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East Coast Prepares for Storm’s Arrival East Coast Prepares for Storm’s Arrival
(35 minutes later)
As the National Hurricane Center warned that Hurricane Sandy could bring “life-threatening” flooding along the Atlantic coast, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said that subway, bus, and railroad service in New York would be suspended beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday. As the National Hurricane Center warned on Sunday of a “life-threatening storm surge” that could cause record-breaking coastal flooding, tens of millions of residents from Delaware to Southern New England braced for the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy. Authorities across the region ordered the evacuation of many low-lying areas, including parts of New York City, and the shutdown of subway, bus and railroad services in New York.
In addition, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York ordered evacuations of some low-lying areas of the cities because of a higher storm surge. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Sunday urged residents in low-lying areas along the coast to be out by 7 p.m. Transit service would also be suspended beginning at that time.
Noting that it was unsafe to operate trains in high winds, Mr. Cuomo said the shutdown was also intended as a signal to discourage New York-area residents from being “up and about.” “We’re going to have a lot of impact starting with the storm surge,” said Craig Fugate, administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Think Big.”
Joseph J. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said he expected the transit systems to restore at least some service about 12 hours after the storm ends, but warned that the city could be without transit for as many as two full work days. “I do think Monday and Tuesday are going to be difficult days,” Mr. Lhota said. Though the hurricane is not projected to make landfall until sometime late Monday, the director of the National Hurricane Center, Dr. Rick Knabb, said costal regions would begin experiencing gale-force winds, heavy rain and possible flooding as early as Sunday. Tropical storm conditions were being felt in parts of North Carolina, though the storm was 250 miles off the coast.
The National Hurricane Center warned of a “life-threatening storm surge” that could cause record-breaking coastal flooding from Delaware to Southern New England. “Sandy is a large hurricane and large systems pose multiple hazards for more people than smaller systems of comparable intensity,” Dr. Knabb said.
In its latest report, the hurricane center said it expected a surge of as much as 11 feet along Long Island Sound and Raritan Bay — significantly higher than previous forecasts — and warned that major flooding could occur across a broad swatch of the East Coast. In addition to surge, forecasters expected torrential rains in some regions, which would add to the flooding problems. One significant concern is the size of the storm, and forecasters warned that it could have ravaging effects far beyond its projected trajectory and urged people to heed calls for evacuation and prepare for the worst.
That higher surge was one primary reason that Mr. Bloomberg ordered mandatory evacuations of areas of the city from City Island to Coney Island to Battery Park City. New York areas of the city from City Island to Coney Island to Battery Park City. Public schools were also ordered closed on Monday In its latest report, the hurricane center said there was a possibility of a storm surge of as much as 11 feet above normal levels along Long Island Sound and Raritan Bay — significant higher than previous forecasts — and warned that major flooding could occur across a broad swatch of the East Coast. In addition to a surge, forecasters expected torrential rains in some regions, which would add to the flooding problems.
Mr. Bloomberg said during a news conference that the mandatory evacuation applied to residents in Zone A, which covers coastal area. (A guide to what area residents live in can be found here.) And then there is the snow.
Thousands of people have also been evacuated from low-lying areas, governors across the region have declared states of emergency, and federal officials have issued urgent warnings for people to prepare, saying that the storm’s impact would stretch from the mid-Atlantic to New England and as far inland as the Ohio Valley. Tropical storm-strength winds lashed the North Carolina coast on Sunday morning and strong gales were expected up the Atlantic coast throughout the day. As Hurricane Sandy approaches land it will be drawn into a system known as a midlatitude trough, a severe winter storm system that moving across the country from the west. A burst of arctic air is expected to sweep down through the Canadian Plains just as they are converging. That could lead to several feet of snow in West Virginia and Kentucky and lighter amounts in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Temperatures could drop into the mid-20s in some regions.
While tracking models showed the center of Hurricane Sandy likely to make landfall late Monday evening or early Tuesday, the director of the National Hurricane Center, Rick Knabb, said that the weather was expected to worsen well before then. In announcing the transit shutdown, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said it was unsafe to operate trains in high winds. He also the transit shutdown was intended as a signal to discourage New York-area residents from being “up and about.”
