Mayor Bloomberg has just announced a mandatory evacuation of low-lying
areas in Zone A, including areas within Lower Manhattan. Parts of the
Lower East Side, West Side and Battery Park City are part of the
evacuation zone – check if your home falls within Zone A, and the
location of your nearest emergency shelter using this tool. Subway,
bus, and railroad service will be suspended as of 7pm tonight,
including Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad. Public schools
will be closed Monday. All elevators in the 26 NYCHA housing complexes
within Zone A will be shut down beginning at 7pm tonight. City parks,
beaches and playgrounds are closed beginning at 5pm today. Senior
Centers will be closing early on Monday and will be closed on Tuesday.
The following widely Hurricane Preparedness list has was send in by a reader who received it via email:Friends,
Like you, we are closely monitoring Hurricane Sandy’s progress as it moves northward towards the New York region. This is a serious storm and dangerous storm, and we want to make sure that all New Yorkers are taking every precaution available.
Mayor Bloomberg has just announced a mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas in Zone A, including areas within Lower Manhattan. Parts of the Lower East Side, West Side and Battery Park City are part of the evacuation zone – check if your home falls within Zone A, and the location of your nearest emergency shelter using this tool.
Subway, bus, and railroad service will be suspended as of 7pm tonight, including Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad. Public schools will be closed Monday. All elevators in the 26 NYCHA housing complexes within Zone A will be shut down beginning at 7pm tonight. City parks, beaches and playgrounds are closed beginning at 5pm today. Senior Centers will be closing early on Monday and will be closed on Tuesday.
I wanted to take a moment to share some critical resources that you can use to take precautions for you and your family.
You can follow Hurricane Sandy’s progress at the National Weather Service. For the latest information about an approaching storm or to find out if you should evacuate, stay tuned to TV and radio broadcasts, access www.NYC.gov, follow NYC Office of Emergency Management on Facebook, follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter, or call 311 (TTY: 212-504-4115).
According to the NYC Hurricane Readiness Guide, here are the steps you should take to be prepared for a serious storm:
HAVE A PLAN
Make sure your preparedness plan addresses how your special needs affect your ability to evacuate, shelter in place, and communicate with emergency workers. Arrange help from friends, family, or neighbors if you will need assistance with evacuation. Allow additional time and consider your transportation needs.
IF YOU HAVE PETS
Make sure your disaster plan addresses what you will do with your pet if a hurricane requires you to leave your home.If you cannot shelter your pet at a kennel or with friends or relatives outside the evacuation area, pets are allowed at all City shelters. Please bring supplies to care for your pet, including food, leashes, a cage, and medication.
IF YOU LIVE IN A BASEMENT
Basement apartment residents may face additional risks from hurricanes even if they live outside evacuation zone boundaries. Many areas of the city can experience rainfall flooding. If you live in a basement apartment, be prepared to take shelter above ground.
IF YOU LIVE IN A HIGH-RISE BUILDING
If you live in a high-rise building located in an evacuation zone, follow evacuation orders. If you live in a high-rise building, especially on the 10th floor or above, stay away from windows in case they break or shatter. Or, move to a lower floor.
PREPARE A DISASTER PLAN
Develop a plan with your household members that outlines what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate if a hurricane strikes New York.
DETERMINE WHETHER YOU LIVE IN AN EVACUATION ZONE
Areas of the city subject to storm surge flooding are divided into three zones based on how storms of different strengths will affect them. Residents Zone A are currently under a mandatory evacuation order.
Use the Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder at www.NYC.gov/hurricanezones, call 311 (TTY: 212-504-4115), or consult the map provided in this brochure to find out if your address is located in an evacuation zone.
SECURE YOUR HOME
If a tropical storm or hurricane watch is issued:
Bring inside loose, lightweight objects, such as lawn furniture and garbage cans.
Anchor objects that will be unsafe to bring inside, like gas grills or propane tanks.
Close windows and outside doors securely
KEEP A GO BAG READY
Every household member should have a Go Bag — a collection of items you may need during an evacuation packed in an easy-to-carry container such as a backpack. Go Bag checklist: use the suggestions below to check off items as you include them in your Go Bag. Blank spaces have been provided for items you may want to add to the list, including medical devices and food for your dietary needs.
Copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, photo IDs, etc.)
Extra set of car and house keys
Copies of credit/ATM cards and cash
Bottled water and nonperishable food such as energy or granola bars
Flashlight
Battery-operated AM/FM radio
Extra batteries
A list of medications you take, why you take them, and their dosages
Doctors’ names and phone numbers
First aid kit
Contact and meeting place information for your household and a small local map
Child care, pet care, and other special items
Other personal items
Make sure to be cautious during this upcoming storm. If you do have an emergency, do not hesitate to call 9-1-1.
