Showing posts with label Evacuations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evacuations. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2026
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Urban Prison Camps: Are Urban Cities Survival Deathtraps
Posted by: Robert Richardson
Many of this country’s most populated cities are deathtraps, in that during an emergency situation residents will likely become trapped without a way out.
If you look at cities like San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York and many other large urban areas, there are actually very few ways out. During a disaster, where these routes were either destroyed, clogged by millions of evacuees, or closed down by the government, most people would be forced to stay within the city’s confines – which could be a death sentence for unprepared residents.
Think about it, on a normal day these highways and roadways are routinely congested and bogged down by traffic. Even driving in normal everyday traffic can be an absolute complete nightmare, having to navigate through hoards of complete morons, and siting for hours on end in standstill traffic.
If you live in one of these major cities, the odds of you being able to make in out during a mandatory excavation or large-scale disaster are pretty small.
Why would you want to leave your home?
This is often a question I receive from people who don’t understand preparedness and in some cases even from those who have a pretty good grasp on survival topics – there are those who absolutely refuse to leave during any circumstance.
But if you live in one of these urban areas, there are a countless number of reasons you need to have a good evacuation plan that you can put into place the moment things start to go bad.
Things that might cause you to have to evacuate include:
Knowing when it’s time to leave:
In order to safely bug out, you need to be aware of what’s going on around you, especially if you live in one of the large urban centers. Your best bet for survival during an evacuation causing disaster is not getting caught in the chaos – that means being able to make your escape BEFORE thexxxx hits the fan.
To do that, you need to have a plan in place that includes when you would leave, what types of disasters would cause you to leave, and of course a predetermined destination where you intend on heading during a crisis. Check out my article on building the ultimate bug out bag for more ideas on what you need to pack, and what considerations you need to prepare for when planning to evacuate.
If you wait for things to go bad, or you wait for an evacuation notice from your local government, you probably waited too long. Put your plans in place now, and don’t be caught off guard. The last thing you want to do is count on a government agency that has very little vested interest in your health and safety.
Many of this country’s most populated cities are deathtraps, in that during an emergency situation residents will likely become trapped without a way out.
If you look at cities like San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York and many other large urban areas, there are actually very few ways out. During a disaster, where these routes were either destroyed, clogged by millions of evacuees, or closed down by the government, most people would be forced to stay within the city’s confines – which could be a death sentence for unprepared residents.
Think about it, on a normal day these highways and roadways are routinely congested and bogged down by traffic. Even driving in normal everyday traffic can be an absolute complete nightmare, having to navigate through hoards of complete morons, and siting for hours on end in standstill traffic.
If you live in one of these major cities, the odds of you being able to make in out during a mandatory excavation or large-scale disaster are pretty small.
Why would you want to leave your home?
This is often a question I receive from people who don’t understand preparedness and in some cases even from those who have a pretty good grasp on survival topics – there are those who absolutely refuse to leave during any circumstance.
But if you live in one of these urban areas, there are a countless number of reasons you need to have a good evacuation plan that you can put into place the moment things start to go bad.
Things that might cause you to have to evacuate include:
- Deadly chemical spills or industrial accidents
- Civil unrest
- Pandemics
- Terrorist attacks
- Biological or nuclear attacks
- Lack of resources after a disaster
Knowing when it’s time to leave:
In order to safely bug out, you need to be aware of what’s going on around you, especially if you live in one of the large urban centers. Your best bet for survival during an evacuation causing disaster is not getting caught in the chaos – that means being able to make your escape BEFORE the
To do that, you need to have a plan in place that includes when you would leave, what types of disasters would cause you to leave, and of course a predetermined destination where you intend on heading during a crisis. Check out my article on building the ultimate bug out bag for more ideas on what you need to pack, and what considerations you need to prepare for when planning to evacuate.
If you wait for things to go bad, or you wait for an evacuation notice from your local government, you probably waited too long. Put your plans in place now, and don’t be caught off guard. The last thing you want to do is count on a government agency that has very little vested interest in your health and safety.
.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Ukraine Evacuates Service Members in Crimea
Photo (Courtesy) http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/23/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/
World News
March 24, 2014
Ukraine's interim government has ordered its troops to withdraw from Crimea, after Russian forces took control of three military installations over the past three days.
Ukraine said Monday it is pulling out its troops in response to the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said the defense ministry has been instructed to redeploy Ukrainian forces from the Black Sea peninsula. He said the move is a response to threats by Russian forces on the lives of Ukrainian service members and their families.
Earlier Monday, Russian forces seized a naval base near the eastern Crimean port of Feodosia, using stun grenades and automatic weapons. Ukraine's defense ministry said two service members were wounded and between 60 and 80 were detained.
Ukraine's new pro-Western government in Kyiv has been criticized for its indecision on Ukrainian troops in Crimea, who have been besieged by Russian forces for weeks.
In The Hague, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was set for another meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to discuss Ukraine on the sidelines of an international nuclear energy summit.
Russia meanwhile announced it is barring entry to its borders for 13 Canadian lawmakers and officials, in response to Canadian sanctions on Russian officials linked to the annexation of Crimea.
On Saturday, heavily armed Russian troops fired shots and used armored vehicles to smash through the gates of Ukraine's Belbek air base. The Ukrainian forces inside the Crimean base offered no resistance. Russian forces also took control of a Ukrainian naval base at Novofedorovka.
Ukraine has remained highly unstable since November, when then-President Viktor Yanukovych backed off from signing a trade agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia. The move led to weeks of anti-government protests in Kyiv that forced Mr. Yanukovych to flee the country last month.
Crimeans voted last week in a highly controversial ballot to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian federation, a move quickly embraced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States and the European Union say the vote is illegal.
In Brussels Sunday, NATO's top commander warned that Russia has deployed a "sizeable" military force on its borders with Ukraine, and says Moscow may be seeking to expand its territorial reach into new areas.
U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove said Moscow may be eyeing a small Russian-speaking separatist region on Ukraine's southwestern border known as Transdniester.
Breedlove says the NATO command finds the potential for a Russian move into the Transdniester region, which declared independence from Moldova in the 1990s, "very worrisome."
Moscow insists it is complying with international troop limits near the Ukrainian border. Additionally, Russia's defense chief sought last week to assure U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that Russian troops massed near Ukraine have no intention of crossing the border.
Source
.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
N.Y. survivors of Sandy ditch the city to 'bug out' in preparation for doomsday
PBS NEWSHOUR
Survivors of Sandy ditch N.Y. to prepare for doomsday
N.Y. survivors of Sandy ditch the city to 'bug out' in preparation for doomsday
Transcript
JUDY WOODRUFF: Time for a change of pace.
It's been nearly a year since superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast. We will have reports tied to its anniversary next week on what's being done to prepare for extreme weather events.
But, tonight, a different take from a less conventional group of folks preparing for disaster, natural or manmade.
The NewsHour’s Paul Solman has the story.
NARRATOR: All across America, people are preparing.
PAUL SOLMAN: The once-August National Geographic Society's huge TV hit Doomsday Preppers.
MAN: I'm going to survive a genocidal siege by building a tunnel that will lead my family to safety.
PAUL SOLMAN: Now, whether they fear terrorist attack, a shift of the magnetic poles, zombie apocalypse, or, these days, more proximate threats like U.S. debt default and global economic chaos, Nat Geo's ever-more-popular preppers seem to be prepping for a war of all against all, which is why they practice bugging out: quickly leaving their lairs with just enough supplies for a couple of days en route to lives away from their fellow would-be antagonists.
Season three of Doomsday Preppers debuts October 29, the one-year anniversary of superstorm Sandy, which threatened to doom New York. Were there New Yorkers, we wondered, among the two million or so Americans who reportedly consider themselves preppers?
Sure enough, a meet-up group known as the New York City Preppers Network. And so we repaired, one Friday afternoon, to bug-out practice a couple of hours' drive, or, in case of catastrophe, a couple of days' walk, north of New York, in what passes for wilderness around Woodstock in the Catskill Mountains. The organizers had said they'd arrive between noon and 1:00 p.m.
MAN: Preppers?
PAUL SOLMAN: Improbably, given that this was prep for an emergency get-out-of-town evacuation, they were late.
Jason? Jason?
When fireman Jason Charles, who runs the meet-up group, arrived three hours later, he explained that he'd had to buy dog food before bugging out.
JASON CHARLES, New York City Preppers Network: My wife, she ran me on a bunch of errands before we had to go.
PAUL SOLMAN: Some buggers-out showed up even later.
WOMAN: I have been camping once in my life, and I had no intentions of ever going back.
PAUL SOLMAN: Jodi Paulovich is a realtor and local cable access TV host.
NARRATOR: Live from New York City, it's "The Jo Show."
JODI PAULOVICH, New York City Preppers Network: I am the antithesis of your stereotypical survivalist.
PAUL SOLMAN: But stormy weather had driven city slicker Paulovich and boyfriend Joe Suba, an actor and stuntman, out into the wild.
JOE SUBA, New York City Preppers Network: I was there when Sandy hit. So I have seen people in lines -- I have it on video, lining up down the block, Pampers, milk. And it's like, hey, are you going to stand there, or you are going to do something?
PAUL SOLMAN: Sandy had converted prison guard Preston Williams as well.
PRESTON WILLIAMS, New York City Preppers Network: I had just had surgery on my shoulder, and I was in a sling, and trying to run through waist -- I mean, thigh-deep water with an 8-year-old. It was scary, because you didn't know how high it was going to go. It made you step back and look at everything and say, wow, I need to be prepared.
PAUL SOLMAN: What do you do now that you didn't do before Sandy?
PRESTON WILLIAMS: Well, I started dehydrating food. Usually, I will try to cook a big dinner, and then I will dehydrate it and pack it away and put it in a barrel.
JASON CHARLES: A disaster, it's -- it's a test, and this is a test. The basic idea is for everybody in the group to live out of their bug-out bag for two nights.
PAUL SOLMAN: So, armed with food and water, ropes and knives, tents and sleeping bags, the New York City Preppers trekked the two-mile trail up Slide Mountain.
The NewsHour’s suburban slickers, you may not be surprised to learn, trekked back down to spend the night at a motel. But we were back at the campsite at the crack of dawn to see how the preppers had fared.
The first casualty had been Preston Williams, the food dehydrator. He wound up with a case of, well, dehydration himself, a gastrointestinal illness that kept him confined to his cocoon. Jodi Paulovich had had better nights herself.
