New York Evacuate 375,000 people ahead of Hurricane Sandy

[efq]

The mayor of New York has ordered the mandatory evacuation of 375,000 people ahead of Hurricane Sandy.
Michael Bloomberg said 72 evacuation centres had been set up around the city in schools and community centres.
Subway, bus and train services will be suspended from 7pm local time and hundreds of flights into the city's airports have been rerouted or cancelled.
"This is a serious and dangerous storm," Bloomberg said. "If you don’t evacuate you are not just putting your own life in danger, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who may have to come in and rescue you."
The hurricane is expected to start hitting the area on Monday.
All of the city's public schools have been closed, and the evacuation zone includes parts of Coney Island, Manhattan Beach and other areas along the east river in Brooklyn.
Stretches of Lower East Side, Staten Island and Manhattan are included.
Hurricane Sandy is heading north from the Caribbean - where it has killed 65 people - to threaten the eastern US with sheets of rain, high winds and heavy snow.
The majority of the deaths have happened in Haiti and the area around the capital Port-au-Prince, which holds most of the 370,000 Haitians who are still living in flimsy shelters as a result of the devastating 2010 earthquake.
Officials said 51 people have died there, though the number is expected to rise.
"This is a disaster of major proportions," Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said.
The hurricane is expected to affect up to 60 million people in the US when it meets a winter storm and a cold front, plus high tides from a full moon, and experts said the rare hybrid storm that results will cause havoc over 800 miles (1,300km) from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.
Sandy was at Category one strength, packing 75 mph (120kph) winds, about 260 miles (418km) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving northeast at 10 mph (16kph) as of 8am (1200 GMT) on Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. It was about 395 miles (635km) south of New York City.
The storm has also forced the presidential campaign to juggle schedules. Mitt Romney scrapped plans to campaign in Virginia on Sunday and switched his schedule for the day to Ohio.
First lady Michelle Obama cancelled an appearance in New Hampshire for Tuesday, and President Obama moved a planned departure for Florida to Sunday night from Monday to beat the storm. He also cancelled appearances in Northern Virginia on Monday and Colorado on Tuesday.
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Anyone got friends/family out there? My family went out their Wednesday and leave this Wednesday but doubt their flights will go ahead. They've closed all transport and apparently most supermarket shelves are empty!

Let's hope it misses or dies out or something.

[Lee]

Interesting post, quite a scary read and best of luck to those in the states my thoughts are with them.

[efq]

Think it's made more scary by the possibility of two hurricanes merging together :(

[GommeInc]

Think it's made more scary by the possibility of two hurricanes merging together :(
Have they not merged yet? That report was a few days ago and it's been quiet since :P

Pretty shocking, but I guess America are used to these hurricane warnings. I can't imagine London shutting down while a heavy storm is going, but I guess we do not have any major cities on the edge of the country, they're all naturally protected.

[efq]

Have they not merged yet? That report was a few days ago and it's been quiet since :P

Pretty shocking, but I guess America are used to these hurricane warnings. I can't imagine London shutting down while a heavy storm is going, but I guess we do not have any major cities on the edge of the country, they're all naturally protected.
I think they're used to a winter hurricane or storm every year, but not when two come together and means it'll be slower, longer and more deadlier :(

[GommeInc]

I think they're used to a winter hurricane or storm every year, but not when two come together and means it'll be slower, longer and more deadlier :(
Indeed, and in such an important area of America too. All those tiny states below New York are all in the way. :/

[Inseriousity.]

Who names these hurricanes. just me who started singing the grease song lol.
I hope the hurricane doesn't do too much damage. I know a few people who'd like to live in the US but I prefer our more stable weather even if it is constant rain haha.

[Sian]

am I the only one who thinks it's a bit inappropriate to give them such forgiving names?

I hope they've evacuated enough people and that it turns out all right.

[efq]

am I the only one who thinks it's a bit inappropriate to give them such forgiving names?

I hope they've evacuated enough people and that it turns out all right.
I agree with that tbh. My family say that media is blowing it up but it's still not to be taken lightly.

[Red]

POOR Sakura6240;
You are going to be ok!!

[SackRace]

yeah Sakura6240; hope ur gona be ok love x

[Kardan]

Who names these hurricanes. just me who started singing the grease song lol.
I hope the hurricane doesn't do too much damage. I know a few people who'd like to live in the US but I prefer our more stable weather even if it is constant rain haha.

The National Hurricane Center, the names are decided way in advance and the names alternate gender - names will be reused after X amount of years unless the hurricane is of great significance where the name will be retired, such as Hurricane Katrina. The names go through the alphabet, excluding Q, U, X, Y, Z - if all letters for one year are used, Greek Letters are used.

For example, the first tropical storm of 2013 will be named Andrea.

[efq]

The National Hurricane Center, the names are decided way in advance and the names alternate gender - names will be reused after X amount of years unless the hurricane is of great significance where the name will be retired, such as Hurricane Katrina. The names go through the alphabet, excluding Q, U, X, Y, Z - if all letters for one year are used, Greek Letters are used.

For example, the first tropical storm of 2013 will be named Andrea.But how did they get Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Frankenstorm? I still think they should've called it something else other than Frankenstorm because it's halloween..

[Kardan]

But how did they get Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Frankenstorm? I still think they should've called it something else other than Frankenstorm because it's halloween..

There's no such thing as Hurricane Frankenstorm. Hurricane Sandy was/is/has going to merge with a winter storm and the press have decided to call this merged storm 'Frankenstorm', it's not an official name, nor a hurricane.

