With Mandatory NYC Evacuations, What Are East Coasters Doing to Prepare for the Hurricane?
- Posted on August 26, 2011 at 3:23pm by
Liz Klimas
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Just days after the East Coast earthquake shook Eastern seaboard, another natural disaster is getting ready to bear down on America’s Atlantic coast. With the media in a full frenzy, we started wondering what different people in different states are doing to prepare. So we set out to find the details, pictures, and video. We found them, and now we bring them to you.
Let’s start with a personal anecdote.
Though the current weather conditions toward the northeast are a calm before the storm, grocery stores are another story. When I went to a Washington, D.C., grocery store Thursday night, it wasn’t the usual ready-made chicken dinner pick-up crowd. DC-ites were in full emergency preparedness mode, similar to what happens when winter forecasts call for more than 3 inches of snow.
The water aisle was decimated. A couple near me was considering which peanut butter would be best to sustain them should they be unable to cook. The wine section was rather popular, especially red, which is better served room temp. A cashier said it had been unusually busy since 4 p.m. I‘m sure it’s even worse today.
Grocery stores along the East Coast are beginning to look like this. (Flickr/ratterrell)
Even though Hurricane Irene was downgraded today to Category 2,weather forecasters have said it could ramp back up to Category 3. Which means more of a frenzy. Hurricane watches have been issued from North Carolina to New York City and five states have declared states of emergency — Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
Here’s how some of the coastal states are preparing on a larger scale:
Nags Head, North Carolina: Local residents are being asked to move inland today, and officials said most tourists are already gone. Several coastal counties postponed the first day of school.
Heeding a mandatory visitor evacuation, Shawn Wyn of Cleona, Pa., right, and his family pack up as they leave their rented beach house in Nags Head, N.C. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Hampton Roads, Virginia: Crews are building a giant pyramid of sand to help prevent flooding. Watch:
Maryland: Residents and beach goers were ordered by officials to evacuate the Ocean City coastline. Gov. Martin O’Malley said he hopes the town will be evacuated by 5 p.m. today. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan banned the sale of alcohol and requested that businesses in the coastal town be closed by midnight Thursday. The last time Ocean City ordered an evacuation was in 1985 for Hurricane Gloria.
Watch Ocean City preparation:
New Jersey: Mandatory evacuation of several Jersey shore towns is underway. Several gas stations have run out of gas during evacuation. Governor Chris Christie is suspending the tolls on two major evacuation routes to help people get away from the shore. Atlantic City casinos are closing. Coastal business owners are boarding up storefronts.
Traffic heads north on the Garden State Parkway across the Great Egg Harbor Bay Inlet Bridge. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
And finally, New York: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday that low-lying, coastal areas must be evacuated, including those in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Battery Park and the financial district in Manhattan. Public transit — subways, busses and commuter trains — in New York City, on Long Island and in the northern suburbs will stop running around noon Saturday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. New Yorkers are being urged to stock up on emergency supplies.
Watch the Fox News report that discusses what the shut down of the transit system, which shuttles about 5.2 million riders each day, means for the area:
Ed Tremblay, fire coordinator for Saratoga County –just north of Albany — said to the Glens Falls Post Star, “There’s really nothing special we can do right now, other than keeping an eye on the South,“ said ”We‘re still not certain what’s going to come on Sunday.”
Shoppers stock up on water from rapidly emptying shelves at a grocery store in Far Rockaway in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
So what if you find yourself in the path of the hurricane? Luckily we have you covered. Fox News reported some tips for hurricane preparedness from the Red Cross. You can watch that below:
In the Fox News report, the Red Cross includes the essential items for a hurricane preparedness kit:
- Non-perisheable foods and manual can opener
- Water
- Battery-operated flashlight
- Battery-operated radio
- First aid kit
- IDs, insurance cards, etc., in a zip lock bag
If you happen to capture some pictures or videos of the storm, people preparing for the storm, or people responding to the storm, feel free to send them to The Blaze using the e-mail address yourpics@theblaze.com.
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Comments (42)
db321
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 9:59pmThe Liberals can Stay – Mother Nature Would Never Hurt Them – They will be safe.