JODI PAULOVICH: Lying on the mud, and it was so hard, and there were all these tree roots under us, and even though our sleeping bags were pretty warm, it was still freezing. It was just freezing.
PAUL SOLMAN: As might be expected if one were really fleeing the ravages of an October storm in the Northeast.
So, first on the weekend agenda, learning to make a fire, then how to use a compass, read a map.
MAN: There's true north, grid north, magnetic north.
PAUL SOLMAN: Helpful when setting out to find water, though a word to Joe Suba: Next time, maybe ditch the bottle, and bring a flexible bladder bag, like everyone else.
Also, it turns out there's a reason for cargo pants. Then it was back to camp for a little gruel: some precooked chicken. Italian tuna fillets in olive oil?
JODI PAULOVICH: Why not? I mean, why bring those yucky cans, if I can could this?
PAUL SOLMAN: And, finally, the critically important first-aid class, with Jason Charles apologizing for his handiwork.
JASON CHARLES: This is by far the crappiest looking stretcher you will see.
PAUL SOLMAN: OK, we admit it: No matter how pervasive preppers are becoming, or how earnest they are, it's almost irresistible to make fun of them, especially urbanites first venturing out of the asphalt jungle.
But, in the end, we thought we learned something worth sharing. The basic vision of the prepper movement is that ours is a "Mad Max" world, in which, once disaster hits, you take from the other guys before they take from you, or, as Jodi Paulovich put it:
JODI PAULOVICH: We don't want to be stuck on a little island with crazy people in martial law.
PAUL SOLMAN: And yet here was a stunningly diverse group of random New Yorkers brought together by legitimate fears, with perhaps a whiff of paranoia, who were learning what? To prep for disaster by depending upon each other, to survive, but in community, trusting people they had never even met before with their very lives.
MAN: And when you're taking him out, always keep his head above the broken extremity.
PAUL SOLMAN: Community, not every man for himself, as the key to survival come doomsday, a hopeful punch line with which to end a news story for a change.
Source
.
Survivors of Sandy ditch N.Y. to prepare for doomsday
N.Y. survivors of Sandy ditch the city to 'bug out' in preparation for doomsday
Premiere Date: October 25, 2013
Rating: NR
SUMMARY
Some Hurricane Sandy survivors have begun to study up on "doomsday prepping" in case another environmental disaster hits. City slickers by day, survivalists in the NYC Preppers Network head up to the Catskill Mountains on the weekends, armed with just the basics to practice living off the land. Paul Solman reports.
Transcript
JUDY WOODRUFF: Time for a change of pace.
It's been nearly a year since superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast. We will have reports tied to its anniversary next week on what's being done to prepare for extreme weather events.
But, tonight, a different take from a less conventional group of folks preparing for disaster, natural or manmade.
The NewsHour’s Paul Solman has the story.
NARRATOR: All across America, people are preparing.
PAUL SOLMAN: The once-August National Geographic Society's huge TV hit Doomsday Preppers.
MAN: I'm going to survive a genocidal siege by building a tunnel that will lead my family to safety.
PAUL SOLMAN: Now, whether they fear terrorist attack, a shift of the magnetic poles, zombie apocalypse, or, these days, more proximate threats like U.S. debt default and global economic chaos, Nat Geo's ever-more-popular preppers seem to be prepping for a war of all against all, which is why they practice bugging out: quickly leaving their lairs with just enough supplies for a couple of days en route to lives away from their fellow would-be antagonists.
Season three of Doomsday Preppers debuts October 29, the one-year anniversary of superstorm Sandy, which threatened to doom New York. Were there New Yorkers, we wondered, among the two million or so Americans who reportedly consider themselves preppers?
Sure enough, a meet-up group known as the New York City Preppers Network. And so we repaired, one Friday afternoon, to bug-out practice a couple of hours' drive, or, in case of catastrophe, a couple of days' walk, north of New York, in what passes for wilderness around Woodstock in the Catskill Mountains. The organizers had said they'd arrive between noon and 1:00 p.m.
MAN: Preppers?
PAUL SOLMAN: Improbably, given that this was prep for an emergency get-out-of-town evacuation, they were late.
Jason? Jason?
When fireman Jason Charles, who runs the meet-up group, arrived three hours later, he explained that he'd had to buy dog food before bugging out.
JASON CHARLES, New York City Preppers Network: My wife, she ran me on a bunch of errands before we had to go.
PAUL SOLMAN: Some buggers-out showed up even later.
WOMAN: I have been camping once in my life, and I had no intentions of ever going back.
PAUL SOLMAN: Jodi Paulovich is a realtor and local cable access TV host.
NARRATOR: Live from New York City, it's "The Jo Show."
JODI PAULOVICH, New York City Preppers Network: I am the antithesis of your stereotypical survivalist.
PAUL SOLMAN: But stormy weather had driven city slicker Paulovich and boyfriend Joe Suba, an actor and stuntman, out into the wild.
JOE SUBA, New York City Preppers Network: I was there when Sandy hit. So I have seen people in lines -- I have it on video, lining up down the block, Pampers, milk. And it's like, hey, are you going to stand there, or you are going to do something?
PAUL SOLMAN: Sandy had converted prison guard Preston Williams as well.
PRESTON WILLIAMS, New York City Preppers Network: I had just had surgery on my shoulder, and I was in a sling, and trying to run through waist -- I mean, thigh-deep water with an 8-year-old. It was scary, because you didn't know how high it was going to go. It made you step back and look at everything and say, wow, I need to be prepared.
PAUL SOLMAN: What do you do now that you didn't do before Sandy?
PRESTON WILLIAMS: Well, I started dehydrating food. Usually, I will try to cook a big dinner, and then I will dehydrate it and pack it away and put it in a barrel.
JASON CHARLES: A disaster, it's -- it's a test, and this is a test. The basic idea is for everybody in the group to live out of their bug-out bag for two nights.
PAUL SOLMAN: So, armed with food and water, ropes and knives, tents and sleeping bags, the New York City Preppers trekked the two-mile trail up Slide Mountain.
The NewsHour’s suburban slickers, you may not be surprised to learn, trekked back down to spend the night at a motel. But we were back at the campsite at the crack of dawn to see how the preppers had fared.
The first casualty had been Preston Williams, the food dehydrator. He wound up with a case of, well, dehydration himself, a gastrointestinal illness that kept him confined to his cocoon. Jodi Paulovich had had better nights herself.
JODI PAULOVICH: Lying on the mud, and it was so hard, and there were all these tree roots under us, and even though our sleeping bags were pretty warm, it was still freezing. It was just freezing.
PAUL SOLMAN: As might be expected if one were really fleeing the ravages of an October storm in the Northeast.
So, first on the weekend agenda, learning to make a fire, then how to use a compass, read a map.
MAN: There's true north, grid north, magnetic north.
PAUL SOLMAN: Helpful when setting out to find water, though a word to Joe Suba: Next time, maybe ditch the bottle, and bring a flexible bladder bag, like everyone else.
Also, it turns out there's a reason for cargo pants. Then it was back to camp for a little gruel: some precooked chicken. Italian tuna fillets in olive oil?
JODI PAULOVICH: Why not? I mean, why bring those yucky cans, if I can could this?
PAUL SOLMAN: And, finally, the critically important first-aid class, with Jason Charles apologizing for his handiwork.
JASON CHARLES: This is by far the crappiest looking stretcher you will see.
PAUL SOLMAN: OK, we admit it: No matter how pervasive preppers are becoming, or how earnest they are, it's almost irresistible to make fun of them, especially urbanites first venturing out of the asphalt jungle.
But, in the end, we thought we learned something worth sharing. The basic vision of the prepper movement is that ours is a "Mad Max" world, in which, once disaster hits, you take from the other guys before they take from you, or, as Jodi Paulovich put it:
JODI PAULOVICH: We don't want to be stuck on a little island with crazy people in martial law.
PAUL SOLMAN: And yet here was a stunningly diverse group of random New Yorkers brought together by legitimate fears, with perhaps a whiff of paranoia, who were learning what? To prep for disaster by depending upon each other, to survive, but in community, trusting people they had never even met before with their very lives.
MAN: And when you're taking him out, always keep his head above the broken extremity.
PAUL SOLMAN: Community, not every man for himself, as the key to survival come doomsday, a hopeful punch line with which to end a news story for a change.
Source
.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Seffner residents evacuated amid fear of new sinkhole
Posted: Mar 26, 2013 10:53 PM EDTUpdated: Mar 26, 2013 10:56 PM EDT
By: Deborah Bowden, FOX 13 News - bio
SEFFNER (FOX 13) -
Some Seffner residents fear there may be a sinkhole under their duplex on Peach Avenue. If confirmed, it would be the fourth sinkhole in the Seffner area in the past month -- including the one that swallowed Jeffrey Bush as he slept inside his home.
Jessica Alfaro knew right away something was wrong. She said the living room in her family's apartment is sloping, creaking and rubbery.
"If you were to touch it, it's going up and down and comes back up," she said.
Her wheelchair-bound father lives in the home with her, along with her brother, sister and newborn niece.
"She's like, 'does it sound like it's good?' I was like, no it doesn't. Once we sat down, so much noise started happening. I thought, this is crazy, I'm calling 911. They said it's time to get out," Alfaro said.
Fire crews checked it out and took every precaution before going inside. They put a ladder across the floor, and used rope to tether themselves to a telephone pole outside.
"The time is actually buckled up quite a bit," said Jessica Damico from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. "It's not like a normal tile crack you would see. It's buckled up a few inches above the slab."
Outside, large cracks can be seen in the wall. Fire crews said they aren't sure what's causing it.
"It sounded hollow to them, but they're not sure if the tiles are just loose. It's beneath the tiles and the floor. Or if there's actually some holes beneath the slab," Damico said.
For Keith Simpson, who lives next door, it's a total shock. He came home to the scene after a 10-hour day at work.
"I just got to be calm about it and just pray. Hope everything will be alright," he said.
The duplex is more than two miles away from the sinkhole that killed Jeff Bush on March 1st. His brother jumped in the hole, but couldn't save him.
Engineers and geologists said efforts to try to recover his body were too dangerous. The sinkhole became his final resting place, in a story that drew attention from across the nation and worldwide.
An expert will come out to the home Wednesday morning to figure out if they're dealing with a sinkhole, or just some severe settling.