The exact path of the storm was unclear, complicating preparation efforts, and as it continued to churn north, it began to spread out. The hurricane was forecast to come ashore between the Delmarva Peninsula and Long Island with the mid-Atlantic region seeming to be most vulnerable. In its latest forecast, the National Hurricane Center predicted hurricane-force winds to reach the mid-Atlantic state by late Monday.
While forecasters cautioned that the course of the storm could change, officials from the National Hurricane Center said that it was no longer a question of if the storms would converge — but where and with how much force.
Federal officials, in a briefing with reporters on Saturday afternoon, could not say for certain where the impact would be the worst — only that it would be major. More than 60,000 National Guard troops in nine states were ready to assist the local authorities.
Mr. Bloomberg told residents to stay out of city parks starting on Sunday and to stock up on basic supplies. All construction was ordered to be suspended starting on Saturday night.
Though the subway system will begin to curtail service after 7 p.m. and the authority’s railroads, Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road, will start their final trains then, some bus service could remain until 9 p.m. (It takes about eight hours for the subway system to be shut down, but only six for the bus system.)Though the subway system will begin to curtail service after 7 p.m. and the authority’s railroads, Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road, will start their final trains then, some bus service could remain until 9 p.m. (It takes about eight hours for the subway system to be shut down, but only six for the bus system.)
“The transportation system is the lifeblood of the New York City region, and suspending all service is not a step I take lightly,” Mr. Cuomo said. “But keeping New Yorkers safe is the first priority, and the best way to do that is to make sure they are out of harm’s way before gale-force winds can start wreaking havoc on trains and buses.”“The transportation system is the lifeblood of the New York City region, and suspending all service is not a step I take lightly,” Mr. Cuomo said. “But keeping New Yorkers safe is the first priority, and the best way to do that is to make sure they are out of harm’s way before gale-force winds can start wreaking havoc on trains and buses.”
Joseph J. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said he expected the transit systems to restore at least some service about 12 hours after the storm ends, but warned that the city could be without transit for as many as two full work days. “I do think Monday and Tuesday are going to be difficult days,” Mr. Lhota said.
Mr. Lhota said that if sustained winds reached 39 miles per hour, there would be required slowdowns on the authority’s bridges. At 60 m.p.h., the bridges would closed to all traffic. On the authority’s paratransit service, Access-A-Ride, outbound trips are being scheduled only until noon Sunday; return trips will continue until 5 p.m.Mr. Lhota said that if sustained winds reached 39 miles per hour, there would be required slowdowns on the authority’s bridges. At 60 m.p.h., the bridges would closed to all traffic. On the authority’s paratransit service, Access-A-Ride, outbound trips are being scheduled only until noon Sunday; return trips will continue until 5 p.m.
Until August 2011, as Tropical Storm Irene approached, a full-scale shutdown of the subway system, which typically runs 24 hours a day, was unprecedented.Until August 2011, as Tropical Storm Irene approached, a full-scale shutdown of the subway system, which typically runs 24 hours a day, was unprecedented.
That storm felled trees atop the tracks of the commuter rails, flooded train yards, and led to millions of dollars in lost fare revenue for the authority, which submitted $65 million in insurance claims earlier this year to recover the losses. But this shutdown, which could leave New Yorkers without access to mass transit for two full weekdays, could prove even more devastating.That storm felled trees atop the tracks of the commuter rails, flooded train yards, and led to millions of dollars in lost fare revenue for the authority, which submitted $65 million in insurance claims earlier this year to recover the losses. But this shutdown, which could leave New Yorkers without access to mass transit for two full weekdays, could prove even more devastating.
“The M.T.A. proved it can suspend service in an orderly manner when it did so last year for Tropical Storm Irene, and we have refined our Hurricane Plan since then to help us prepare for Hurricane Sandy,” Mr. Lhota said. “This storm will batter the M.T.A., but the precautions we take now will allow us to recover much more quickly.” Mayor Bloomberg said city offices would be open Monday and that “city employees should make every effort to report to their jobs on Monday morning.”
The authority has been preparing for the possibility of a shutdown throughout the week, it said, readying recovery equipment, clearing drains, and transporting vehicles from low-lying areas in train and bus yards. City parks and marinas would close at 5 p.m. Sunday, he said.
