Downtown Brooklyn

Hurricane Sandy Updates, Live-Blog and Resources

October 28, 2012 Heather Chin
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Noon – Public schools will be closed again tomorrow, Wednesday, October 31.

MTA Bus Service will return in a limited capacity by 5 p.m. Full bus service is hoped for by tomorrow (Wednesday).

Some bridges are open: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, Tappan Zee.

Governor Cuomo: This is a long term cleanup effort.

—– Beginning of Day 3: Tuesday, October 30 —–

—– End of Day 2: Monday, October 29 —–

11:15 p.m. – Patient evacuation is underway at NYU Langone Medical Center after the backup generators failed. Patients are being transported to other city hospitals, including Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Mayor Bloomberg stated that emergency rooms will stay open 24 hours in all hospitals, as long as their backup generators are still working.

Lower Manhattan is flooded, subways are under up to 4 ft. of water, and the Hudson and East Rivers have reached past the West Side Highway, Eighth Avenue, and 1st and 2nd Avenues.

8:30 p.m. – The first victim of #Sandy is a man in #Queens who was struck by a falling tree at 166th Street and Lithonia Avenue, according to the FDNY – via @Gothamist.

8.4 foot surge in the Battery, #Sandy made landfall 30 minutes ago just north of Atlantic City, 80 mph winds, ties for some sort of speed records north of Cape Hatteras.

Hudson River has breached the West Side Highway, past 10th Avenue by the High Line.

6:40 p.m. – The Gowanus Canal broke its borders this morning/afternoon, and is now overflowing and flooding Superfund sewage into the neighborhoods of Gowanus and Carroll Gardens.

Via Buzzfeed: “Brooklyn Braces For Toxic Floodwaters

Via Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG.blogspot.com, more photos of flooding in Gowanus and Carroll Gardens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bldgblog/sets/72157631883679981/detail/

6:15 p.m. – From our sister paper, Queens Courier, flight cancellations strand travelers at area airports.

http://queenscourier.com/2012/cancelled-flights-strand-thousands-at-area-airports/

6 p.m. – Kevin Burke, ConED

Significant flooding, will pre-emptively shut down Fulton Network and Bowling Green networks, and perhaps Brighton Beach networks “to reduce likelihood of damage to our equipment and customer’s equipment.”

5:45 p.m. – Bloomberg Press Conference:

Stay inside. “The time for relocation or evacuation is over. Conditions outside are only going to get worse.”

There have been over 1,000 downed trees and flooding calls. Use 3-1-1 for these calls. Use 9-1-1 for emergency calls if you are in trouble.

A jogger near Prospect Park was hit by a falling tree. She is hospitalized and will be okay. Please stay away from trees and outside elements. Surfers have received summonses.

More than 47,000 ConEd customers in NYC have lost power, primarily in Queens and Staten Island. Expected shutdowns in Lower Manhattan and parts of southern Brooklyn.

FDR remains closed. East River bridges will close at 7 p.m., after which only emergency vehicles will be allowed through.

All buildings on West 57th Street and part of West 56th Street between Fifth and Seventh Avenues in Manhattan have been evacuated following the crane collapse from earlier this afternoon.

“The most severe part of the storm is just beginning,” and is moving at 30 mph versus 15mph as before, and is expected to make landfall at or near Atlantic City. Sustained winds of 40-50mph with 70-80mph gusts are expected.

High point of the surge will be highest at around 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. in and around Staten Island.

City agencies will be open tomorrow and city workers are expected to try and get to work because residents “depend on” them.

Public schools, city after-school programs, city parks, and public transportation will remain closed tomorrow, Tuesday, 10/30.

5:15 p.m. – Nearly 259,000 LIPA customers out, 68,000 ConEd customers, and 93,500 PSE&G customers without power.

The Verrazano Bridge will close tonight at 7pm.
The Throgs Neck, Henry Hudson, Bronx-Whitestone, Cross Bay and Marine Parkway Bridge will also close at 7 p.m.

3 p.m. – A construction crane collapsed on West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

Residents of Red Hook are now reportedly being forcibly evacuated from their homes by emergency crews, according to CBS2 News.

Photo courtesy of Barry O' Meara

Here’s a glimpse of the scene on the ground, photo courtesy of Barry O’Meara.

 

1 p.m. – Advice for Brooklyn businessowners in the storm’s path, from Carlo Scissura, president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce:

“I want to especially warn those who live and operate businesses in low-lying areas of Brooklyn — such as Red Hook, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, and Williamsburg — to expect flooding, downed trees, and other storm-related damage. In addition, the Brooklyn office of the NYC Business Solutions Center is open for business on Monday.

NYC Business Solutions can assist you with a full range of business development services.  To find out more about the services that are offered, click here for the NYC Business Solutions Web site, call 3-1-1 and ask for NYC Business Solutions, or in Brooklyn call 718.943.3862.  You also can find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nycbusiness or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nycbussolutions.

Noon – CLOSURES: City public schools will be closed again on Tuesday, 10/30.

The NY Stock Exchange will also remain closed.

The Holland Tunnel and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel have also been closed. The subways and buses are not in service.

Alternate-side parking rules remain suspended through today and Tuesday.

—– Day 2: Start of Monday, October 29 —–

—– End of Day 1: Sunday, October 28 —–

1 p.m. – FYI: Fairway market in Red Hook is PACKED with shoppers. Stock up while you can, but be aware there will be crowds and shortages.
Flood equipment should include bottled water, batteries, flashlights, and non-perishable food.

12:30 p.m. – All city public schools may be closed tomorrow, but city services will stay open, so city workers may still have work.

The NYC Districting Commission’s Tuesday, 10/30 mtg has been rescheduled for 11/5, at 1 p.m. at NY Law School at 185 Broadway.

If you have relatives in Long Island, LIPA says power could go out as early as tonight. Hospitals are taking care of elective surgeries now before the storm hits full force.

Noon – Alternate-side parking regulations will be suspended throughout the city on Monday, 10/29.

All public parks will close at 5 p.m. and any scheduled events for Sunday and Monday are cancelled or postponed.

According to the mayor, surfers are strongly discouraged from going out into the waves as Sandy arrives. Bloomberg said that if found, they may be arrested for endangering the welfare of emergency workers.

11:37 a.m. – NYC public schools are CLOSED tomorrow due to the subway and bus shutdown. Many private and parochial schools will also be closed.

In a statement, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott explained the decision, saying that it was “due to anticipated inclement weather conditions from Hurricane Sandy,” and that “administrative offices will be open.”

“All after-school activities and Public Schools Athletic League events will also be cancelled,” he added, noting that a decision about whether to close schools on Tuesday would be made tomorrow (Monday).

11:35 a.m. – Mayor Michael Bloomberg has issued a mandatory evacuation of areas in NYC categorized under Zone A – low-lying coastal areas that, in Brooklyn, includes Red Hook, Gowanus, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and parts of Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Sheepshead Bay, and Mill Basin.

For a map of NYC flood zones – including locations of evacuation centers – visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/downloads/pdf/hurricane_brochure_english.pdf

11:30 a.m. – BREAKING: The entire Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway system will begin to shut down at 7 p.m., followed by the bus system at 9 p.m. Visit http://alert.mta.info/ for more updates.

 

 

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