.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
U.S. cities are death traps like Brazilian nightclub
TheHealthRanger
Published on Jan 28, 2013
Here's why major U.S. cities like Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia are death traps just like the Brazilian nightclub that recently went up in flames, killing 230 people.
Published on Jan 28, 2013
Here's why major U.S. cities like Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia are death traps just like the Brazilian nightclub that recently went up in flames, killing 230 people.
.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
9/11 Memorial Briefly Evacuated After Fire Breaks Out Nearby, Officials Say
Updated 87 secs ago
December 26, 2012 12:03pm | By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LOWER MANHATTAN — The 9/11 Memorial was evacuated briefly Wednesday morning after a fire broke out nearby, sending smoke billowing over the World Trade Center site, officials and witnesses said.
The fire started in a construction trailer near the memorial just before 11:30 a.m. and soon spread to two adjacent trailers, the FDNY and Port Authority said.
Twenty-five units with 100 firefighters responded and brought the blaze under control about 12:20 p.m., the FDNY said.
No injuries were reported, officials said.
The construction trailer that caught fire served as an office for Master Mechanics, a company that greases the site's cranes, the Port Authority said. There may have been some oil or grease in the trailer, the agency said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, officials said.
The 9/11 Memorial was evacuated "as a precaution" as clouds of smoke spread across the site but reopened half an hour later, about 12:15 p.m., a memorial spokesman said.
A visitor to the memorial, @Loredo210, tweeted, "got all the way through security at 9/11 memorial - then it caught on fire and we got evacuated."
"Fire at 9/11 memorial. Eerie," tweeted @NicStone.
December 26, 2012 12:03pm | By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LOWER MANHATTAN — The 9/11 Memorial was evacuated briefly Wednesday morning after a fire broke out nearby, sending smoke billowing over the World Trade Center site, officials and witnesses said.
The fire started in a construction trailer near the memorial just before 11:30 a.m. and soon spread to two adjacent trailers, the FDNY and Port Authority said.
Twenty-five units with 100 firefighters responded and brought the blaze under control about 12:20 p.m., the FDNY said.
No injuries were reported, officials said.
The construction trailer that caught fire served as an office for Master Mechanics, a company that greases the site's cranes, the Port Authority said. There may have been some oil or grease in the trailer, the agency said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, officials said.
The 9/11 Memorial was evacuated "as a precaution" as clouds of smoke spread across the site but reopened half an hour later, about 12:15 p.m., a memorial spokesman said.
A visitor to the memorial, @Loredo210, tweeted, "got all the way through security at 9/11 memorial - then it caught on fire and we got evacuated."
"Fire at 9/11 memorial. Eerie," tweeted @NicStone.
.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Newtown, Connecticut Church Bomb Threat: St. Rose Of Lima Evacuated
www.huffingtonpost.com | Posted: 12/16/2012 1:14 pm EST | Updated: 12/16/2012 3:48 pm EST
Tons of officials swarm St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown Sunday following an anonymous threat that prompted an evacuation in the middle of a Mass. It was intended to honor the victims of Friday's shooting.
A church in Newtown, Conn. has been evacuated after reports of a bomb threat, according to the Associated Press.
UPDATE: Police gave the "all clear" sign at the church at around 1:15 p.m. Sunday, according to NBC News.
The evacuation occurred during noon mass Sunday, just two days after the town experienced a massacre that left 8 adults and 20 young children dead.
From Tim Shaffrey of the Associated Press:
NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Worshippers hurriedly left a church Sunday, saying they were told there was a bomb threat not far from the elementary school where 20 kids and six adults were massacred.
At least a dozen police in camouflage SWAT gear and carrying guns arrived at the St. Rose of Lima Church. An Associated Press photographer saw police leave carrying something in a red tarp.
There was no official report from police about the threat or evacuation.
Shooter Adam Lanza, his mother and eight of the child victims attended St. Rose of Lima. It is a Roman Catholic Church with an adjacent school, which Lanza attended briefly.
It's not clear if there actually was a threat or if, like many tragedies, whether it was a hoax or the result of a community on edge.
The church hosted overflow crowds at all three morning masses Sunday.
Source
.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Nor'easter Whips Storm-Damaged Tri-State
By Storm Team 4
| Thursday, Nov 8, 2012 | Updated 12:09 AM EST
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
PHOTOS
Your
Nor'easter Snow Photos
PHOTOS
Sandy Hits Tri-StateMore Photos and Videos
Another intense storm swirled into the tri-state Wednesday evening, bringing high winds and a wintry mix of rain and snow that caused major commuting problems and further tormented residents who lost power and were flooded out by Sandy.
TRACK THE STORM HERE WITH OUR INTERACTIVE RADAR
The nor'easter brought down tree limbs and electrical wires, and utilities in New York and New Jersey reported that nearly 60,000 customers who lost power because of Sandy lost it all over again as a result of Wednesday's storm.
Icing shut down a part of the Long Island Expressway for several hours. Weather-related problems forced the Long Island Rail Road to temporarily stop trains and close Penn Station to new customers for more than an hour, delivering even more misery to Long Island commuters, who were already dealing with crowding issues after Sandy.
At about 8 p.m., some limited eastbound service resumed from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal, but hour-long delays persisted. The railroad's Penn Station ticket area, which had been temporarily closed, has reopened.
Here's what you need to know:
NEW YORK CITY AND SUBURBS
Coastal areas of the city will see more rain, while Manhattan and the Bronx will get more of a snowy precipitation.
Through the evening, heavier snow falls from Manhattan to points west, while Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau County will see a mix of snow and rain. A slushy 2 inches of accumulation is possible, especially on grassy surfaces, with sloppy roads and wind gusts of up to 55 mph.
Overnight, the snow diminishes and winds decrease to around 40 mph gusts. Temps will be in the 30s.
New York City schools will be open Thursday for all of the city's 1.1 million students, including students from 43 schools that suffered damage during Sandy and another 13 that still lack electricity. Students from those 56 schools have been relocated to other schools. Most of the new school assignments started Wednesday but some won't start until Thursday.
Long Island Rail Road service was suspended system-wide at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday because of weather-related signal problems. Limited service has resumed, but hour-long delays persist. The rail service had already been dealing with crowding problems while operating on modified schedules after Sandy.
The Long Island Expressway was temporarily closed in both directions from exits 40E to 41 after 5:30 p.m. because of icing conditions. All lanes are now open.
In New York, Mayor Bloomberg ordered police to use their patrol car loudspeakers to warn residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate. Some 20,000 to 30,000 people live in those areas, he said.
The mayor ordered three nursing homes and an adult care facility evacuated from Queens' vulnerable Rockaway Peninsula because of fears the weather might knock out electricity already being provided by generators. About 620 residents were moved.
The city has closed all parks, playgrounds and beaches, as well as ordering all construction sites to be secured.
Airlines at the area's three major airports had already canceled hundreds of flights in anticipation of the storm and travelers were advised to check with their carriers before heading to the airport.
The Long Island Power Authority was reporting that more than 192,000 customers were without, with nearly 50,000 having lost power in the new storm. More than 79,000 Con Edison customers were without power, 11,000 Con Edison losing power in the new round of bad weather, with the worst damage in Westchester County. Some of those people now in the dark had skated through Sandy unscathed. Others had just gotten their electricity back. Con Ed officials say the bad weather has also slowed restoration efforts.
The New York State Thruway Authority is banning motorcycles and empty trailers from the Tappan Zee Bridge and reducing the speed limit on the bridge to 35 mph.
NEW JERSEY
In coastal New Jersey, heavy bands of rain spiraled onshore and moderate coastal flooding is expected, with a storm surge of 3 to 4 feet. Areas where Sandy washed away sand dunes will see flooding problems, especially during the high tide cycle. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are expected, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. The rain tapers off overnight, ending by 8 a.m. as wind gusts decrease to 45 mph.
In interior New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley in New York, heavy snow falls through the evening, accumulating up to 6 inches, with possibly higher amounts in upper elevations of New Jersey. Expect snow-covered roads, especially near rush hour. Winds of up to 45 mph are expected.
High winds could bring down tree limbs weakened by Sandy, potentially stalling power restoration efforts or causing further outages. A high wind warning is in effect for much of the region through Thursday.
Toms River issued a mandatory evacuation of the Barrier Island for noon Wednesday. There are voluntary evacuations of low-lying areas on the mainland.
Middletown Township in Monmouth County has issued a mandatory 3 p.m. evacuation from Keansburg to Atlantic Highlands from Route 36 to the bay.
Public Service Electric & Gas has roughly 241,000 outages, including 60,000 caused by the nor'easter. Jersey Central Power & Light has 197,560 customers without power, mainly in Monmouth, Morris and Ocean counties, while Orange & Rockland has 8,300 households. Atlantic City Electric is reporting nearly 9,000 customers without power.
aid.
| Thursday, Nov 8, 2012 | Updated 12:09 AM EST
View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.
Janice Huff's late evening forecast for Wednesday, November 7.PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
PHOTOS
Your
Nor'easter Snow Photos
PHOTOS
Sandy Hits Tri-StateMore Photos and Videos
Another intense storm swirled into the tri-state Wednesday evening, bringing high winds and a wintry mix of rain and snow that caused major commuting problems and further tormented residents who lost power and were flooded out by Sandy.
TRACK THE STORM HERE WITH OUR INTERACTIVE RADAR
The nor'easter brought down tree limbs and electrical wires, and utilities in New York and New Jersey reported that nearly 60,000 customers who lost power because of Sandy lost it all over again as a result of Wednesday's storm.
Icing shut down a part of the Long Island Expressway for several hours. Weather-related problems forced the Long Island Rail Road to temporarily stop trains and close Penn Station to new customers for more than an hour, delivering even more misery to Long Island commuters, who were already dealing with crowding issues after Sandy.
At about 8 p.m., some limited eastbound service resumed from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal, but hour-long delays persisted. The railroad's Penn Station ticket area, which had been temporarily closed, has reopened.
Here's what you need to know:
NEW YORK CITY AND SUBURBS
Coastal areas of the city will see more rain, while Manhattan and the Bronx will get more of a snowy precipitation.
Through the evening, heavier snow falls from Manhattan to points west, while Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau County will see a mix of snow and rain. A slushy 2 inches of accumulation is possible, especially on grassy surfaces, with sloppy roads and wind gusts of up to 55 mph.
Overnight, the snow diminishes and winds decrease to around 40 mph gusts. Temps will be in the 30s.
