Hurricane Henri is expected to hit land somewhere near New York’s Long Island or in southern New England „at or near hurricane strength” by Sunday afternoon, according to that the National Hurricane Center. Henri was buffeted by a tropical storm on Saturday as he built up steam over the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds near 120 km / h.
This Category 1 storm, the first hurricane of the season, threatens to hit the northeast with high winds, flooding and dangerous storm surges before it hits land. In the coastal regions of New York and New England, „large and dangerous waves” could accompany storm surges of up to 1.5 meters, the NHS warned. Hurricane conditions are expected to hit parts of Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island by late Saturday or early Sunday.
Forecasts show between three and four inches of rain in southeast New York, northern New Jersey, and New England on Sunday and into Monday, with isolated totals of up to 10 inches expected in these areas.
„Heavy rainfall can cause significant flooding in cities and small rivers, along with the potential for widespread minor to isolated moderate river flooding over parts of Long Island, New England, eastern New York and New Jersey,” the agency said.
Hurricane warnings have been issued to approximately 6 million people across much of Long Island, Block Island, and New Haven, Connecticut, to west of Westport, Massachusetts. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the coastal regions of New York and New Jersey, including New York City. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced conducted a voluntary evacuation from Fire Island, New York, on Saturday, urging residents to go for their own safety. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a similar calling when he stated: Emergency, who warned people living in areas with a history of flooding, to get to safety immediately.
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„If you have to get up, it has to be today,” he said during a televised news program on Saturday.
President Joe Biden held a conference call with federal emergency officers and the governors of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, and New Jersey on Saturday afternoon. On the call, Biden assured leaders that they have „the full support” of the federal government to assist with local emergency response, according to a White House Press release. Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell said the agency is providing more than 700 emergency responders, meals, plans and generators in the area.
„We will see power outages, we will see fallen trees, and even after the storm is over there is still a risk of falling trees and branches,” said Criswell CNN on Saturday.”
And Hurricane Henri could just be the beginning. The Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t peak until September, and the NHS forecast for an active season this year has so far proven correct. So crouch down, people. And stay safe.
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