NEW YORK | City braces for possible evacuations/effects of Irene

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Looks like it will just be a category 1 by the time it reaches New York. No real threat of bad wind damage at that level, sure some power outages and downed trees but not much more than that. The storm surge will be the biggest threat to New York since much of the area is close to sea level.

The evacutation threat is based on the storm surge, but wind damage is also a real threat. Thunderstorms with strong wind gusts sometimes come through and cause a lot of damage in the area, so even a "weak" hurricane or storm with sustainded winds over 50 mph can cause a lot of damage. I would be very careful about taking this threat too lightly. The New York area doesn't get storms like Irene too often.


Daily News



http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011...ork_as_a_category_1_storm_on_sunday.html

Hurricane Irene expected to hit New York as a Category 1 storm Sunday with 90 mph winds

BY Reuven Blau, Jennifer H. Cunningham and Bill Hutchinson
August 26th 2011

The monster storm is expected to hit New York as a Category 1 storm sometime Sunday, barreling in with 90 mph winds and torrential rains - though some forecasters said it could be a stronger Category 2 storm.

The National Weather Service's latest forecast had the slow-moving but massive storm hitting the city Sunday afternoon, coming ashore as a Category 1 somewhere around the Queens and Nassau County border.

Meteorologist Joe Pollina of the National Weather Service said Irene will be packing winds of 90 mph and could dump over foot of rain on the region. Other forecasters said the hurricane could be a Category 2 storm when it reaches New York, packing dangerous winds between 96 and 110 mph.

On Coney Island, many residents refused to heed warnings or take precautions.

"We'll come out here anyway - we're New Yorkers," crowed Nelson Rolon, 50, of the Bronx, who brought his girlfriend, Tanya Rios, 30, and their daughter, Suehaley, 9, to the beach. "We're like the mailman; no matter what, we're out here."

[NYguy]

http://www.khl.com/magazines/internation...ne-your-tower-crane-for-Hurricane-Irene/

Weather vane your tower crane for Hurricane Irene

Written by Alex Dahm - 26 Aug 2011

Tower crane owners on the US Eastern seaboard are urged to ensure that their cranes are properly set to weather vane safely in light of Hurricane Irene forecast for this weekend (27 and 28 August). Wind is implicated in around a quarter of tower crane accidents, according to crane industry consultant Terry McGettigan.

Tower cranes are less prone to blowing over than one might think by looking at them but it is crucial that one abides by the manufacturer's instructions and uses common sense. Tower cranes are typically designed to withstand a maximum out of service wind speed of at least 100 mph (160 km/h). To do so, however, a crane must be properly "weather vaned", i.e. slew brakes released, trolley left in the inner position and hook raised with no load.

[yankeesfan1000]

Where my fellow evacuation zone B'ers? I really wish I had a decent camera I'm a half block from the Hudson, could get interesting.

I'm ready though. Have a bottle of good whiskey and enough dry food to last me several days. Pretty crazy week, first an earthquake now this.

[Reverberation]

I don't know if this is the case in NYC, but in the 80's we had a storm in Houston absolutely wreck downtown. They later found that most of the damage was caused by the materials that were used to weigh down the building tops. There is going to be tons of broken glass and tons of wrecked billboards. My advice - duct tape across your wondows,move all your electronics into your bathroom, and plan on leaving town after the storm passes (or expect to be camping for a few weeks).

[Reverberation]

Originally Posted by yankeesfan1000

Where my fellow evacuation zone B'ers? I really wish I had a decent camera I'm a half block from the Hudson, could get interesting.

I'm ready though. Have a bottle of good whiskey and enough dry food to last me several days. Pretty crazy week, first an earthquake now this.

The last hurricane I went through was Ike. Rather than get gas, I went to the liquor store. We only had 100 mph winds and the storm missed us. It was 3 days before I could bathe, a week before I could get gas, 10 days without power, 2 weeks living on pringles and gatorade, and well over a month before business was back to normal. Never underestimate how shitty that can be.

[JerseyCowboy]

Here's an update on what they're doing on the site to prepare from the WSJ:

Live Blog: Hurricane Irene
http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2011/08/25/live-blog-hurricane-irene/

They're not worried about flooding on site (although in Battery Park they are), and they're prepping the cranes for the winds, which actually means allowing substantial swaying capabilities and not rigidly securing them. (Much like they do in skyscrapers. Allowing a lot of swaying motion relieves stresses in the structure. The reason why buildings don't sway more is almost entirely due to people feeling uncomfortable with the motion, not for any structural purpose.)