Sincerely,
Scott M. Stringer,
Manhattan Borough President
In Case of a Hurricane or Storm Have On Hand: · Rx Medications – enough to last a week · Water – one gallon of water per person per day for cooking & drinking (5 day supply) · Non-Perishable Foods - Granola Bars, Cereal, Tuna, Canned Corn, etc. · Flashlights · Lanterns · Radio (battery powered) · Extra Batteries for: Flashlights, Radio, Lanterns · Cash (in power outages stores will not accept credit cards) · First Aid Kit · Plastic to cover any broken windows · Duct tape or packing tape for above · Vintage (non-cordless) Phone (see below for details). · Salt for Snow · Shovel & Ice Pick for Snow & Ice Other Things To Do: · Fill up your car with gas in case you need to evacuate. · Bring inside all loose objects such as lawn furniture and garbage cans, bikes, trikes, toys. · Anchor all objects that will be unsafe to bring inside - gas grills or propane tanks. · Close windows and outside doors securely. · Basements often get flooded. Move valuable items to upper floors. · Backup your important computer files to a flash drive or lightweight backup drive to take with you in case of damage to house if or when you need to evacuate. · Keep your cellphone fully charged · Keep your home phone fully charged · In case of power outage, only use cellphone or home phone when absolutely necessary to conserve battery power. · Candles are dangerous in blackouts and should only be used if no flashlights are available. Keep fire out of reach of children, on a sturdy fireproof surface, and away from bedrooms with bedding and carpet. In general Yartzeit candles are safer than Shabbos candles, and tea lights are safer than tapered candles. Never leave a flame unattended. Fires have started when it was dark and someone tripped while using a candle or something caught on fire by accident. Flashlights are the safest way to go. · Vintage (non-cordless) Phone – Cordless phones require power. If you lose power, you can’t use your cordless phone. If you keep a vintage phone accessible you can plug it in to use during power outages. If you have Verizon Fios, they installed a battery backup that will provide phone service for 8 hours with loss of power. After 8 hours, we’re on our own. For those who have the old phone service, if you have a vintage phone on hand, plug it in to enjoy indefinite phone use even if the power is out. I don’t know about cable phone service, if you find out please let me know. Remember Others · Remember to check up on friends, relatives and neighbors - especially people who are elderly, disabled, or who have major health conditions. If you are going shopping for supplies, ask them if they need anything. Help those who need help or find others to help them if more help is needed than you are able to give. But also remember to put your own oxygen mask on first – chayecha kodmim (your life comes first). Keep a Go-Bag Every household member should have a Go Bag – a collection of items you may need during an evacuation, packed in a backpack and ready to grab and go. · Copies of your important documents in a waterproof ziplock – insurance cards, photo IDs, etc. · Copies of ATM Cards and Credit Cards · A list of medications you take, why you take them, and their dosages · Your Doctors names and phone numbers · First Aid Kit · Extra set of car and house keys · Cash in small denominations ($100 per person or more) · Flashlight · Radio - battery powered · Extra batteries for Flashlight and Radio · A small local map · Bottled Water · Nonperishable food such as energy or granola bars If You Need To Evacuate If you need to evacuate take your Go-Bag and the following: · Rx Medications – enough for a week · Medical supplies or equipment · Cash – extra cash (in small denominations if possible) · Cellphone Charger · Backup of important computer files on a flash drive or lightweight backup drive. · Toiletries Remember Others · Remember to check up on friends, relatives and neighbors, especially people who are elderly, disabled, or who have major health conditions. Help those who need help or find others to help them if more help is needed than you are able to give. Always remember to put your own oxygen mask on first – chayecha kodmim (your life comes first). Government Resources: NYC: Call 311 NYC - Register for Emergency Notifications at: www.NYC.gov/notifynyc or by calling 311, or following @NotifyNYC on Twitter OEM, Facebook facebook.com NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder: http://gis.nyc.gov/oem/he/index.html Nassau County Office of Emergency Management (OEM): 516-573-0636 http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/OEM/ Nassau County : 516-571-3000 NY State Emergency Management: 518-292-2200 www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/ National Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center www.nhc.noaa.gov National Weather Service www.weather.gov Storm & Hurricane Ratings: Hurricane Damage Wind Speed Category # Potential MPH 1................ Minimal.................... 74-95 2................ Moderate................. 96-110 3................ Extensive................. 111-129 4................ Extreme................... 130-156 5................ Catastrophic........... 157 or higher