NYC Metro Area Preps For Hurricane Irene
As I’ve been reporting both in the regular comments and on my blog, New York City’s emergency personnel and Mayor Mike Bloomberg aren’t taking any chances with Hurricane Irene bearing down on the region.
The MTA has declared that it will be shutting down its system 12pm tomorrow afternoon, with trains beginning their final runs to destinations at that time. That happens to put events like the Mets-Braves game at CitiField in jeopardy (and it should be canceled/rescheduled).
Following the MTA announcement, Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced evacuations of A zones by 5pm tomorrow afternoon. As anonymous emailer pointed out, how exactly can someone evacuate tomorrow from 12pm through the 5pm timeframe if the MTA is no longer running its schedule.
It’s a good question, but it basically means that if you aren’t getting out of those areas by 12pm tomorrow, you’re going to have to find your own way out (car, taxi) or you’re on your own and will have to shelter in place or at evacuation centers.
Some of this response is due to the way NYC botched the blizzard response, so the city officials aren’t taking any chances. These areas are indeed prone to flooding during storm surges and Irene is such a large storm that there exists the potential for a significant storm surge, especially during the astronomical high tides.
My blog posts include additional details about the path, storm predictions, and current information. Updates will be cross-posted.