On Long Island, the Town of Islip ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents in low-lying areas, including Fire Island, by Sunday afternoon. Similar orders were issued in other coastal areas. He called for a mandatory evacuation of Zone A, low-lying areas that include the Rockaways, Coney Island and Red Hook after he revised his assessment of the storm’s potential impact. (A guide to what area New York residents live in can be found here.)
From Plymouth, Me., to Cape Hatteras, N.C., residents boarded up windows; stocked up on water, batteries and food; and prepared to hunker down. Airlines encouraged people with flights scheduled in the next few days to change their plans and waived cancellation fees. He added that those who ignore the evacuation order are “not going to get arrested, but they are being, I would argue, very selfish.” Thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying areas, governors across the region have declared states of emergency, and federal officials have issued urgent warnings for people to prepare.
From Plymouth, Me., to Cape Hatteras, N.C., residents boarded up windows; stocked up on water, batteries and food; and prepared to hunker down. Airlines encouraged people with flights scheduled in the next few days to change their plans and waived cancellation fees. On Saturday evening, Amtrak began to cancel train service to parts of the East Coast, including between Washington, D.C., and New York.
At supply stores across the region, generators and other goods were snapped up in preparation for the possibility of extended power failures.At supply stores across the region, generators and other goods were snapped up in preparation for the possibility of extended power failures.
Sandbags joined the Halloween scarecrows along Main Street in Hightstown, N.J., on Saturday as business owners who suffered flood damage during Hurricane Irene last year braced themselves. In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a long line of cars snaked out of town, adhering to the evacuation order announced Saturday night. But some families stopped to take one last picture of the pounding surf.
At a Home Depot in Yonkers, where propane cylinders were prominently displayed near the cash registers, generators were sold out by 6:30 on Saturday morning, within 30 minutes of opening, said Kareem Hiland, a store employee. “The line for them was out the door,” he said. “For batteries, too.”Experts warned that even if Hurricane Sandy decreased in strength, it would remain a danger because of the unusual convergence of several weather systems. “It’s just magnificent, looking at this,” said Lori Watson, a Rehoboth Beach resident who lives several miles inland and thus isn’t evacuating.
A system known as a midlatitude trough — which often causes severe winter storms — is moving across the country from the west. It is expected to draw in Hurricane Sandy, giving it added energy. A burst of arctic air is expected to sweep down through the Canadian Plains just as they are converging. That could lead to several feet of snow in West Virginia and lighter amounts in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Federal officials, in a briefing with reporters on Sunday, could not say for certain where the impact would be the worst. Dr. Knabb from the National Hurricane Center said the storm would most likely come ashore sometime late Monday between Long Island and the Delmarva Peninsula. But he said that the storm’s effects would stretch far up and down the coast and deep inland.
The full moon on Monday could cause even greater flooding, with tides at their peak. In an indication of the storm’s enormous size, the tropical storm warning stretched all the way to Bermuda, 580 nautical miles away.
Dr. Knabb of the National Hurricane Center said the storm’s intensity was unlikely to change. “The center of circulation is only going to be a very small part of the story,” he said. “This is not just going to be a coastal event.” People from Virginia northward should be prepared for a “long-duration event,” he said.

Reporting was contributed by Matt Flegenheimer from New York, Brian Stelter from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Colin Moynihan from New York, Jon Hurdle from Philadelphia, Stacey Stowe from Yonkers and Angela Macropoulos from Long Island.

Utility companies were rushing to put crews in place to deal with power failures, which state officials warned could be extensive and long lasting. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey told residents that they should be prepared to go 7 to 10 days without electricity. On Saturday evening, Amtrak began to cancel train service to parts of the East Coast, including between Washington, D.C., and New York.
With forecasters predicting this storm would be much worse than Hurricane Irene, which caused $15 billion in damage, many people were taking no chances. Bob Parise of North Wantagh, on Long Island, was scouring a hardware store.
“We learned our lesson from Irene and are better prepared,” he said. “I’ve got the generator and the gas. Now I’m just worried about the roof.”

Reporting was contributed by Brian Stelter from New Jersey, Colin Moynihan from New York, Jon Hurdle from Philadelphia, Stacey Stowe from Yonkers and Angela Macropoulos from Long Island.