Report Post »Mike B
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 9:53pmOnly a rikitty old shack, or water front will have problem. Think think think…most of our problems are media hype big big hype. Really hope things go well for ALL,
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 9:46pmQuite Interesting, looks as if the path is directly on to where the first British Settlement was, in what is now Dare County, named after the first white baby born in the United States, Virginia Dare. Those first settlers disappeard, perhaps due to a Hurricane.
Report Post »tifosa
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 9:14pmand so we “hear” from the religious right. Priceless.
Report Post »cromag11b
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 8:42pmSo most of the comments are mocking the preparedness of those affected or trying to spin it for political points. Says something about what kind of American they are don’t it?
Report Post »Wishing ill on your brother because they have a different political slant is just sad.
hempstead1944
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:45pmHurricane Irene……just more government hype….this is not going to be anything more than a good old fashion thunder storm…..
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:51pmHempstead I hope you’re right!
Report Post »eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:08pmAnd, in the name of “Duty”, obama has cut his taxpayer-funded vacation short by one day, and returned to Washington (to huddle with his inner circle and discuss ways to not let this hurricane “crisis” go to waste).
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:06pmFuel tank of gas in our cars – if there is no power, there is no gas
Took out a few hundred in cash – if there is no power, there are no ATM’s or Store credit card readers
Bought 4 cases of water – if there is no power, or the water supply is damaged or gets tainted with mud, silt or other contaminents – you keep fresh drinking water on hand
Bought the regular staples – milk, bread, eggs.
We’re luck and have a generator, so we‘ll be okay on power and we’ve got more then enough fuel to last 1 month straight of using it just in case – so our frig will stay cold.
If you don’t have backup power – buy an air tight cooler and make sure your freezer is filled with as much ice as you can (don’t put it in the cooler now) – if the power goes out, you can keep your food cool in the freezer for as long as it lasts, but prepare to cook any meats and then move the ice to the cooler to keep your milk and other perishables cool to last longer.
Get candles and a flash light (don’t forget lots of batteries)
Stay away from the windows, stay in the center of the house…. best of luck to all and stay safe.
Report Post »Restored One
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:08pmGreat suggestions. I am not on the East Coast, but something we have been doing is refilling our 1 liter soda bottles with water and putting them in the outside freezer, they dont melt as fast as ice.
Report Post »Restored One
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:15pmOh and don’t forget, no power = no computer, dead cells phones. People are actually going to have to communicate with their voice. Hope people can handle it.
Report Post »Carol Ingian
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 11:33pmGood thinking, you must be used to storms, too.
Report Post »Also a good idea to trim branches near house and street, check gutters and add extension to carry water away from your house. Have a shop vac ready to go if you have a cellar.
We have a wood stove for heat/cooking. Powdered milk is good to keep on hand.
Good luck, everyone! :)
Banned on the Blaze
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:49pmIf your sick of the coverage now, just wait, can you say Katrina, and this one is heading toward NYC, which is what 5 times larger in population. So how will this one play out?
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:57pmThe Islamic terrorist cells will come out to play.
Report Post »Restored One
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:12pmI just heard a news report on the radio that some cities Mayor has requested more body bags because they do not want bodies floating in the streets. Wow, if that is not fear mongering I don’t know what is. I must admit that I have been thinking that this is so way over the top with all of the coverage, I pray and hope that on Monday we can all bash the media for the scare tactics.
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:41pmNothing happens here in the Midwest…and im dam glad of it. Have fun East Coasters.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:03pmI thought the widwest was suffering from a bad drought?
Report Post »cromag11b
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 8:39pmUm, we had over 400 tornadoes last year in Kansas.
Report Post »angelcat
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:39pmI hope people actually flee as they should, but I worry that some will stay behind in hopes of being able to loot during/after the storm hits. While I want everyone to be safe and property to be spared, I can’t help but think that it seems that because it is the East coast that is going to be hit, this is presented as far worse than the hurricanes that have hit in other areas like Texas, Mississippi, etc. Katrina is the one exception, and I imagine that is because it could be used to trash Bush and to play the race card. Otherwise it may not have gotten the attention it deserved. The MSM needs to treat all hurricanes and other disasters equally, even if they occur in what they consider “fly over country” or the land of red neck, Christian, gun toters that they speak of condescendingly.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:33pmWhat happens if the gangs and hoodlums stay behind and start a British style riot in NYC? Are the police evacuating?
