NEW YORK—Hurricane Sandy moved north off the Atlantic coast throughout Sunday, and is expected to peak in New York Monday.
Transportation systems, including subways, buses, and commuter rails, shut down beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday night with a potential for them to stay closed as late as Wednesday. Many businesses closed and will remain closed Monday and Tuesday. Schools are closed Monday and may be closed Tuesday and even Wednesday.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave two updates Sunday, the first one announcing that evacuations of Zone A had become mandatory. Zone A includes low-lying areas throughout the city, such as Coney Island, Battery Park, and much of Lower Manhattan abutting the water, and the Rockaways.
“The most important thing I can say right now is if you live in Zone A, evacuate,” said Bloomberg in his 4 p.m. talk, broadcast live from Seward High School. Evacuees were encouraged to locate family and friends they could stay with, or seek refuge in one of the 76 shelters within school buildings across the city, such as in Seward High School.
Zone A areas include about 25,000 public housing residents, all of which had their heat and hot water shut off beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday. Bloomberg said other zones are not expected to be evacuated, nor is Rikers Island.
The storm is serious, according to weather reports. Stu Ostro, senior meteorologist with The Weather Channel, posted an online report Sunday afternoon that described Hurricane Sandy as a “meteorologically mind-boggling combination of ingredients.”
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