Several states in the northeast of the USA are preparing for “Henri”, which could hit the coastal regions on Sunday with a hurricane force. Warnings were issued against storm surges in parts of New York City as well.
New York – The US weather service upgraded tropical storm “Henri”, which is targeting the northeastern United States, to a hurricane on Saturday morning (local time).
The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for parts of Long Island and Connecticut. Warnings of storm surges were issued for the Flushing district in the east of the metropolis of New York, where “Henri” is still expected to be in tropical storm strength. He is expected to hit land from late Sunday afternoon (local time).
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for parts of the US state because of the hurricane “Henri”. These included the city of New York, Long Island and a few other areas. In the USA, a state of emergency is often declared out of caution, because this means that responsibilities are shifted from the federal government to regional authorities.
“New Yorkers, please take this seriously, think of Hurricane Sandy,” Cuomo said at a press conference on Saturday. It is hoped that the effects of the hurricane will not be as bad as in 2012, but it is not certain that it will turn out smoothly. For the city of New York, he only expects heavy rains and some light floods, said Cuomo.
New York City authorities called on citizens to prepare their homes for the storm and review their evacuation plans.
Elsewhere on the northeast coast, dangerous storm surges and heavy rains must be expected from Saturday evening and Sunday, the authority said. The “New York Times” reported, should Henri actually hit the New England states in the northeast as a hurricane, it would be the first such storm there in 30 years. Around five million people live in areas that are now under hurricane warning, according to CNN. Large-scale power outages are also possible, said a spokeswoman for the FEMA disaster control agency. dpa
