Below is advice on how to handle Hurricane Sandy given by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at his press conference yesterday:
- “Let me repeat what I said earlier: This is a serious and dangerous storm. For those in Zone A, evacuation is mandatory. In or out of Zone A during the storm, however, the safest place to be is indoors.
- “If you live in a high-rise and lose power, you may lose water as well. So I suggested yesterday, fill a few pots of water and leave them on the sideboard so you can drink. If- you can use them for other- the wash.
- “During the height of the storm, use staircases. Avoid using elevators. You never know when power would go out. You don’t want to be stuck in an elevator. And if you are, obviously our Fire Department will come and rescue you, but they’ve got enough to do, so if we can avoid calling on them for those kinds of things, they’ll be there for real emergencies.
- “Stay away from windows and close your drapes. As we said yesterday, flying objects can go right through a window. Now, gale-force winds are something that almost all buildings in the city are built to handle, but there are old buildings where sometimes pieces of the building fly off. We think that construction sites are all tied down, and that’s not as much of a worry as some of the older buildings. But if you don’t go outside, and you don’t go near your windows, you don’t run the risk of getting hit by flying objects.
- “Public schools are closed Tuesday.
- “Street cleaning rules and parking meter rules are suspended citywide on Monday, but City offices are open and City employees should make every effort to report to their jobs on Monday morning.
- “If we have any more updates, we will put them out later in the day. We will try to notify everybody in Zone A. It’s part of it depending on the fourth estate to do that. Part of it will we have signs up at intersections, and Police Department speaker- loudspeakers from cars will go around and try to notify everybody. NYCHA’s been knocking on all the doors in their Zone A facilities, and hopefully people will understand that it’s in their interest to get out.
- “And a lot of people say, ‘Oh well, I’m just going to tough it out.’ If down the road, you can’t tough it out and we have to come in with our first responders saving you, those people can’t- those first responders put their lives in danger and aren’t available for true emergencies.
- “Now’s the time to take the kind of sensible precautions that we said yesterday, even outside of Zone A. Make sure you have drinking water. Make sure storm drains and rain gutters are clear of debris. Secure outdoor items that might blow away in high winds.
- “City parks and marinas, incidentally, will be closed as of 5 pm (yesterday) until further notice.
- “If you live in Zone A and must evacuate, do not wait until the last minute to get to public transportation. No system can accommodate every single person if they all show up at the same time. That’s not what they’re designed to do. So it would make a lot of sense to leave a little earlier. An extra couple of hours would probably make your evacuation trip a lot easier, and it certainly will help everybody else.
- “Stay inside as much as possible after sunset tonight (that was last night). There’s no reason why you can’t go to the store today to get the kind of stuff that you need, or even be a little bit outside. But just remember, as these winds blow and grow during the day, which- and they’ll grow to gale-force winds sometime tonight, the chances of a branch coming down or something are great.
The following information was released by Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey today:
- All State Offices will be closed Tuesday, October 30, 2012 as a result of the dangerous and deteriorating weather conditions across the state associated with the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
- Non-essential employees should not report for their normal day shift tomorrow. Essential employees should report to work on schedule. All notifications are currently being made and coordinated by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management in an expeditious manner.
- The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management in coordination with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Board of Public Utilities as well as various State agencies will continue to monitor the storm and continue statewide cleanup efforts until the event concludes.
- New Jerseyans are encouraged to comply with orders and guidance from their local emergency management and government officials in preparing for the storm and to avoid any unnecessary risks when the storm makes landfall.
- Drivers are advised to stay off of the roads whenever possible and otherwise drive with caution, follow the rules of the road, stay alert and respect the weather elements and the guidance and orders of emergency management and government officials. Unnecessary travel is not recommended.
- Motorists are encouraged to check for current road conditions and closures at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, www.NJ511.info.