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:30pmI’m praying for their safety.
But,
This really sounds like a LOT of over-reacting.
wow
Report Post »BIGJAYINPA
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:27pmBe very very careful here people. Remember Rahm Emanuel said to never let a good emergency go to waste. I seem to recall that after Katrina the New Orleans Police went door to door confiscating privately owned firearms in the name of public safety. Many were left defenseless against the looters and other low-lifes that came out to prey on the vulnerable. Not so much in Philly, except maybe for “flash mobs” but in parts of New Jersey and especially NYC things could get very interesting very fast. Protect yourselves as best you can folks. Remember it could be many, many hours or even days until order can be restored and basic services come back on line. A lot can happen in that time. Keep your faith in the Lord but prepare to protect yourself and your family. There is a certain class of people who will use this type of situation for their own advancement…No, I’m refering to politicians who will use any situation to aquire and retain power over us. The others are merely lawless thugs and they can be more easily dealt with….Just sayin’
Report Post »llotus
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:26pmwonder where the big guy will go…….. D.C. in the eye of the hurricane. Lotus.
Report Post »Restored One
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:49pmIt would not surprise me if he had some trip planned overseas. He always seems to be gone when decisions need to be made. If he stays in DC, he will be in the bunker below with golf club in hand putting on his fake green.
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:24pmBest case, everyone on the east coast dies, worst case, nobody on east coast dies, what more needs to be said. Lock down the roads and pray for the best.
Report Post »Sy Kosys
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:11pmAccording to the Obama regime, this is the worst storm since the Great Depression…….
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:43pmGood one!
Report Post »Abbyreads
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:10pmI don’t understand all of the stories about this! The guy filling in for Limbaugh today had it right in my opinion, you don’t need to flood us with news stories about leading up to the storm, as that seems to be all that is being reported, even in the midwest. Make sure people there know about it, tell us what happens/is happening tomorrow/Sunday, and please report something else.
Report Post »Restored One
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:29pmNo kidding, I am already burnt out on the coverage of this. But as some earlier posters had mentioned, the looters will be well prepared for their deluge on Big Screens and Nikes.
Report Post »Banned on the Blaze
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:03pmHey, i just been told there is a storm in the ocean about to hit land. I also been told there will be wind, and water.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:01pmTO SIMPLETRUTHS>>>>
Report Post »You don’t know the truth. You are the racist….you want to play your race card as much as possible because it takes an IQ to say anything else. Hey…didn’t is see you on TV in New Orleans.?
LinkedIn G
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:53pmBloomberg said … prepare for the worst, hope for the best … He’s been watching Glenn Beck.
Report Post »bry
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:30pmObama just said the same thing. He also said do not wait or delay. Reduntant, i know, but thats our president. He also said, “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst”. His is soooo profound. No wonder people swoon at his every word. He seems so sincere.
Report Post »Dkoonz
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 8:18pmDo we really need King Obami to tell us that there is a hurricane coming. Wish he would just stay on vacation until election time so we can vote him out and not have to see his stupid looking face on my tv.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:51pmSIMPLETRUTHS>>……
Report Post »You are a liberal wimp and a hypocrite. You don’t know “truths”. You know nothing…idiot!
lylejk
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:49pmBest case scenario would be for DC to get flattened keeping them busy enough to leave the rest of us alone until they all can get the axe during the 2012 elections. I can hope can’t I. :)
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:45pmFor those out east, be safe.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:32pmYes, I want to know what the east coasters are doing to prepare for this non-event (sarcasm). I have no other interest than to want to know what they are doing. (Sarcasm). Afterall…I know that the Northeast is the center of the univese (heavy sarcasm).
Report Post »SimpleTruths
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:43pmSo nice to know that you care so much about your fellow citizens, really shows what it means to be a Christian. (sarcasm).
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:51pmDon‘t wan’t anyone to get hurt or killed but would like to see DC itself get flattened keeping them busy enough (i.e., leave us along) until the next elections so they all can get the boot. :)
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