New York City schools will be open Thursday for all of the city's 1.1 million students, including students from 43 schools that suffered damage during Sandy and another 13 that still lack electricity. Students from those 56 schools have been relocated to other schools. Most of the new school assignments started Wednesday but some won't start until Thursday.
Long Island Rail Road service was suspended system-wide at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday because of weather-related signal problems. Limited service has resumed, but hour-long delays persist. The rail service had already been dealing with crowding problems while operating on modified schedules after Sandy.
The Long Island Expressway was temporarily closed in both directions from exits 40E to 41 after 5:30 p.m. because of icing conditions. All lanes are now open.
In New York, Mayor Bloomberg ordered police to use their patrol car loudspeakers to warn residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate. Some 20,000 to 30,000 people live in those areas, he said.
The mayor ordered three nursing homes and an adult care facility evacuated from Queens' vulnerable Rockaway Peninsula because of fears the weather might knock out electricity already being provided by generators. About 620 residents were moved.
The city has closed all parks, playgrounds and beaches, as well as ordering all construction sites to be secured.
Airlines at the area's three major airports had already canceled hundreds of flights in anticipation of the storm and travelers were advised to check with their carriers before heading to the airport.
The Long Island Power Authority was reporting that more than 192,000 customers were without, with nearly 50,000 having lost power in the new storm. More than 79,000 Con Edison customers were without power, 11,000 Con Edison losing power in the new round of bad weather, with the worst damage in Westchester County. Some of those people now in the dark had skated through Sandy unscathed. Others had just gotten their electricity back. Con Ed officials say the bad weather has also slowed restoration efforts.
The New York State Thruway Authority is banning motorcycles and empty trailers from the Tappan Zee Bridge and reducing the speed limit on the bridge to 35 mph.
NEW JERSEY
In coastal New Jersey, heavy bands of rain spiraled onshore and moderate coastal flooding is expected, with a storm surge of 3 to 4 feet. Areas where Sandy washed away sand dunes will see flooding problems, especially during the high tide cycle. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are expected, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. The rain tapers off overnight, ending by 8 a.m. as wind gusts decrease to 45 mph.
In interior New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley in New York, heavy snow falls through the evening, accumulating up to 6 inches, with possibly higher amounts in upper elevations of New Jersey. Expect snow-covered roads, especially near rush hour. Winds of up to 45 mph are expected.
High winds could bring down tree limbs weakened by Sandy, potentially stalling power restoration efforts or causing further outages. A high wind warning is in effect for much of the region through Thursday.
Toms River issued a mandatory evacuation of the Barrier Island for noon Wednesday. There are voluntary evacuations of low-lying areas on the mainland.
Middletown Township in Monmouth County has issued a mandatory 3 p.m. evacuation from Keansburg to Atlantic Highlands from Route 36 to the bay.
Public Service Electric & Gas has roughly 241,000 outages, including 60,000 caused by the nor'easter. Jersey Central Power & Light has 197,560 customers without power, mainly in Monmouth, Morris and Ocean counties, while Orange & Rockland has 8,300 households. Atlantic City Electric is reporting nearly 9,000 customers without power.
aid.
.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
BLOOMBERG ORDERS PARTIAL NYC EVACUATION AHEAD OF HURRICANE SANDY, 6- TO 11- FOOT STORM SURGE PREDICTED
Posted on October 28, 2012 at 12:44pm
by 
Madeleine Morgenstern
A man hurries to prepare a restaurant from the high winds of approaching Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 28, 2012 in Ocean City, N.J. New Jersey is expected to be hit hard by approaching storm sometime on Monday, bringing heavy winds and floodwaters. (Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Sunday ordered mandatory evacuations of parts of lower Manhattan and other low-lying areas in the city as the Northeast braced for Hurricane Sandy.
Bloomberg also announced the city’s 1.1 million-student public school system would be closed Monday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had already ordered all bus, subway and commuter train service be halted at 7 p.m. Sunday.
“If you don’t evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you,” Bloomberg said during a news conference Sunday morning. “This is a serious and dangerous storm.”
Rainfall was expected to start late Sunday or early Monday in New York as Sandy headed north from the Caribbean, where it left more than five dozen people dead. It was expected to turn left toward the mid-Atlantic coast and come ashore late Monday or early Tuesday, most likely in New Jersey, and collide with a wintry storm coming from the west and a cold front from the Arctic to create a rare hybrid storm.
A woman grabs the few remaining water bottles from the shelves at the Waldbaums grocery store as Hurricane Sandy approaches on Oct. 28, 2012 in Long Beach, New York. (Getty Images)
Bloomberg said forecasters had revised their initial predictions upward and were expecting a six- to 11-foot storm surge to affect low-lying areas of New York City. The worst of the storm was expected to come Monday night.
“I don’t want anybody to go to bed tonight thinking they can spend some time worrying” tomorrow, Bloomberg said. “We’ve got to take some preparations today and we anticipate the surge will hit a lot of low-lying areas and the possibility of flooding will continue to Tuesday afternoon.”
The National Weather Service said Sunday morning that Sandy was expected to bring “life-threatening” storm surge flooding to the mid-Atlantic coast, including along the Long Island Sound and New York Harbor. Sandy was expected to have near-hurricane-force winds of 75 mph when it made landfall.
Construction workers carry boards of wood to cover air vents that could cause the New York City subway system to flood in preparation for Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 28, 2012 in New York. (Getty Images)
This post will be updated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Madeleine MorgensternA man hurries to prepare a restaurant from the high winds of approaching Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 28, 2012 in Ocean City, N.J. New Jersey is expected to be hit hard by approaching storm sometime on Monday, bringing heavy winds and floodwaters. (Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Sunday ordered mandatory evacuations of parts of lower Manhattan and other low-lying areas in the city as the Northeast braced for Hurricane Sandy.
Bloomberg also announced the city’s 1.1 million-student public school system would be closed Monday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had already ordered all bus, subway and commuter train service be halted at 7 p.m. Sunday.
“If you don’t evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you,” Bloomberg said during a news conference Sunday morning. “This is a serious and dangerous storm.”
Rainfall was expected to start late Sunday or early Monday in New York as Sandy headed north from the Caribbean, where it left more than five dozen people dead. It was expected to turn left toward the mid-Atlantic coast and come ashore late Monday or early Tuesday, most likely in New Jersey, and collide with a wintry storm coming from the west and a cold front from the Arctic to create a rare hybrid storm.
A woman grabs the few remaining water bottles from the shelves at the Waldbaums grocery store as Hurricane Sandy approaches on Oct. 28, 2012 in Long Beach, New York. (Getty Images)
Bloomberg said forecasters had revised their initial predictions upward and were expecting a six- to 11-foot storm surge to affect low-lying areas of New York City. The worst of the storm was expected to come Monday night.
“I don’t want anybody to go to bed tonight thinking they can spend some time worrying” tomorrow, Bloomberg said. “We’ve got to take some preparations today and we anticipate the surge will hit a lot of low-lying areas and the possibility of flooding will continue to Tuesday afternoon.”
The National Weather Service said Sunday morning that Sandy was expected to bring “life-threatening” storm surge flooding to the mid-Atlantic coast, including along the Long Island Sound and New York Harbor. Sandy was expected to have near-hurricane-force winds of 75 mph when it made landfall.
Construction workers carry boards of wood to cover air vents that could cause the New York City subway system to flood in preparation for Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 28, 2012 in New York. (Getty Images)
This post will be updated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
.
Tens of thousands warned to evacuate ahead of terrifying megastorm heading to eastern US
BY ALLEN G. BREED,WAYNE PARRY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS OCTOBER 28, 2012 9:50 AM
Hannah Smith, 4, looks over a pile of sandbags as her dad, Charles, checks their stability in front of their home along Ocean View Avenue Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 in Norfolk, Va. Hurricane Sandy, upgraded again Saturday just hours after forecasters said it had weakened to a tropical storm, was barreling north from the Caribbean and was expected to make landfall early Tuesday near the Delaware coast, then hit two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid monster storm. (AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Ross Taylor) MAGS OUT
SHIP BOTTOM, N.J. - Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas Sunday as big cities and small towns across the U.S. Northeast braced for the onslaught of a superstorm threatening some 60 million people along the most heavily populated corridor in the nation.
As a monstrous Hurricane Sandy made its way up the Atlantic Coast, New York City announced its subways, buses and trains would stop running Sunday night, and its 1.1 million-student school system would be closed on Monday. Mayor Michael Bloomberg also ordered the evacuation of part of lower Manhattan and other low-lying neighbourhoods.
"If you don't evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you," Bloomberg said. "This is a serious and dangerous storm."
Tens of thousands of people along the coast in Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut and other threatened areas were also under orders to clear out because of the danger of heavy rain, punishing winds and a potentially deadly tidal surge.
Sandy was headed north from the Caribbean, where it left at least 65 people dead, mostly in Haiti, and was expected to hook left toward the mid-Atlantic coast and come ashore late Monday or early Tuesday, most likely along the New Jersey shore, colliding with a wintry storm moving in from the west and cold air streaming down from the Arctic.
Forecasters warned that the resulting megastorm could wreak havoc over 800 miles (1,300 kilometres)from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.
The danger was hardly limited to coastal areas, with worried about inland flooding. They also warned that the rain could saturate the ground, causing trees to topple onto power lines and cause blackouts that could last for several days.
States of emergency were declared from North Carolina, where gusty winds whipped steady rain on Sunday morning, to Connecticut. Delaware ordered 50,000 people in coastal communities to clear out by 8 p.m. Sunday.
Officials in New York City were particularly worried about the possibility of subway flooding. The city closed the subways before Hurricane Irene last year, and a Columbia University study predicted that an Irene surge just 1 foot (30 centimetres) higher would have paralyzed lower Manhattan.
Sandy was at Category 1 strength, packing 75 mph (120 kph) winds, about 250 miles (400 kilometres) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving northeast at 14 mph (22.5 kph) as of 11 a.m. (1500 GMT) Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was about 575 miles (925 kilometres) south of New York City.
The storm was expected to continue moving parallel to the Southeast coast most of the day and approach the coast of the mid-Atlantic states by Monday night, before reaching southern New England later in the week.
The storm was so big, however, and the convergence of the three storms so rare, that "we just can't pinpoint who is going to get the worst of it," said Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Amtrak began cancelling passenger train service Saturday night to parts of the East Coast, including between Washington and New York. Airlines started moving planes out of airports to avoid damage and added Sunday flights out of New York and Washington in preparation for flight cancellations on Monday.