[efq]

My family just got evacuated from the Conrad Hotel and their flight back is cancelled!

[Lee]

My family just got evacuated from the Conrad Hotel and their flight back is cancelled!

:O sorry to hear thats a nightmare! Hope theyre alright keep us posted interested to know how they will deal with tourists in this situation.

[efq]

They've been moved to another hotel in-land and have stocked on food and drinks. It's apparently very real and very scary. So worried :(


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[Kieran]

They've been moved to another hotel in-land and have stocked on food and drinks. It's apparently very real and very scary. So worried :(


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Aww. I hope they're okay Sam :(

[efq]

I'm not sleeping tonight :(
Just watching the news and calling them.

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[Metric1]

My house was destroyed during the last storm.. I should be good because my house above sea level..

[lawrawrrr]

I've been in a hurricane before, they're very scary. Thoughts going out to everyone out there, especially you and your family Sam.

[-:Undertaker:-]

The forced evacuations in some areas are a disgrace - nobody has the right to force any free man to leave his home.

[Metric1]

The forced evacuations in some areas are a disgrace - nobody has the right to force any free man to leave his home.

No they don't.. but sometimes its easier to make them leave before then it is to go and rescue them after.

I'm going to my moms house for the storm.. IM SO ANXIOUS LOL

[iBlueBox]

I know that hurricaanes are scary and dangerous but New York must look pretty amazing with it being near-enough empty.

[SackRace]

Thoughts to everyone there right now, hopefully our habbo friend Sakura should be ok x

[Richie]

There's still a lot of people roaming the streets http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/?cam=tsrobo3 obviously no were near as normal but still. Unlikely, but I hope there's no more casualtys.

[efq]

They moved them again because they didn't think the hotel was safe enough. They've been upgraded for a second time now, got a suite at The Sentai now.

But were they were staying in Battery Park is under like 3ft of water

[GommeInc]

There's still a lot of people roaming the streets http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/?cam=tsrobo3 obviously no were near as normal but still. Unlikely, but I hope there's no more casualtys.The webcam in charge of the Harbour is mostly noise and nothing much else :P It's weird seeing Times Square so quiet :/

[Metric1]

Still got power!

[OldLoveSong]

The stuff on CNN is cray. I feel bad for all da poor lil animals

[Matt]

Well the word here is that it's been down graded from hurricane status to severe tropical storm or something. Although the damage looks pretty bad from what i've heard on the radio. Wasn't there a crane that was ripped due to the winds and is now dangling over a street?!

[xxMATTGxx]

Just looked at some of the pictures, looks pretty bad in places.

[Cerys]

Idk if anyone has mentioned this yet so sorry if they did but;

In my opinion, surely with the majority of NY evacuated, won't that allow some people to think that they can rob some peoples houses etc?
(The crime rate will go up a little is what I mean)

Anyway, I hope everyone's safe

[SackRace]

Looks a lot busier now, people taking pictures etc..

http://aws1.earthcam.com/?c=tsstreet

[Inseriousity.]

Been seeing this picture a lot lately. Powerful hurricane!
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2012/1029/20121029__nyc_crane_hurricane_sandy~p1.jpg

[Kardan]

Been seeing this picture a lot lately. Powerful hurricane!
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2012/1029/20121029__nyc_crane_hurricane_sandy~p1.jpg

Relatively the hurricane wasn't that powerful, infact when it hit, it wasn't even a hurricane - its just that it's in an iconic area and caused quite a lot of damage. Hurricane Katrina was way worse, the only reason why Sandy is so hyped up is because its New York. It was barely in the news when it was hitting the Caribbean.

[Gina]

i watched the news to find out bout this omg, shocked me so much :(
omg but im so confused, why do hurricanes get names? like hurricane katrina, hurricane sandy? :|

[Grig]

I don't get it. I sometimes think people in these areas are idiots. I foresaw that it'll be like this. Firstly, why when they rebuild, do they yet again build wooden structures. Sure, they're cheaper- but if it's done out of brick it'll be much stronger and they won't have to rebuild all the time. Secondly, people were told to evacuate, yet some chose not to. Then they ended up needing to be rescued.

It wasn't a powerful storm. It's just embarrassing and shows how poorly America is prepared. We had a super typhoon (equivalent of the highest category hurricane in the US) hit Hong Kong 2 months back and the most that had happened was the uprooting of a few trees.

Yuxin; they all get names that follow an alphabetical order, so that they are easy to identify with. It's much easier than saying Hurricane 20 of 2012 for example.

[Gina]

I don't get it. I sometimes think people in these areas are idiots. I foresaw that it'll be like this. Firstly, why when they rebuild, do they yet again build wooden structures. Sure, they're cheaper- but if it's done out of brick it'll be much stronger and they won't have to rebuild all the time. Secondly, people were told to evacuate, yet some chose not to. Then they ended up needing to be rescued.

It wasn't a powerful storm. It's just embarrassing and shows how poorly America is prepared. We had a super typhoon (equivalent of the highest category hurricane in the US) hit Hong Kong 2 months back and the most that had happened was the uprooting of a few trees.

Yuxin; they all get names that follow an alphabetical order, so that they are easy to identify with. It's much easier than saying Hurricane 20 of 2012 for example.
ooh okayy ty

[karter]

It was barely in the news when it was hitting the Caribbean.

Yup, 41 people died in Haiti but not many people have seemed to notice