NYC Braces for the Brunt of Irene

Posted on August 28, 2011 at 7:47am by Madeleine Morgenstern
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The New York City skyline is seen under clouds as Hurricane Irene approaches the region, early Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (Karly Domb Sadof/AP Photo)

NEW YORK (The Blaze/AP) — Hurricane Irene bore down on a dark and quiet New York early Sunday, bringing winds and rapidly rising seawater that lapped at sidewalks at the lower tip of Manhattan and threatened other parts of the city. The rumble of the subway system was silenced for the first time in years, the city all but shut down for the strongest tropical lashing since the 1980s.

Irene weakened after landfall over the North Carolina coast Saturday, but it was still a massive storm with sustained winds of up to 75 mph as it approached Manhattan. Even worse, Irene‘s fury could coincide with a tide that’s higher than normal. Water levels were expected to rise as much as 8 feet.

Power was already out to hundreds of thousands of customers around the city and on New York’s Long Island.

A possible storm surge on the fringes of lower Manhattan could send seawater streaming into the maze of underground vaults that hold the city’s cables and pipes, knocking out power to thousands and crippling the nation’s financial capital, forecasters said. Officials’ feared water lapping at Wall Street, ground zero and the luxury high-rise apartments of Battery Park City. A tornado warning was briefly issued for the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens early Sunday.

Battery Park City in lower Manhattan was virtually deserted as rain and gusty winds pummeled streets and whipped trees. Officials were bracing for a storm surge of several feet that could flood or submerge the promenade along the Hudson River.

Resident Colin Mahoney was one of a handful of people in his building to defy the evacuation order and ride out the storm. “I’m from New England. We do storms there,” Mahoney said as he walked along the promenade in the pouring rain.

But, he added, “The mayor did the right thing. He had to.”

Building supervisors who stayed behind were busy preparing for possible damage.

“We unplugged the drains and we fastened anything loose or removed it,” he said.

Darcy went to check the headwall across the street which would hold back any water surge, hoping it would hold back water.

In Times Square, shops boarded up windows and sandbags were stacked outside of stores. Construction at the World Trade Center site came to a standstill.

But taxi cabs were open for business as some residents donned rain gear and headed outside to check the weather or to head home after hotel shifts.

“I have to work. I would lose too much money,” said cabbie Dwane Imame, who said he worked through the night. “There have been many people, I have been surprised. They are crazy to be out in this weather.”

Some, looking to take advantage of the slicked-down streets and lack of cars, decided to have some fun, turning parts of Times Square into a giant slip ‘n slide. Video via CBS:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered more than 370,000 people out of low-lying areas, mostly in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Only 8,700 people checked-in to shelters and an untold number defied the order.

“Oh, forget Bloomberg. We ain’t going anywhere,” 60-year-old Evelyn Burrus said at a large public housing complex in Brooklyn. “Go to some shelter with a bunch of strangers and bedbugs? No way.”

Late Saturday, Bloomberg said it was no longer safe to be outside.

“The time for evacuation is over. Everyone should now go inside and stay inside,” he said.

Many New Yorkers took the evacuation in stride. Some planned hurricane parties – some streaked through Times Square.

“We already have the wine and beer, and now we’re getting the vodka,” said Martin Murphy, a video artist who was shopping at a liquor store near Central Park with his girlfriend.

“If it lasts, we have dozens of movies ready, and we‘ll play charades and we’re going to make cards that say, `We survived Irene,’” he said.

The center of the storm was supposed to pass east of Manhattan about midmorning. The wind and rain wasn’t to taper off until Sunday afternoon.

All subway, bus and commuter rail service was shuttered so officials could get equipment safely away from flooding, downed trees or other damage. It was the first time the nation’s biggest transit system has shut down because of a natural disaster.

Boilers and elevators also were shut down in public housing in evacuation areas to encourage tenants to leave and to prevent people from getting stuck in elevators if the power went out.

Some hotels also shut off their elevators and air conditioners. Others had generators ready to go.

At a shelter in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, public housing residents arrived with garbage bags filled with clothing; others pushed carts loaded with their belongings.

Tenants said management got them to leave by telling them the water and power would be shut off.

“For us, it’s him,” said Victor Valderrama, pointing to his 3-year-old son. “I didn’t want to take a chance with my son.”

Con Edison brought in hundreds of extra utility workers from around the country. While the foot of Manhattan is protected by a seawall and a network of pumps, Con Ed vice president John Mucci said the utility stood ready to turn off the power to about 17,000 people in the event of severe flooding.

Mucci said it could take up to three days to restore the power if the cables became drenched with saltwater, which can be particularly damaging.

The New York Stock Exchange has backup generators and can run on its own, a spokesman said.

Con Ed also shut down about 10 miles of steam pipes underneath the city to prevent explosions if they came in contact with cold water. The shutdown affected 50 commercial and residential customers around the city who use the pipes for heat, hot water and air conditioning.