The Virginia National Guard was authorized to call up to 500 troops to active duty for debris removal and road-clearing, while homeowners stacked sandbags at their front doors in coastal towns.
President Barack Obama was monitoring the storm and working with state and locals governments to make sure they get the resources needed to prepare, administration officials said.
In North Carolina's Outer Banks, there was some scattered, minor flooding at daybreak Sunday on the beach road in Nags Head. The bad weather could pick up there later in the day, with the major concerns being rising tides and pounding waves.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie's emergency declaration will force the shutdown of Atlantic City's 12 casinos for only the fourth time in the 34-year history of legalized gambling there. City officials said they would begin evacuating the gambling hub's 30,000 residents at noon Sunday, busing them to mainland shelters and schools.
"I've been here since 1997, and I never even put my barbecue grill away during a storm," Russ Linke said shortly before he and his wife left the Jersey shore barrier island town of Ship Bottom on Saturday. "But I am taking this one seriously. They say it might hit here. That's about as serious as it can get."
He and his wife secured the patio furniture, packed the bicycles into the pickup truck, and headed off the island.
Witlet Maceno, an emergency room nurse working at New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital, was headed home to Staten Island on Sunday morning after his overnight shift. He said he was going home to check on his parents, visiting from Atlanta, before he returned to work Sunday evening.
"I'm making sure they're OK, that they have water and food, and that the windows are shut tight," he said. "And I'm going to remove stuff outside that could go flying into the windows" of his street-level apartment.
The storm also forced the presidential campaign to juggle schedules. Romney scrapped plans to campaign Sunday in Virginia and switched his schedule for the day to Ohio. First lady Michelle Obama cancelled an appearance in New Hampshire for Tuesday, and Obama moved a planned Monday departure for Florida to Sunday night to beat the storm. He also cancelled appearances in Northern Virginia on Monday and Colorado on Tuesday.
___
Breed reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Contributing to this report were AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington; Emery Dalesio in Nags Head, North Carolina.; Karen Matthews and Samantha Bomkamp in New York; Randall Chase in Lewes, Delaware.; Jessica Gresko in Arlington, Virginia; and Nancy Benac in Washington.
Source
.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Sandy Intensifies, Heads Our Way as Evacuation Orders Begin in NY, NJ
The storm's effects will be felt here by Sunday evening
By Storm Team 4
| Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 | Updated 2:27 PM EDT
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
PHOTOS
Watching
Hurricane SandyMore Photos and Videos
Sandy barreled north from the Caribbean on Saturday, expected to make landfall early Tuesday near the Delaware coast before it hits two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid superstorm that has the potential to cause widespread flooding and power outages that last for days.
MTA officials warned that subways, bridges and commuter rails could be shut down starting 7 p.m. Sunday, but said a decision would not be made until hours before that.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency and ordered mandatory evacuations by Sunday at 4 p.m. for the state's barrier islands from Sandy Hook south to Cape May. During a briefing Saturday, he also ordered evacuations at Atlantic City casinos by that time.
To anyone planning to ignore the warnings, Christie said: "Please don't. We have to be prepared for the worst here."
Sandy, which has left more than 40 people dead in its path, is expected to move parallel to the southeast coast of the U.S. through the weekend.
The storm could be wider and stronger than Irene, which caused more than $15 billion total in damage, and could rival the worst East Coast storm on record. On Saturday morning, forecasters said hurricane-force winds of 75 mph could be felt 100 miles away from the storm's center.
After Irene left millions without power, utilities were taking no chances and were lining up extra crews and tree-trimmers. Wind threatened to topple power lines, and trees that still have leaves could be weighed down by snow and fall over if the weight becomes too much.
Sandy was briefly downgraded on Saturday to a tropical storm, which is defined by only a small difference in wind speed; a hurricane has sustained winds of at least 74 mph while a tropical storm has 73 mph and under. More fluctuations between hurricane and tropical storm status are expected as it heads north.
Track Sandy with our satellite radar
See a timeline of when Sandy's effects will be felt here
The rain bands of Sandy will first show in the region Sunday, with the heaviest rain developing Sunday evening and lasting through Tuesday, meteorologists say. The worst of the system is expected to hit Monday into Tuesday morning.
Sandy is likely to arrive in our region during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential, particularly across the south shores of Long Island and coastal New Jersey.
Significant beach erosion is expected along the shore lines with wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph, 6 to 10 inches of rain, waves of up to 20 feet and widespread power outages that, with some trees still leafy and the potential for snow, could last to Election Day.
Under the heaviest rain band, which looks like it will settle across New Jersey, rain totals could exceed 10 inches, saturating the ground. As strong winds move across those soaked soils, that could cause trees to come down, causing large-scale power outages.
NEW YORK
The first evacuations in New York have been ordered on Fire Island. Residents are to leave by 2 p.m. Sunday, the Islip town supervisor said.
New York City officials are warning that people in low-lying areas might have to evacuate. The city's emergency management situation room has been activated.
The city's primary evacuation zone includes Battery Park City, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Far Rockaway and Midland Beach and South Beach in Staten Island. See the zone in orange on this map.
Mayor Bloomberg said Friday that six hospitals and 41 chronic care facilities are in those areas. At this point, officials are not recommending evacuations but say all those facilities should cancel all elective admissions and should discharge patients that can be sent home.
In August 2011, Bloomberg ordered evacuations in low-lying areas of the city as Hurricane Irene approached. The entire subway system was also shut down.
The MTA says its plan calls for service to be shut down if sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are expected. Ahead of the storm, extra workers were being called in, trains were being removed from outdoor yards and subway ventilation grates vulnerable to flooding were being sandbagged and covered.
The agency says some vehicles may be barred from its bridges when winds reach 50 mph or more, and the bridges could be closed if winds reach 60 mph.
Bloomberg said officials would decide Sunday if school would be in session on Monday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has activated the state's emergency crews. He also urged people to prepare storm kits, which include non-perishable food, water, cash, filled prescriptions, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, first aid kit, flashlights and batteries.
"We want to take every precaution possible," Cuomo said.
NEW JERSEY
Despite the dire predictions, some coastal residents said they planned to stay in their homes. Many predicted Sandy would fizzle as most of the recent storms to approach the shore did, while others said they felt safer in their homes.
Many residents, though, were preparing for the worst.
One island resident who wasn't taking any chances was Russ Linke. He and his wife planned to leave Ship Bottom after securing their patio furniture and packing bicycles into their pickup truck.
"I've been here since 1997, and I never even put my barbecue grill away during a storm," Linke said. "But I am taking this one seriously. They say it might hit here. That's about as serious as it can get."
Christie is urging residents to closely monitor the storm and prepare to put in motion their own emergency plans.
The Department of Environmental Protection is opening the Pompton Lakes Dam to lower the lake's level in advance of the storm. The town of Pompton Lakes sits between the Pequannock and Ramapo rivers and has a long history of flooding.
In addition, the state is lowering the levels of four reservoirs used for drinking water in northern New Jersey for the first time ever in preparation for the storm. According to Larry Ragones, a spokesman for the department, the actions were being taken to "create a void space for runoff from the storm."
CONNECTICUT
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has declared a state of emergency. He says the state is better prepared for Sandy than it was last year when it was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Irene, which knocked out power to residents for days.
Malloy met Friday with representatives from the electric, cable and communications utilities to discuss their preparations. Electricity line crews are already making their way to the state.
Malloy said residents need to plan on at least 7 inches of rain to fall over a 36 hours and winds of 40 mph. Effects could be felt early Sunday evening.
The state has launched a site to keep residents up to date on Sandy. It can be found atwww.ct.gov/sandy.
By Storm Team 4
| Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 | Updated 2:27 PM EDT
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
PHOTOS
Watching
Hurricane SandyMore Photos and Videos
Sandy barreled north from the Caribbean on Saturday, expected to make landfall early Tuesday near the Delaware coast before it hits two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid superstorm that has the potential to cause widespread flooding and power outages that last for days.
MTA officials warned that subways, bridges and commuter rails could be shut down starting 7 p.m. Sunday, but said a decision would not be made until hours before that.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency and ordered mandatory evacuations by Sunday at 4 p.m. for the state's barrier islands from Sandy Hook south to Cape May. During a briefing Saturday, he also ordered evacuations at Atlantic City casinos by that time.
To anyone planning to ignore the warnings, Christie said: "Please don't. We have to be prepared for the worst here."
Sandy, which has left more than 40 people dead in its path, is expected to move parallel to the southeast coast of the U.S. through the weekend.
The storm could be wider and stronger than Irene, which caused more than $15 billion total in damage, and could rival the worst East Coast storm on record. On Saturday morning, forecasters said hurricane-force winds of 75 mph could be felt 100 miles away from the storm's center.
After Irene left millions without power, utilities were taking no chances and were lining up extra crews and tree-trimmers. Wind threatened to topple power lines, and trees that still have leaves could be weighed down by snow and fall over if the weight becomes too much.
Sandy was briefly downgraded on Saturday to a tropical storm, which is defined by only a small difference in wind speed; a hurricane has sustained winds of at least 74 mph while a tropical storm has 73 mph and under. More fluctuations between hurricane and tropical storm status are expected as it heads north.
Track Sandy with our satellite radar
See a timeline of when Sandy's effects will be felt here
The rain bands of Sandy will first show in the region Sunday, with the heaviest rain developing Sunday evening and lasting through Tuesday, meteorologists say. The worst of the system is expected to hit Monday into Tuesday morning.
Sandy is likely to arrive in our region during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential, particularly across the south shores of Long Island and coastal New Jersey.
Significant beach erosion is expected along the shore lines with wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph, 6 to 10 inches of rain, waves of up to 20 feet and widespread power outages that, with some trees still leafy and the potential for snow, could last to Election Day.
Under the heaviest rain band, which looks like it will settle across New Jersey, rain totals could exceed 10 inches, saturating the ground. As strong winds move across those soaked soils, that could cause trees to come down, causing large-scale power outages.
NEW YORK
The first evacuations in New York have been ordered on Fire Island. Residents are to leave by 2 p.m. Sunday, the Islip town supervisor said.
New York City officials are warning that people in low-lying areas might have to evacuate. The city's emergency management situation room has been activated.
