Henry goes stormy: authorities ask to leave the northeastern coastal area of ​​the United States

Storm Henri this Sunday is approaching the north-eastern coasts of the United States, where the population was preparing to possible flooding, power outages and felled trees., although the phenomenon lost the category of hurricane by approaching in the early hours of the day.

The center of the storm is expected to pass through the far east of Long Island at noon, and the authorities issued alertas from Connecticut to Rhode Island and Massachusetts. They were also affected two luxury resorts in upstate New York: the Hamptons and Fire Island.

At 12 p.m. GMT, Henri, which had turned into a hurricane on Saturday, was blowing maximum sustained winds of 110 km / hour and it was located 40 miles southeast of Montauk Point in New York City, the National Hurricane Center reported in its latest newsletter.

The first rains started to fall on Saturday evening and are expected to accumulate 15 centimeters (6 inches) of water. There were huge puddles of water on the roads of New York and in the cities of Newark and Hoboken, New Jersey.

Tropical storm force winds began to be felt off the coast around 8 a.m. (12 p.m. GMT).

Residents of endangered areas rushed to buy food and fuel on Saturday. In some houses facing the coast, people covered the windows with wooden planks and in other cases they evacuated the area.

Residents of Fire Island, at the southern tip of Long Island, have been ordered to evacuate authorities. The last boats left before 11 p.m. on Saturday and rescuers warned anyone who remained could be isolated.

Due to the possibility of bad weather on Saturday night, a concert of superstars in Central Park in Manhattan was canceled. The show would feature Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson to celebrate New York’s recovery from the coronavirus.

Singer Barry Manilow was interrupted in the middle of a song by a voice over the speakers urging attendees to move quickly but calmly to the nearest exits in the face of the threat of lightning.. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the concert had to be canceled and asked the audience to return home.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has called on New Yorkers to make last-minute preparations, warning that Henri’s downpours, gales and storm surges could be just as devastating as those from Storm Sandy in 2012. ” Henri could be the first hurricane to hit Long Island directly since the 1980s. New Yorkers: Take this seriously. Prepare TODAY for the storm that arrives Sunday. Watch the local forecast and stay safeCuomo asked, in a tweet, adding that conditions are expected to last ’26 hours’.

Part of the northeast of the country, including New York, had been placed on alert Friday for the approach of Henri, which could become the first hurricane in 30 years to hit the shores of New England. “The last hurricane to make landfall in New England was in Bob in 1991,” a NOAA spokesperson said. This hurricane killed at least 17 people on the east coast.

The evacuation also ruined a bachelorette party on Fire Island. The party of 10 intended to celebrate on Saturday night, but ended up boarding a ferry the day after they arrived. They were to stay until Monday.

“I’m upset, but it’s about time. It’s something I can’t control, ”said Long Islanders Kristen Pavese. “I’ve been on Fire Island for a long time, so I’m known for this to happen.” The group made other plans to spend the night in a cellar on Long Island, and Pavese said he was happy to be with his friends.

(With information from the AP and AFP)

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