It could take days for the power to be restored. The subway system, which carries 5 million passengers on an average weekend, wasn’t expected to restart until Monday at the earliest.

As Irene passes by, tides are higher than usual. The phenomenon adds about a half a foot to high tides, said Stephen Gill, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The storm surge was likely to be as much as 4 to 8 feet.

More than 8.3 million people live in New York City, and nearly 29 million in the metropolitan area.

A hurricane warning was issued for the city for the first time since Gloria in September 1985. That storm blew ashore on Long Island with winds of 85 mph and caused millions of dollars in damage, along with one death in New York.

City police rescued two kayakers who capsized in the surf off Staten Island. They were found with their life jackets on, bobbing in the roiling water.

The area’s three major airports – LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark Liberty – were closed. With the subways closed, many were left to hail taxis. To encourage cab-sharing and speed the evacuation, passengers were charged not by the mile but by how many different fare “zones” their trip crossed.

Dozens of buses arrived at the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league ballpark in Coney Island to help residents get out. Nursing homes and hospitals were emptied.

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Comments (48)

COFemale
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:37am
Oh please, this hurricane has been so over hyped it is pitiful. Governor Christie is already touting billions of dollars in damage; please. Wait until you can survey the damage before you put a value on it. You might have 2 million at the most. Yes, you will have some flooding in the lower areas, trees blown down, roof shingles missing, and some tornado’s, which causes the majority of the damage and even stupid people who do stupid things. You’d think the people in the northeast, NY and NJ never had a storm before.

Some reporters are using Katrina as a comparison, oh get a grip, Katrina was a 5 to 4 when it hit land and even then New Orleans survived the brunt of the storm, it was all the water and pressure against them that breached the levee’s. When you start at 12 feet below sea level, you are asking for trouble to begin with. What sane person builds a city below sea level and not expect the sea to win?

I am so sick and tired of the reports, I’ve turned the channel. My gosh, I am even watching Lifetime.
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- ChiefGeorge
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 11:05am
  - It might
  - It could
  - The fear is
  - The concern is
  - Water may reach xxx
  - Winds are expected
  - Stay indoors
  - Millions without power
  - Trees fell over
  
  Yes eight people killed by the storm and a few hundred died of cancer, auto accidents, murders yesterday all across America. But they make you think the Hurricane is going to kill everyone. The Left are nothing but fear merchants.
  Report Post »
- Ballot_Box_Revolution
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:51pm
  It’s not just the left….i watched 90% my coverage on FOX and they were just as bad as the rest of the networks…..Using those same phrases over, and over….
  Report Post »
wewantchillywilly
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:37am
nobody dumber than these reporters ON THE SCENE!
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wewantchillywilly
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:27am
“manufactured, synthetic, hysteria”
all for a tropical storm.

Gerorge Will nailed it on the head.

The media is out of control. and that includes FoxNews.
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jjmnky
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:20am
Well thats nothing but a big old party. Every news outlet jammed with news about the big scary hurricane with 70 mph winds for the past week. Oh wow ! Remember Joplin Mo.? 250 mph winds, 160 dead and city destroyed in minutes. There are some people in this country that need to tuffen up!
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SageInWaiting
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:15am
My heart goes out to those affected. My daughter is in CT. This storm will cause a lot of damage. What worries me is the disaster the BHO administration will do while the country and the press are distracted. Remember both Rahm‘s and Hillarie’s words: “NEVER waste a crisis.”
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olddog
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:09am
I hope the people of Japan are watching America make fools of themselves with a storm..
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- MR_ANDERSON
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:32am
  I live in Japan, and Irene is a small storm. We had a storm in May with sustained winds of 110 mph. Earlier this month we had a storm that sat on us for two days with sustained winds of 90 mph.
  
  The difference is that the buildings here are designed to take the punishment of typhoons (What they call Hurricanes over here). I am surprised every time a hurricane hits the US and there is so much damage. We get hit by storms and they do cause their problems, but nothing like the destruction that is seen on the coastal US.
  Report Post »
junkmaninohio
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:45am
If New Yorkers are so tough then why do they need a nanny mayor like Bloomberg? Living like rats one upon another must make them really insecure to put up with meglomaniac Bloomberg.
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- cloudsofwar
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:01am
  waiting for Godzilla.
  Report Post »
princessnutsack
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:40am
Hopefully it will wash NY away. I’m tried of hearing about every little thing that happens there.
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- Azreal
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:11pm
  This
  Report Post »
thegodfather
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:29am
OverBLOWN media hype. Reporters standing in ankle deep water, shrieking it’s the end of the world. One reporter on NBC lamented that cell phones didn’t work and people “were cut off from the outside world”….Oh dear… what pain…what anguish..