The city's primary evacuation zone includes Battery Park City, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Far Rockaway and Midland Beach and South Beach in Staten Island. See the zone in orange on this map.
Mayor Bloomberg said Friday that six hospitals and 41 chronic care facilities are in those areas. At this point, officials are not recommending evacuations but say all those facilities should cancel all elective admissions and should discharge patients that can be sent home.
In August 2011, Bloomberg ordered evacuations in low-lying areas of the city as Hurricane Irene approached. The entire subway system was also shut down.
The MTA says its plan calls for service to be shut down if sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are expected. Ahead of the storm, extra workers were being called in, trains were being removed from outdoor yards and subway ventilation grates vulnerable to flooding were being sandbagged and covered.
The agency says some vehicles may be barred from its bridges when winds reach 50 mph or more, and the bridges could be closed if winds reach 60 mph.
Bloomberg said officials would decide Sunday if school would be in session on Monday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has activated the state's emergency crews. He also urged people to prepare storm kits, which include non-perishable food, water, cash, filled prescriptions, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, first aid kit, flashlights and batteries.
"We want to take every precaution possible," Cuomo said.
NEW JERSEY
Despite the dire predictions, some coastal residents said they planned to stay in their homes. Many predicted Sandy would fizzle as most of the recent storms to approach the shore did, while others said they felt safer in their homes.
Many residents, though, were preparing for the worst.
One island resident who wasn't taking any chances was Russ Linke. He and his wife planned to leave Ship Bottom after securing their patio furniture and packing bicycles into their pickup truck.
"I've been here since 1997, and I never even put my barbecue grill away during a storm," Linke said. "But I am taking this one seriously. They say it might hit here. That's about as serious as it can get."
Christie is urging residents to closely monitor the storm and prepare to put in motion their own emergency plans.
The Department of Environmental Protection is opening the Pompton Lakes Dam to lower the lake's level in advance of the storm. The town of Pompton Lakes sits between the Pequannock and Ramapo rivers and has a long history of flooding.
In addition, the state is lowering the levels of four reservoirs used for drinking water in northern New Jersey for the first time ever in preparation for the storm. According to Larry Ragones, a spokesman for the department, the actions were being taken to "create a void space for runoff from the storm."
CONNECTICUT
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has declared a state of emergency. He says the state is better prepared for Sandy than it was last year when it was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Irene, which knocked out power to residents for days.
Malloy met Friday with representatives from the electric, cable and communications utilities to discuss their preparations. Electricity line crews are already making their way to the state.
Malloy said residents need to plan on at least 7 inches of rain to fall over a 36 hours and winds of 40 mph. Effects could be felt early Sunday evening.
The state has launched a site to keep residents up to date on Sandy. It can be found atwww.ct.gov/sandy.
.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Floods force pilgrims to flee Lourdes
French rescue services have helped hundreds of Catholic pilgrims escape the sanctuary of Lourdes as the region was flooded by days of non-stop rain.
More than 450 visitors to the Catholic shrine were ferried from hotels in the lower town to higher ground.
Officials said the famed sites visited by millions of religious pilgrims each year would remain closed for several days.
"The space in front of the grotto is entirely covered with water, the altar is under water," Thierry Castillo, the custodian of the sanctuaries, told the AFP news agency.
Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous in the grotto in Lourdes in 1858.
Waters rise
The water was around one meter (three feet) high in front of the grotto 80 centimeters high in the avenue du Paradis, where most of the hotels are located.
Officials have said this is the worst flooding in 25 years. The river Gave de Pau was three meters above its usual level on Saturday and rising. Weather forecasts predicted that the rain would continue until Sunday, following a continuous downpour overnight on Saturday.
Last year, more than six million visitors descended upon shrine. The Catholic church has recognized 68 miracles linked to Lourdes.
Lourdes has special meaning for the suffering, many of whom believe its water can heal and even work miracles. Many disabled or sick people go there to pray for a cure.
The sanctuaries are not expected to reopen before Tuesday or Wednesday.
tm/ccp (AFP, AP)
Monday, July 30, 2012
Bomb threats lead to evacuation of 8 Walmarts, 2 in Kansas City area
Posted: Jul 27, 2012 8:23 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 29, 2012 1:53 PM EDT
By Laura McCallister, Multimedia Producer
By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager
By Micah Bray, Assignment Editor
KCTV 5KCTV 5
MISSOURI (KCTV) -
At least eight Walmarts across Missouri have been evacuated Friday evening after bomb threats.
Two of the stores are in the Kansas City area.
Two and a half hours after the threats were called in, police declared the scenes as safe.
THREE MORE OCCURRED IN EASTERN KANSAS EARLY SUNDAY. CLICK HERE TO READ THAT STORY.
The Gladstone, MO, Walmart at 72nd and North Prospect Avenue was evacuated after police got a call of a bomb threat about 6:30 p.m.
About the same time, the Raytown, MO, Walmart on Missouri Highway 350 near Raytown Road was evacuated for the same reason. Police said someone called in the bomb threat.
Kansas City, MO, police as well as Olathe police volunteered their bomb and arson K-9 unit to help at the Kansas City area locations. Officers found nothing suspicious and let everyone back inside the big box store about 8:30 p.m.
Media outlets in southern Missouri report that two Walmarts in Christian County have been evacuated due to bomb threats. Those stores are in Nixa and Ozark. Other media outlets are reporting the Walmart in Jefferson City was evacuated as well as the Walmart in St. Peters, near St. Louis. Just before 10 p.m., police confirmed that the Walmart in Piedmont also received a threat.
At this time, it is unknown if police are investigating the threats as being connected.
In a statement, Walmart officials said they are working with authorities and apologized for the inconvenience to customers. Company officials said they were grateful no one was hurt.
Melissa Munkers posted on KCTV5's Facebook page that she was inside the Raytown Walmart when it was evacuated.
"When cops are telling you to get out of the building, you grab your two small children and GO!" she wrote.
A Facebook user commented on KCTV5's page that police escorted families out through the garden center at the Gladstone Walmart.
Click here to read OzarksFirst coverage of the evacuations in Christian County.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
Source
Updated: Jul 29, 2012 1:53 PM EDT
By Laura McCallister, Multimedia Producer
By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager
By Micah Bray, Assignment Editor
KCTV 5KCTV 5
MISSOURI (KCTV) -
At least eight Walmarts across Missouri have been evacuated Friday evening after bomb threats.
Two of the stores are in the Kansas City area.
Two and a half hours after the threats were called in, police declared the scenes as safe.
THREE MORE OCCURRED IN EASTERN KANSAS EARLY SUNDAY. CLICK HERE TO READ THAT STORY.
The Gladstone, MO, Walmart at 72nd and North Prospect Avenue was evacuated after police got a call of a bomb threat about 6:30 p.m.
About the same time, the Raytown, MO, Walmart on Missouri Highway 350 near Raytown Road was evacuated for the same reason. Police said someone called in the bomb threat.
Kansas City, MO, police as well as Olathe police volunteered their bomb and arson K-9 unit to help at the Kansas City area locations. Officers found nothing suspicious and let everyone back inside the big box store about 8:30 p.m.
Media outlets in southern Missouri report that two Walmarts in Christian County have been evacuated due to bomb threats. Those stores are in Nixa and Ozark. Other media outlets are reporting the Walmart in Jefferson City was evacuated as well as the Walmart in St. Peters, near St. Louis. Just before 10 p.m., police confirmed that the Walmart in Piedmont also received a threat.
At this time, it is unknown if police are investigating the threats as being connected.
In a statement, Walmart officials said they are working with authorities and apologized for the inconvenience to customers. Company officials said they were grateful no one was hurt.
Melissa Munkers posted on KCTV5's Facebook page that she was inside the Raytown Walmart when it was evacuated.
"When cops are telling you to get out of the building, you grab your two small children and GO!" she wrote.
A Facebook user commented on KCTV5's page that police escorted families out through the garden center at the Gladstone Walmart.
Click here to read OzarksFirst coverage of the evacuations in Christian County.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
Source
.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Evacuations on Mexico's Caribbean coast
Summary
Authorities are evacuating fishing communities on Mexico's resort-studded Caribbean coast and some tourists have begun to leave as Hurricane Rina takes aim at Cancun and the island of Cozumel. (Oct. 26)
.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Canaries volcano prompts evacuation
2011-10-11 22:49
Valverde - An underwater volcanic eruption has prompted the authorities to evacuate about 500 people from a village on Spain's El Hierro island in the Canaries, officials said on Tuesday.
The eruption was detected on Monday 5km from the island at a depth of between 500 and 1 200m beneath the sea.
Experts had said the eruption would not be felt on the island.
But seismic activity now pointed to the risk of another eruption closer to the coast, said the director general of the Canaries' emergency commission, Juan Manuel Santana.
As a result, the regional government will relocate the roughly 500 people living in La Restinga, which is the closest residential area to the eruption, he told a news conference.
"An eruption in shallower waters would produce a greater risk because of the greater interaction of the water with the magma," he warned.
"We must continue to follow how the phenomenon develops, what we are putting in place is simply a preventative measure."
Village residents will probably be transferred to facilities at a football field further inland, the regional government of the Canaries said in a statement.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero met with several ministers, including Defence Minister Carmen Chacon, and volcano experts later on Tuesday to analyse the situation, his office said.
The regional government of the archipelago on Monday issued a "yellow" volcanic eruption alert - the second level on a scale of four - after the island was hit by a 4.3-magnitude quake.
El Hierro, which means iron in Spanish, is the smallest of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic off the coast of Morocco. It is home to some 11 000 people.
The last volcanic eruption on the Canary Islands was on nearby La Palma in 1971.
Source
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Typhoon, Quake Hit Battered Japan, 1 Million Evacuated
By Akiko Fujita
@akikofujita
Sep 21, 2011 9:59am
A powerful typhoon made landfall in the main island of Japan today, killing at least six people, and forcing the evacuation of more than a million others. And just hours later the country was hit with an earthquake.
The 5.3 magnitude quake struck just south of Fukushima, where the March earthquake and tsunami crippled a complex of nuclear plants.
Typhoon Roke, the second major storm to hit the country this month, dumped more than 15 inches of rain in parts of central Japan within 24 hours, bringing with it winds of up to 130 miles an hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Heavy rains triggered flooding throughout central and eastern Japan, raising the threat of landslides in a region still reeling from another powerful storm. Television footage showed drivers stranded along flooded streets. Office workers had to be rescued from buildings by boat because the rivers were too high.