[NYguy]

A big concern right now, even for people in the areas not in evacuation zones (myself included) is the possibility of loss of utilities (water, power, etc.) for days. BTW, bloomberg just issued MANDATORY evacuations for those in zone A...
http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/downloads/pdf/hurricane_map_english.pdf

[NYguy]

NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/27/nyregion/new-york-city-begins-evacuations-before-hurricane.html

N.Y.C. to Shut Mass Transit for Storm


A main route on Long Beach Island, N.J.

By JAMES BARRON
August 26, 2011

With Hurricane Irene pushing relentlessly toward the East Coast, officials made plans to shut down New York City’s sprawling subway and bus system beginning at noon on Saturday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.

Some Atlantic City casinos made plans to stop rolling the dice and turn off the slot machines by 8 p.m. Friday. The naval submarine base in Groton, Conn., sent four submarines out to ride out the storm deep in the Atlantic Ocean. And Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said that all lanes of 28-mile stretch of a major highway in Ocean County would go in only one direction — westward — beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday to help speed the trip away from Long Beach Island.

_____________________________


LA Times

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationno...n-and-braces-for-a-dark-wet-weekend.html
Hurricane Irene: New York battens down for a dark, wet weekend

August 26, 2011

The skies may have been blue and the beaches sunny at midday Friday, but the biggest city in America was bracing for a dark, wet weekend -- and a severe lashing -- if Hurricane Irene heads up the East Coast to New York.

There were tidbits of good news: New Yorkers don't have to feed parking meters this weekend. And people may be hearing from long-lost relatives and friends who reside in coastal areas; the mayor urged them to find temporary quarters even if it meant making a call they wouldn't ordinarily make.

The New York Police Department wasn't taking any chances that not everyone will listen to all the cautionary advice. It was moving about 50 police boats to precincts near the most vulnerable areas in case some New Yorkers get stranded.

[Jeff900]

Floodings are threatening World Trade Center site and all subways stations in New York City.According to CNN,All transportation transit Tomorrow in New York City are gonna be shutted down for an indeterminated time...The subways stations and even all buses services in New York City...
Go to CNN.COM

[NYguy]

Wall Street Journal

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/08/...h-to-secure-cranes/?mod=google_news_blog

At World Trade Center, a Rush to Secure Cranes

By Andrew Grossman
August 26, 2011

At the World Trade Center construction site in Lower Manhattan, crews were readying 10 tower cranes for high winds ahead of Hurricane Irene’s arrival.

“We are not concerned about flood risk,” said Chris Ward, executive director of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site. “We are concerned about high winds, as it relates to the tower cranes in particular.”

The cranes, some of which are being used to build 1 World Trade Center, will be either secured with cables or left to swing free depending on their location, Ward said. The tower is now 90 stories high, on its way to becoming the tallest building in New York City.

[Chase Unperson]

Originally Posted by Alliance

^^^ Those statements are absurd. Thats not an objective measure like cost of damage or lives lost.

I'm pretty enfuriated with this disaster "planning" that Bloomberg is attempting just to save his butt from another blizzard. It seems more like disaster panicking.

It would be the most significant because it happened in NYC.

[NYguy]

http://www.christianpost.com/news/mayor-...n-nyc-before-hurricane-irene-hits-54601/

Mayor Bloomberg Orders Mass Evacuation in NYC Before Hurricane Irene Hits

By Ray Downs
August 26, 2011

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered a mandatory evacuation by 5 p.m. Saturday in the areas of NYC lost likely to be affected by Hurricane Irene, marking the first time the city has ever ordered a mass evacuation.

“If you live in Zone A or any of the Rockaways, you need to move,” the mayor said bluntly at a press conference.

“People should and need to leave,” Bloomberg said, adding that fines and arrests could be enforced to those who disobey the evacuation orders.

_____________________________


http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchto...itigroup-new-york-offices-in-flood-zone/
Goldman Sachs, Citigroup New York Offices in Flood Zone.

By Avi Salzman
August 26, 2011

As if the banking sector didn’t have enough to worry about, some of the biggest banks in New York — particularly those that are still located within spitting distance of Wall Street, are in New York’s Evacuation Zone A. New York City just evacuated that zone, and those offices are at a much higher risk of flooding than other parts of the city that are at higher elevations.

Goldman Sachs’ office at 200 West Street could feel the wrath of Hurricane Irene, the New York Times noted. But the company isn’t detailing its hurricane preparations. Citigroup has offices in Zone A, as do Deutsche Bank and American Express.

