Hurricane Irene In Brooklyn -- Hunker Down Saturday

Hurricane Irene 8-27-11 noon NOAA

Brooklyn is now on the fringe of Hurricane Irene, so expect increasing amounts of rain throughout the afternoon.

Brooklyn, Long Island and all of New York City is under a hurricane warning. The full Category 1 storm is expected to hit us tonight with winds between 55 and 80 miles an hour in Brooklyn, with higher gusts in Long Island. The greatest danger to us here is from the storm surge.

Stores Closing Early -- Last Chance to Get Supplies

Reports are in that some stores are closing early to let employees get home. It's not or never, folks!
Things You Need to Buy Before the Hurricane Hits

Mass Transit

A full-system shutdown is underway.
The subways and buses are now closed or closing, as are the LIRR and Amtrak. Some PATH trains will remaining running til 6 p.m. today (Saturday).

Evacuation

Mayor Bloomberg has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the more than 370,000 New Yorkers residing in the low-lying areas called Zone A areas, and in the rest of the Rockaways, which is classified as Zone B. (Zone B is higher, but the Rockaways are a special case because if the bridges get closed, there's no way off the island.)

Here's a zone finder to see if you live in an evacuation zone.

Here's the city's evacuation map (pdf).

Map Problems: The city's evacuation map is crashing. Try the New York Times.

Staten Island Ferry service will be suspended as of 10 p.m. tonight or earlier if the winds come earlier. Mayor Bloomberg said this morning that city bridges may close if high winds make driving across them dangerous. The TBTA and Port Authority bridges, which tend to be the bigger, higher bridges, may close even earlier.

Power

If the low-lying areas begin to flood, Con Ed may have to shut down their power lines. NYCHA buildings will be shutting down their elevators, as will other buildings. If winds reach 100 mph the Indian Point nuclear plant may shut down, reducing the city's available electricity.

Evacuation Center Note:
The Evacuation Center at JHS 57, 125 Stuyvesant Avenue, Brooklyn, is being closed. The center will be moved to PS26, 1010 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn.

Yankees and Mets games have been canceled. Giants and Jets games have been moved to Monday night.

More:
- Hurricane Irene Prompts Hazardous Weather Outlook In Brooklyn, New York City
- Hurricane Irene: Storm Surge Probabilities Increasing for Brooklyn


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