In Nagoya, home to Toyota Motor Corp, the city temporarily called off an evacuation warning for 880,000 people once the rivers crested. That didn’t stop Japan’s top automakers from shutting plants as a precaution.
In Tokyo, the typhoon forced the cancellation of more than a hundred domestic flights, and halted train service at the height of rush hour. At Shibuya station, one of the city’s busiest, thousands of stranded commuters waited patiently for hours, for service to re-start. Other modes of transportation didn’t fare any better, as lines wrapped around the block for buses and taxis.
Along the ravaged northeast coast, survivors of the March 11 tsunami braced for yet another disaster. The threat of strong winds and rain forced the Tokyo Electric Power Company to halt work at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The utility suspended efforts to cover one of the reactor buildings, but said there was no risk of radioactive water overflowing, as a result of all the rain. Further north in Miyagi and Iwate prefecture, local media reported minor flooding at temporary homes.
Japan has been hit by one natural disaster after another, since a powerful earthquake and tsunami killed more than 20,000 people. Typhoon Roke comes just weeks after Typhoon Talas killed 67 people, and left dozens of others injured in central Japan.
Source
@akikofujita
Sep 21, 2011 9:59am
A powerful typhoon made landfall in the main island of Japan today, killing at least six people, and forcing the evacuation of more than a million others. And just hours later the country was hit with an earthquake.
The 5.3 magnitude quake struck just south of Fukushima, where the March earthquake and tsunami crippled a complex of nuclear plants.
Typhoon Roke, the second major storm to hit the country this month, dumped more than 15 inches of rain in parts of central Japan within 24 hours, bringing with it winds of up to 130 miles an hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Heavy rains triggered flooding throughout central and eastern Japan, raising the threat of landslides in a region still reeling from another powerful storm. Television footage showed drivers stranded along flooded streets. Office workers had to be rescued from buildings by boat because the rivers were too high.
In Nagoya, home to Toyota Motor Corp, the city temporarily called off an evacuation warning for 880,000 people once the rivers crested. That didn’t stop Japan’s top automakers from shutting plants as a precaution.
In Tokyo, the typhoon forced the cancellation of more than a hundred domestic flights, and halted train service at the height of rush hour. At Shibuya station, one of the city’s busiest, thousands of stranded commuters waited patiently for hours, for service to re-start. Other modes of transportation didn’t fare any better, as lines wrapped around the block for buses and taxis.
Along the ravaged northeast coast, survivors of the March 11 tsunami braced for yet another disaster. The threat of strong winds and rain forced the Tokyo Electric Power Company to halt work at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The utility suspended efforts to cover one of the reactor buildings, but said there was no risk of radioactive water overflowing, as a result of all the rain. Further north in Miyagi and Iwate prefecture, local media reported minor flooding at temporary homes.
Japan has been hit by one natural disaster after another, since a powerful earthquake and tsunami killed more than 20,000 people. Typhoon Roke comes just weeks after Typhoon Talas killed 67 people, and left dozens of others injured in central Japan.
Source
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hurricane Irene Hits, Raising Fears of Storm Surge
Jim Lo Scalzo/European Pressphoto Agency
Waves crashed into Avalon Pier as Hurricane Irene struck the Outer Banks in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., on Saturday. More Photos »
By KIM SEVERSON, DAN BARRY and CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Published: August 27, 2011
This article was reported by Kim Severson, Dan Barry and Campbell Robertson and was written by Mr. Barry.
WILMINGTON, N.C. — After several anxious days of dire forecasts that forced much of the East Coast into unprecedented levels of lockdown, a weakened but still ferocious Hurricane Irene made landfall on Saturday morning along the southern coast of North Carolina.
It announced itself with howling winds, hammering rains and a gradual, destructive move northward toward the battened-down cities of Washington, New York and Boston.
Shortly after daybreak in Nags Head, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, surging waves ate away at the dunes, while winds peeled the siding from vacated beach houses — as if to challenge the National Hurricane Center’s early morning decision to downgrade Irene to a Category 1 hurricane, whose maximum sustained winds would reach only — only — 90 miles an hour, with occasional stronger gusts.
“Some weakening is expected after Irene reaches the coast of North Carolina,” an update by the hurricane center at 8 a.m. said. “But Irene is forecast to remain a hurricane as it moves near or over the mid-Atlantic states and New England.”
The massive storm was expected to push out to sea again later Saturday and then head north toward New York, where the specter of an electrical shutdown was added to the list of potential consequences. The region prepared to face powerhouse winds that could drive a wall of water over the beaches of the Rockaway Peninsula and between the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan.
The city scrambled to complete evacuation of about 300,000 residents in low-lying areas where officials expected flooding to follow the storm. Officials also ordered the entire public transportation system — subways, buses and commuter rail lines — to shut down Saturday for what they said was the first time in history. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said mass transit was “unlikely to be back” in service on Monday, but electricity in Lower Manhattan could remain out.
“This is just the beginning,” the mayor said at a morning news conference in Coney Island, Brooklyn, where he and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly inspected boats that emergency workers could use in neighborhoods they could not travel through any other way. “This is a life-threatening storm.”
Officials said the central concern at the moment was the storm surge of such a large, slow-moving hurricane — the deluge to be dumped from the sky or thrown onto shore by violent waves moving like snapped blankets. “I would very much take this seriously,” Brian McNoldy, a research associate of the Department of Atmospheric Research at Colorado State University, said. “Don’t be concerned if it’s a Category 1, 2, 3, 4. If you’re on the coast, you don’t want to be there. Wind isn’t your problem.”
Mazie Swindell Smith, the county manager in Hyde County, N.C., which is expecting storm surge from the inland bay that abuts it, agreed. “The storm is moving more slowly than expected,” Ms. Smith said. “That’s not good as far as rainfall, because it will just sit here and dump rain.”
With the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental United State since 2008, government officials issued evacuation orders for about 2.3 million people, according to The Associated Press — from 100,000 people in Delaware to 1 million people in New Jersey, where the governor, Chris Christie, told everyone to “Get the hell off the beach.” And in New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took the historic step of ordering the evacuation of several waterfront areas, including Manhattan’s Battery Park City.
On Saturday, both Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York were stressing the seriousness of the situation, telling residents in the evacuation zones to get out for their own safety. On Friday, city officials issued what they called an unprecedented order for the evacuation of about 370,000 residents of low-lying areas, while on Long Island, county and town officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of about 400,000 people.
Irene was projected to hug the coast throughout Saturday and make landfall again around midday on Sunday on Long Island, just east of New York City. That track gives the city a bit of a break, because the east side of a hurricane is more powerful than the west, though there might be storm surges of four to eight feet.
“They’re going to be on the west side, but they’re still going to get strong winds and storm surge,” John Guiney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said.
Hurricane watches were posted and states of emergency declared for Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New England, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. Amtrak canceled train service for parts of the Northeast Corridor for the weekend, and airlines began canceling flights, urging travelers to stay home. Broadway shows shut down. Major League Baseball games were postponed.
Most airlines have grounded flights this weekend, in the New York City area and beyond, and Newark Liberty International Airport, Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport were set to close at noon on Saturday in anticipation of the severe weather. Michael Trevino, a spokesman for the merged United Airlines and Continental Airlines, said 2,300 flights would be canceled. A JetBlue spokesman said the airline had grounded 1,252 flights in the New York area and beyond starting Saturday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, still seeking to redeem itself from its spotty performance after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, had 18 disaster-response teams in place along the East Coast, with stockpiles of food, water and mobile communications equipment ready to go. The Coast Guard: more than 20 rescue helicopters and reconnaissance planes ready to take off. The Defense Department: 18 more helicopters set aside for response. The National Guard: about 101,000 members available to respond. The American Red Cross: more than 200 emergency response vehicles and tens of thousands of ready-to-eat meals in areas due to be hit by the storm.
FEMA has also moved onto the Internet and social media in a big way, with Craig Fugate, the FEMA director, posting updates on Twitter several times an hour about the agency’s response and the status of the storm.
“The category of the storm does not tell the whole story,” Mr. Fugate wrote Saturday morning on his Twitter feed, after Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a Category 1 storm. “Some of our Nation’s worst flooding came from tropical storms.”
President Obama ended his vacation early by flying back Friday night from Martha’s Vineyard to be in Washington for the storm. In advance of Irene’s arrival, he had issued federal emergency declarations for New Hampshire, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey, clearing the way for federal support to respond to the hurricane.
The toll being exacted on North Carolina — even before the hurricane’s eye wall reached land just east of Cape Lookout — augured what was likely in store for other states along the Atlantic Seaboard, with some 50 million people possibly affected. Downed trees. Damaged municipal buildings. The flooding of the communities of Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach. The partial collapse of a pier in Atlantic Beach. The suspension of a search for a teenage male who jumped off a boat ramp and disappeared into the churning waters outside Wilmington; officials said the dangerous weather would delay a search until sometime Saturday afternoon for the young man.
North Carolina officials said another man was killed near Nashville, N.C., when a tree branch fell on him while he was walking in his yard. And a surfer was killed in Virginia beach, Va., while testing the massive waves in advance of the storm’s arrival.
By Saturday morning, some 200,000 customers had lost power in North Carolina, according to Progress Energy, with the utility expecting more blackouts as the hurricane moved inland. Power was out for about half of the 106,000 residents in the port city of Wilmington. After a night of fierce winds that gusted to nearly 80 miles an hour, people emerged from their homes to downed trees, darkened traffic lights — and a collective sense of having been spared the worst of the storm’s wrath.
Judy and Greg Harvey, out-of-towners from Philadelphia, were surprised by how the locals had taken the storm in stride. The Harveys had driven in from Philadelphia to care for his mother, who was in a hospice that had shut down at 6 p.m. Friday and was keeping visitors out of the facility until noon Saturday. This made for a maddeningly long morning for the couple — “She could be gone, actually,” said Judy Harvey — but a morning allowing for observation of the area’s post-storm reaction.
“No one seems to be too upset at all,” Ms. Harvey said. “They just shut everything down and pull the metal grates across the windows and wait.”
Meanwhile, at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, about 100 children had spent the night in sleeping bags and inflatable beds, arriving with staff members who had to work and parents from the area who wanted a safe place to wait the storm out. A band of doctors in scrubs entertained them with soft rock.
Twelve babies were born during the night. According to a hospital nurse, the parents of two of them were said to be considering the middle name Irene.
