NEW YORK—As Hurricane Earl spins its way north to New York, the city is making its last-minute preparations before the Category 2 storm’s expected arrival on Friday evening.
While city officials say there will be no mandatory evacuations for those living on the shore, residents living on the Brooklyn and Queens coasts have started to move their valuables and make individual emergency plans.
“Even if New York isn’t directly hit by Hurricane Earl. … The storm could cause devastating flooding and erosion to low-lying areas along the Queens and Brooklyn coasts,” reads a press release issued by Rep. Anthony Weiner’s office on Tuesday.
Situated 160 miles away from North Carolina as of 8 p.m. Thursday, Earl is heading toward land at 18 mph with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. So far, U.S. officials have issued a mandatory evacuation for 30,000 residents and visitors on North Carolina’s Hatteras Island and 5,000 people on Ocracoke Island, which is only accessible by ferry and airplane.
The hurricane is expected to disrupt travel plans in New York over the Labor Day weekend. A few airlines—including Continental, Delta, U.S. Airways, AirTran, and Frontier—are waiving fees for customers who would like to reschedule their flights to avoid flying during the hurricane.
By Friday evening, New Jersey’s Newark Airport is expected to experience travel delays and cancellations, while New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports will probably see delayed arrivals and departures due to the gusty winds.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Thursday that it will probably make spontaneous service adjustments depending on the effects brought by the Category 2 storm.
The Long Island Railroad will suspend train service east of Speonk on the Montauk Branch and east of Ronkonkoma on the Main Line, which usually takes customers to Greenport and Long Island’s North Fork.
The hurricane is expected to bring raised water levels, heavy rainfall, gusty winds, pounding surf, and large swells to Southeast New England starting Friday.
The Town of East Hampton in Long Island is forecast to experience tropical storm conditions—winds and heavy rainfall—associated with the hurricane throughout Friday, according to the Weather Central.
