To assist the City in preparation for Hurricane Irene, the Brooklyn Borough President's Office has been sending updates to Brooklynites since Wednesday using email, social media, in-person meetings and phone communications. Here is the latest information distributed today:
New York City is under a hurricane watch, with a Category 1 storm expected to impact our area from Saturday night through Sunday night. Rainfall of 5 to 10 inches is expected, with extensive flooding, tidal surges, beach erosion and winds 40 - 80 MPH with gusts approaching 100 MPH.
Residents who live in Hurricane Evacuation Zone A are being strongly advised to evacuate to a location outside the zone today. This would include, but is not limited to, residents who live in parts of Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sea Gate, Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Sunset Park, Red Hook, DUMBO, Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Please visit our website at www.brooklyn-usa.org for a map of the zones and the nearest evacuation centers, or call 3-1-1. As a precaution, hospitals, nursing homes and senior centers in Zone A have already been evacuated.
Subways and buses are running today, but may be shut down entirely tomorrow. For seniors and residents who have disabilities, they should utilize Access a Ride, contact family members or take whatever actions necessary to secure transportation from their homes to stay with friends or relatives, or go to the evacuation centers, which will be open by 4:00 this afternoon.
In areas with Orthodox Jewish populations, officials will be visiting synagogues and going up and down each street with bullhorns to make sure that community receives information once they are no longer able to monitor with electronic devices.
Although evacuations in Zone A are voluntary as of now, the City will make a decision by 8:00 am tomorrow (Saturday) morning on whether to make them mandatory. A decision on mass transit will also be made by that time. Residents should closely monitor forecasts, TV, radio and online news sources for the latest information, and visit
www.nyc.gov or call 3-1-1 for the latest on
Storm Preparations.
Be sure to follow Borough President Markowitz on Twitter @martymarkowitz and become a fan of his Facebook page (
www.facebook.com/martymarkowitz) to receive updates as well.
Any storm-related issues should be directed to 3-1-1 or our Borough Hall Community Service Center at 718-802-3777. Dial 9-1-1 in case of emergency.
