Breaking News – Bloomberg orders a mandatory evacuation of Zone A in NYC
City and state officials braced Sunday for a brutal beating by Hurricane Sandy, ordering all public transportation to shut down, city schools to shutter and all residents living low-lying neighborhoods to evacuate for higher ground.
Gov. Cuomo ordered the MTA to suspend all subway, bus and commuter rail service beginning Sunday evening and urged people to stay at home.
In addition, Mayor Bloomberg ordered all residents of flood-prone areas — known as Zone A — to evacuate their homes by Sunday afternoon, adding that all public schools would close Monday.
“When there’s no mass transit, and with weather as bad as it’s going to be, we don’t want to put children’s lives at risk,” Hizzoner said from the Office of Emergency Management in downtown Brookyn. “We need cooperation of the public. Please listen to the evacuation order.”
Subway and train service will come to a grinding halt by 7 p.m., the governor said, while bus service will begin its shutdown at 9 p.m.
It is unclear how long mass transit will remain out of service, the governor said.
The violent squall — already being dubbed “Frankenstorm” because it will combine with a storm system from the west and cold air from Canada — is expected to wreak true havoc on the New York region starting Monday morning.
Sources
weather channel
ny daily news