In Curritack County, all bridges connecting the mainland to the Outer Banks had been shut down, save for last-minute and emergency traffic, and the main highways were eerily quiet.
On Friday, several business owners along the main thoroughfare had bravely insisted that they would remain open through the storm. But by Saturday morning it appeared that, having woken up to powerful gusts of car-rattling winds and driving rain, these merchants had reconsidered. For example, the spray-painted word “Open” adorned the plywood covering a local 7-Eleven, but the door was locked, and a small sign listed numbers to call in case of emergency.
These were the first on-the-ground manifestations of what most people had experienced only through the multi-colored radar maps that appeared on television, beside meteorologists wearing studied looks of concern. These maps showed a cone-shaped mass of reds, yellows and greens inching north from the Bahamas.
Perhaps the most breathtaking, even humbling, images came from some 200 miles up, via the International Space Station. Photographs taken by astronauts showed what looked like a massive swirl of mashed potatoes straddling the edge of the green plate of the United States.
“If you were to just put it on a map of the United States, it would go from South Florida to Pennsylvania, and from North Carolina to eastern Oklahoma,” Mr. McNoldy said. “It’s big, yeah.”
Kim Severson reported from Wilmington, N.C., Dan Barry from New York and Campbell Robertson from Coinjock, N.C. Brian Stelter contributed reporting from Nags Head, N.C., Shaila Dewan from New York and Eric Lipton from Washington.
Source
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thousands Evacuated After Sewage Plant Fire at Riverbank State Park
July 20, 2011 5:49pm
A massive fire at the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant at 725 W. 135th St. forced the evacuation of Riverbank State Park and closed a portion of the West Side Highway. (phlpp7r/Twitter)
A massive fire at the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant at 725 W. 135th St. forced the evacuation of Riverbank State Park and closed a portion of the West Side Highway. (phlpp7r/Twitter)
click to see all pictures (9 photos) go to article
By Jeff Mays, Kareem Johnson and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — Thousands of people were evacuated from a packed Harlem park Wednesday afternoon after an explosion triggered a roaring fire at a sewage treatment plant that spewed a 30-foot plume of fire into the air, officials said.
The ferocious four-alarm blaze, which also snarled traffic on the West Side Highway, broke out in the engine room of the city's North River Wastewater Treatment plant, at 725 W. 135th St., at 11:46 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
"There was heavy fire, heavy smoke," said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Joseph Woznica. The cause of the fire, which raged for hours, was not immediately clear, but Woznica said that pressurized fuel helped spark a "30-foot plume of fire."
Riverbank State Park, which sits on top of the plant, was evacuated as a precaution, according to the New York State Parks Department. And the West Side Highway was also temporarily shut between 125th Street and 153rd Street, NY1 said.
Rachel Gordon, the regional director for the Parks Department, said that several thousand people were inside Riverbank Park at the time, including the elderly and kids going to camp.
"There was overwhelming black smoke," she said. "It was quite intense."
But workers sprang into action, combing through the park to usher everyone to safety.
Plant employees said that they heard what sounded like an explosion, followed by an alarm telling them to evacuate.
"There was a lot of smoke," said one, who did not want to give his name. "We smelled it. It was really thick smoke. We couldn't see through it."
Several workers told DNAinfo that they had been having problems with one of the engines on Tuesday.
Parkgoer Jonathan Williams, 36, a contractor, was swimming in the park's pool at the time when he smelled smoke.
"I was in the pool and then this black smoke started coming out," said the contractor, who had to leave his clothes behind in the rush to evacuate. "I stepped out because I take [asthma] medicine and didn’t want to get sick.
"[The smoke] was high up in the air and it smelled terrible."
And Patricia Vitucci, who works in PR, said that she had just stepped out of the park's cultural center, near West 145th Street, when she saw smoke.
“We heard the fire alarm in the park and then we heard it on the radio," she said. "When I came out, I saw black smoke billowing."
"It was in the air and spreading. It smelled like something chemical."
VItucci said that there's been concern in the community about Riverbank Park's proximity to the plant.
"It’s a concern with the plant here because sometimes the smoke stacks smell and you don’t know what’s going on," she said.
Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, the FDNY said.
DEP Commissioner Cas Holloway said that the plant was taken offline until repairs could be made. In the meantime, sewage would collect there until it could be processed.
"The plant has [5 to 7] hours storage capacity," he said. "We're not bypassing the intake to the plant."
But in the event that the capacity is reached, raw sewage could flow directly into the Hudson.
"At this time we don't expect any impact ot businesses or homes," he said.
The North River plant was first proposed in 1914, but the Harlem location was not chosen until 1962, according to the city Department of Environmental Protection's website.
The 26-acre facility started preliminary treatment of waste water in 1986, stopping the daily flow of raw sewage into the Hudson for the first time, according to DEP.
The $100 million Riverbank Park, which has an Olympic-size pool, a skating rink, cultural center, 2,500-seat athletic complex and a restaurant, was a key part Harlem's agreement with the city in accepting the controversial plant. Several other neighborhoods fought against locating it in their areas.
In the wake of the 2003 blackout, investigators reportedly found that a lack of working generators at the plant posed the risk for a "catastrophic explosion." The generators powered a flame that burned methane gas produced there.
At the time, the DEP denied that there was a danger.
Peggy Shepard, the executive director of the Upper Manhattan advocacy group WE ACT for Environmental Justice, sued the city in 1992 to try to stop the plant.
"We've been concerned all along about maintenance at the North River property because its operation depends on strong maintenance and a well educated staff," she said.
Source: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110720/harlem/twoalarm-fire-breaks-out-at-wastewater-treatment-plant#ixzz1SsD4ncGC
By Jeff Mays, Kareem Johnson and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — Thousands of people were evacuated from a packed Harlem park Wednesday afternoon after an explosion triggered a roaring fire at a sewage treatment plant that spewed a 30-foot plume of fire into the air, officials said.
The ferocious four-alarm blaze, which also snarled traffic on the West Side Highway, broke out in the engine room of the city's North River Wastewater Treatment plant, at 725 W. 135th St., at 11:46 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
"There was heavy fire, heavy smoke," said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Joseph Woznica. The cause of the fire, which raged for hours, was not immediately clear, but Woznica said that pressurized fuel helped spark a "30-foot plume of fire."
Riverbank State Park, which sits on top of the plant, was evacuated as a precaution, according to the New York State Parks Department. And the West Side Highway was also temporarily shut between 125th Street and 153rd Street, NY1 said.
Rachel Gordon, the regional director for the Parks Department, said that several thousand people were inside Riverbank Park at the time, including the elderly and kids going to camp.
"There was overwhelming black smoke," she said. "It was quite intense."
But workers sprang into action, combing through the park to usher everyone to safety.
Plant employees said that they heard what sounded like an explosion, followed by an alarm telling them to evacuate.
"There was a lot of smoke," said one, who did not want to give his name. "We smelled it. It was really thick smoke. We couldn't see through it."
Several workers told DNAinfo that they had been having problems with one of the engines on Tuesday.
Parkgoer Jonathan Williams, 36, a contractor, was swimming in the park's pool at the time when he smelled smoke.
"I was in the pool and then this black smoke started coming out," said the contractor, who had to leave his clothes behind in the rush to evacuate. "I stepped out because I take [asthma] medicine and didn’t want to get sick.
"[The smoke] was high up in the air and it smelled terrible."
And Patricia Vitucci, who works in PR, said that she had just stepped out of the park's cultural center, near West 145th Street, when she saw smoke.
“We heard the fire alarm in the park and then we heard it on the radio," she said. "When I came out, I saw black smoke billowing."
"It was in the air and spreading. It smelled like something chemical."
VItucci said that there's been concern in the community about Riverbank Park's proximity to the plant.
"It’s a concern with the plant here because sometimes the smoke stacks smell and you don’t know what’s going on," she said.
Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, the FDNY said.
DEP Commissioner Cas Holloway said that the plant was taken offline until repairs could be made. In the meantime, sewage would collect there until it could be processed.
"The plant has [5 to 7] hours storage capacity," he said. "We're not bypassing the intake to the plant."
But in the event that the capacity is reached, raw sewage could flow directly into the Hudson.
"At this time we don't expect any impact ot businesses or homes," he said.
The North River plant was first proposed in 1914, but the Harlem location was not chosen until 1962, according to the city Department of Environmental Protection's website.
The 26-acre facility started preliminary treatment of waste water in 1986, stopping the daily flow of raw sewage into the Hudson for the first time, according to DEP.
The $100 million Riverbank Park, which has an Olympic-size pool, a skating rink, cultural center, 2,500-seat athletic complex and a restaurant, was a key part Harlem's agreement with the city in accepting the controversial plant. Several other neighborhoods fought against locating it in their areas.
In the wake of the 2003 blackout, investigators reportedly found that a lack of working generators at the plant posed the risk for a "catastrophic explosion." The generators powered a flame that burned methane gas produced there.
At the time, the DEP denied that there was a danger.
Peggy Shepard, the executive director of the Upper Manhattan advocacy group WE ACT for Environmental Justice, sued the city in 1992 to try to stop the plant.
"We've been concerned all along about maintenance at the North River property because its operation depends on strong maintenance and a well educated staff," she said.
Source: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110720/harlem/twoalarm-fire-breaks-out-at-wastewater-treatment-plant#ixzz1SsD4ncGC
.
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Oil spill on Montana's Yellowstone River forces evacuation
A motorist fills up at an Exxon service station in Burke...
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - An undetermined amount of crude oil spilled from an ExxonMobil pipeline into the Yellowstone River in Montana, prompting evacuations of nearby residents on Saturday, authorities said.
The spill that was detected early Saturday came from a crude oil pipeline that runs from Silver Tip to Billings, Montana, the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company said in a statement. The pipe was subsequently shut down and state and federal authorities were alerted, the company said.
Nearby residents in Laurel, Montana, were evacuated in the wee hours of the morning but were able to return to their homes by 6 a.m., said a spokesman for Laurel City Fire and Ambulance.
"Evacuation orders for all of Yellowstone County have been lifted," the emergency services spokesman said.
Exxon said the cause of the rupture was not yet known and it was unclear how much oil had been released.
"We recognize the seriousness of this incident and are working hard to address it," the company said in a statement. "Our principal focus is on protecting the safety and health of the public and our employees."
(Writing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Greg McCune)
Source
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)