I‘m surprised they didn’t whine about not people able to play Nintendo Madden Football games
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- TheTruthPlease
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:39am
  Yes, overblown media hype,so comrade obummer could graciously return early from his 54th vacation of the year and save the day…what a tool! Have a plan or be caught dead without one…
  2+1=safety for you and yours!
  Pro Deo et Patria!
  Report Post »
- Oh Please
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:39am
  If you notice, it all the photos/videos, the lights are still on…..guess they still have electricity, land line phones and TV!!!
  Report Post »
- junkmaninohio
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:47am
  That’s why New Yorkers need a NANNY MAYOR like Bloomberg. Living like rats one upon another makes them seriously insecure.
  Report Post »
- Libertyluvnmomma
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:12am
  Watch out Colin Mahoney!! DHS will be looking for you.
  
  We don’t appreciate subjects that defy orders.
  Report Post »
Gypsy123
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:28am
Ho hum NYC what a bore.
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Brents Torts
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:21am
Lol what a bunch of whimps.
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- gotta light
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:35am
  QUESTIION:
  Wouldn’t it be a GOOD thing if New York City was completely washed off the map?
  
  ANSWER:
  As long as they surviving New Yorkers weren’t relocating to your city….
  
  Maybe NYC will get lucky and their Fascist Mayor Bloomberg will get washed out to sea when the tide subsides….
  
  10 YEARS AND THERE’S NOTHING BUT A HOLE AT GROUND ZERO!!!!
  NOW THAT’S A CRIME!!!! HOW CROOKED ARE THE POLITICIANS AND THE UNIONS?
  BUILD SOMETHING DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!
  
  Hey bud gotta light?
  Report Post »
billybe123
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:15am
I wish the damn thing came right into New York as Full blown worst one ever and wiped clean that stinking city right off the map.
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- Jamestownrd
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:18am
  I agree wipe ney york out..no more bloomberg voterd!..I read Drudge ..dont worry ..obima is in control..
  Report Post »
macpappy
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:13am
Just one more example of how dominate the major news services are in our lives. This was a piddling little storm, that might have been something, but was not. The media snatched it up and decided it was going to be something.
Obama sitting at a command center……..PLEASE!
Even Fox has sold out to the same premise as CNN or MSNBC….just drivel, nothing different than what the lame stream gives us.
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junkmaninohio
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:09am
The hurricane that wasn’t. Bloomberg got everybody cranked up for nothing.
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notmeatglennbeckdotcom
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:05am
Declare a State of Emergency before a Tropical Storm, but deny Texas the same with the fires they experienced this (Arab) Spring. POTUS a political hack? To hell you say.
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Azreal
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 9:01am
Poor New Yorkers. They face the BRUNT of Irene alone. Nope, nobody else has been hit, and of course, if it hits New York, it HAS to be bad right?
Is it me, or does it seem like the men in New York are all girlyfied?
Its not even a Hurricane now, for Pete’s sake!
Stories like this make that stupid self-centered city the laughing stock of the country.
Texas women are have more spine than New York men, from what the news shows me….
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Cause4Liberty
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:58am
NYC takes the brunt My azz! NC took the first direct hit! Man these media Yankees, sure are “mountain out mole-hillers. Lames
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eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:53am
Does NYC evacuate every time it rains?
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- proudpatriot77
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:58am
  Exactly. What a ridiculous media spectacle this storm has been. They have been praying to report deaths and damage while for the most part there is none. All the businesses closed down and all the people that had to leave for what amounts to a bad thunderstorm.
  Report Post »
notmeatglennbeckdotcom
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:51am
The “brunt” of Irene was in Abaco.
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vtxphantom
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:47am
Quick, build some wind turbines. Have the EPA kill more coal plants. Why, because we have a crises.
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sean_m.
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:47am
Wow! A thunderstorm! lol Jeez. I have my “I survived Katrina” t-shirt. Damn, Yankees.
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one years food ration like glenn says
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:35am
I‘m sure glad the Blaze ran this 6 th story about the hurricane because I think I would’ve missed that there even WAS a hurricane out there.. Come on Blaze , please one or two more stories and I will be well informed on a typical rain storm like this…
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- proudpatriot77
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:59am
  Hey dumbass, you read the story so it must of had a purpose.
  Report Post »
outsidethebox
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:29am
This storm is just a fart compared to some we’ve had recently(like Katrina). I really don’t see the big fuss over it. I haven’t even heard of any deaths yet. I think the news is blowing(pun intended) this way out of proportion.
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- outsidethebox
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:33am
  Edit: I didn’t see the article underneath this one, but still, It’s not as bad as some.
  Report Post »
mikenleeds
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:28am
what a big joke ,, it s a small storm and the dam Yankees are on TV acting like it s the end of the world , they don t know **** and if they want to see storms move to the south
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quicker
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:09am
Let us see how many go out to loot after the storm.
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- AJAYW
  Posted on August 28, 2011 at 8:21am
  It will be a untold story by the major networks.
  Report Post »

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