“Henri” is heading for New York – “Very, very serious storm”
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In Charlestown, residents barricade their homes
Those: AP / Stew Milne
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Hurricane “Henri” is expected to hit land on the east coast of the USA this weekend. The Mayor of New York City called for people to stay in houses and apartments. The south of New England is also preparing for the first hurricane in 30 years.
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US weather experts have upgraded tropical storm “Henri” to a hurricane and warned of dangerous storm surges and floods on the east coast of the country. The cyclone is likely to hit the southern part of the New England region on Sunday, possibly also on Long Island in the state of New York, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Saturday.
US President Joe Biden pledged support to the governors of seven threatened states on the country’s northeast coast. The head of the civil protection agency Fema, Deanne Criswell, also took part in the phone call, according to a statement from the White House on Saturday. Biden made it clear in the phone call that “the states have the full support of the federal government to support the local emergency measures”.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for parts of the US state. These included the city of New York, Long Island and a few other areas. “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 expected for Sunday 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, however, he only expects heavy rains and some light floods, said Cuomo.
“Henri” could hit land with a hurricane force
The Mayor of New York City called for people to stay in homes and apartments on Sunday. Heavy precipitation is expected during the night, and flooding is to be expected in lower-lying areas. Storm warnings were in place for parts of the east coast, and the governors of Massachusetts and Connecticut put their national guards on alert.
Dozens of surfers still use the strong wind
Source: AFP / BRUCE BENNETT
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The suppliers in the region also prepared their customers for any consequences of the storm. Eversource in Connecticut claims to fear power outages of up to ten days. CEO Joe Nolan said on Friday that it was a “very, very serious storm”. Should “Henri” hit the south of New England, it would be the first direct hurricane landfall there since 1991. This year Hurricane “Bob” killed 17 people there.
The US hurricane center NHC reported wind speeds of almost 120 kilometers per hour with even stronger gusts for the storm. Although the storm could ease slightly before reaching the coast, “Henri” will hit land with or almost with hurricane force, said the NHC. The weather services warn of dangerous gusts of wind, storm surges, heavy rain and floods.
