likely to be anything you need to do. Boarding is beneficial in dealing with large wind-borne debris. Taping prevents high wind from flexing and cracking larger panes of glass by giving it a little more support, and it also minimizes flying glass if it actually does break.

Get any items that the wind could conceivably pick up and toss around put away. Lawn chairs, tables, decorative items, kid's toys, that sort of thing. If you've got any large trees near your house that could fall on it, occupy a section of the house that is away from it.

Drains, gutters and the like, clear them, there will be a lot of rain. A lot. Windblown rain can get driven into unusual places, such as through gable vents in the attic. Might want to check it out and cover them temporarily with plastic sheeting affixed with duct tape.

If you have an older roof, there may still be time to check that. Loose shingles will very likely be blown off.

It'll be a little scary for a while, then calm, then the wind will reverse direction and you'll go through it again. Then it's over except for flooding and any damage that might have occurred. You should be OK unless your house is in a flood plain. I'd go somewhere else for the duration if it is.

Thank you for your advice.

Irene was a Tropical storm and caused so much damage. I expect Sandy to be the same. They’re predicting the wind gusts will be up to 60mph. I’m just scared the garage will “fly” away. Maybe my mind is working overtime. The roof is slate, maybe that will keep it weighed down. LOL

The garage is in a flood zone that’s why I’m not concerned about water getting inside, it will whether the windows are open or closed. I did clean up the property today and sealed the house.

I’ll see about having the garage windows boarded up.

Here's a link to a pretty good real-time view of the hurricane and its projected path. As mentioned, it looks like it will be a tropical storm by the time it reaches mid-PA (approx. 50 mph). (The link says "Chris" but that's because Hurricane Chris was the first storm it tracked I think.)

http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker/2012/chris

Looks like Sandy will have this "Nor'easter" effect because the winds, going counterclockwise, will pick up colder air from the northeast and pull it down on the west side of the storm (PA) making it a cold and wet "tropical" storm. Looks like PA also at the same time gets hit with this other northwest cold front storm. Not sure of the exact effects of this convergence but it seems like it would be more cold and snow than flooding. Not sure what the wind effect would be.