Mayor Bloomberg orders mandatory evacuation for 375,000 New York City residents

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:31:00 +0000

In a press conference this morning, Mayor Bloomberg issued mandatory evacuations for New York residents who live in evacuation Zone A, which includes coastal areas in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx and Queens, as well as the closing of all public schools on Monday. Bloomberg described Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to hit landfall on the East Coast in the next two days, as "a serious and dangerous storm" and warned that gale-force winds will start as early as this evening. New York City parks and marinas will be closed at 5 p.m. today. The last subway train runs at 7 p.m., and last bus at 9 p.m.

Of Zone A residents who choose not to leave, Bloomberg said, "They're not going to get arrested, but they are being very selfish." For those not in Zone A, Bloomberg said, "The safest place to be is indoors."

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Mayor Bloomberg orders mandatory evacuation for 375,000 New York City residents