Here in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg has ordered the mandatory evacuation of approximately 370,000 people from low-lying coastal areas (so-called "Zone A" areas, marked in orange on the map above, along with all of the Rockaways) before 5:00 p.m. today. See the NYT here for more details. Subways and the airports will be shutting down at noon. Evacuation centers have been open in designated schools, gyms and community centers since last night. Most other businesses city-wide will shut down at noon today along with public transportation.
I live close to, but not in, Zone A. My particular block is not subject to mandatory or recommended evacuation. I walked this morning for about an hour through Zones A (orange) and B (yellow) in Lower Manhattan. Almost all restaurants and shops -- other than grocery stores -- are closed in Zone A. In Zone B, I saw open two restaurants and no stores other than grocery stores and corner markets. Judging solely by foot traffic and lights on in apartments, it appears that evacuation-notice compliance is high in Lower Manhattan. A residential facility for seniors in my neighborhood is completely dark.
From talking to friends and neighbors, my sense is that for many residents, the memories of September 11 are too fresh to have to be told twice to leave. Even so, there are plenty of people still occupying their employment posts in the neighborhood -- hi-rise building staff, maintenance workers, garage attendants, grocery store clerks. Depending on the specifics, they may not have the option to leave.
For now, we wait. In the meantime, I give high marks to the Mayor for clarity and communication. Regular press releases, news conferences, television appearances have included clear instructions about when and how to evacuate, an emphasis on assembling an emergency kit in case one must leave home quickly, and requests for everyone to check on neighbors, especially senior citizens and others with special needs.
A tip for anyone traveling in the path of the storm this weekend. Remember Greyhound. If you need to get out of or through the NYC or other hurricane impacted areas, that may be the only thing running. Cancellations in train service meant that my daughter nearly ended up on a train that would have stopped in NYC, rather than continuing to Boston, leaving her in the city without a way out, and without local public transit. I was able to find a seat for her on one of the last planes out of DC (and Delta had not jacked the fare up, which was nice), but in the course of looking for back-up plans, it was clear that train travel will be hard to book for the days after the storm (Amtrak sold out along Northeast corridor), airfare is at least double the price and it may be hard to get a seat, but as far as I could tell, Greyhound will be open for business with available seats sooner. And they can drive around any obstacles, while of course the train cannot.
Best of luck to all!
Posted by: Mary Dudziak | August 27, 2011 at 12:29 PM
Stay safe and dry, Bridget! Things are a bit tense here in Philadelphia, but much less than other places. (I'm cautiously optimistic.) I'm mostly worried for the horses at the stable where my wife rides on Staten Island, not far from the S.E. shore- I don't see how they could all be evacuated, or know what they will do.
Posted by: Matt | August 27, 2011 at 02:47 PM
Best of luck to Bridgett and all in NYC!
Posted by: John Kang | August 27, 2011 at 04:54 PM