__________________________________________


http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/as-irene-approaches-banks-prepare-for-the-worst/
As Irene Approaches, Banks Prepare for the Worst

By KEVIN ROOSE
August 26, 2011

Many of New York’s largest investment banks are headquartered in midtown Manhattan, and thus fall outside the city’s designated flood zones. Bank of America’s 1 Bryant Park skyscraper, Citigroup’s 399 Park Avenue building, Morgan Stanley’s 1585 Broadway bureau, and JPMorgan Chase’s 270 Park Avenue offices are all outside the zones. Credit Suisse’s tower, located a little further south at 11 Madison Avenue, also carries a “no zone” designation.

But the headquarters of Goldman Sachs, located at 200 West Street in Battery Park City, is located in Zone A, the low-lying area that Mayor has ordered to be evacuated. So is American Express’s office in the World Financial Center. Deutsche Bank’s 60 Wall Street headquarters, several blocks away from Goldman, is in Zone B.

Some midtown banks have satellite offices in high-risk zones. The Tribeca office of Citigroup, located near the Hudson River at 388 Greenwich Street, is in Zone A, as is Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, also in the World Financial Center.

____________________________________________


http://gothamist.com/2011/08/26/nyc_starts_mandatory_evacuation_of.php
NYC Starts MANDATORY EVACUATION Of All New Yorkers In Zone A




By Garth Johnston
August 26, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg said the city would start a mandatory evacuation of residents in Zone A areas—this includes Brooklyn's Coney Island and Manhattan Beach, Far Rockaway and Broad Channel in Queens, South Beach, Midland Beach, and other low-lying areas on Staten Island, and Manhattan's Battery Park City (see map below). He admitted, "We've never done a mandatory evacuation before. But this is a serious storm. We need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best," and warned, "This is very serious. Do not be fooled by the sun outside."

Bloomberg said all residents need to be out by 5 p.m. tomorrow (8/27)—"If you can leave today, that would be helpful...At the moment the strongest winds are expected to arrive in the early evening tomorrow. It is expected to be a category 1 storm. The full brunt of the storm—if you are in its way—is a lot more powerful than any of us."

Technically, not heeding the mandatory evacuation order would be a violation of the law that could get you fined and sent to jail. But Bloomberg assured New Yorkers today that "nobody is going to get fined and nobody is going to go to jail, but if they don't evacuate they could die."

[dave8721]

Originally Posted by JerseyCowboy

Here's an update on what they're doing on the site to prepare from the WSJ:

Live Blog: Hurricane Irene
http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2011/08/25/live-blog-hurricane-irene/

They're not worried about flooding on site (although in Battery Park they are), and they're prepping the cranes for the winds, which actually means allowing substantial swaying capabilities and not rigidly securing them. (Much like they do in skyscrapers. Allowing a lot of swaying motion relieves stresses in the structure. The reason why buildings don't sway more is almost entirely due to people feeling uncomfortable with the motion, not for any structural purpose.)

Miami got 2 direct hits from hurricanes, Katrina and Wilma (cat 3 at the time), at the height of its building boom when literally hundreds of cranes dotted its skyline. None of the big tower cranes had an issue (a couple of smaller cranes did have issues fall over and a few were bent). Its actually kind of cool to watch the cranes freely swiveling in the wind.

[urbanactivist]

Originally Posted by Reverberation

The last hurricane I went through was Ike. Rather than get gas, I went to the liquor store. We only had 100 mph winds and the storm missed us. It was 3 days before I could bathe, a week before I could get gas, 10 days without power, 2 weeks living on pringles and gatorade, and well over a month before business was back to normal. Never underestimate how shitty that can be.

Thankfully NYC has buried powerlines... so if the damage is mostly wind related, they can get power restored much more quickly than we endured with Ike.

The true problem in NYC is flooding and storm surge. Their tranist systems are shutting down thankfully b/c they won't be able to handle the water.

And man so many wind tunnels!!! I really hope everyone in the city finds a shelter inside AWAY FROM WINDOWS. Under no circumstances should they be outside when the storm comes through.

[zilfondel]

My suggestion to you guys:

stockpile water and dry food! Stay safe NYC. Hopefully you'll be there on Monday morning.

[kickser]

Do they already evacuate parts like BPC, or the Rockaways?

[CarlosV]

Breaking news!!



I just a call from my building management...we have to evacuate by 5pm tomorrow!! My tower is located on zone A, right on the east river! I am 30 stories up....boooooo


DSC_2300 by Ceva321, on Flickr

[peterprinciple]

New York City Hurricane of 1938
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Pm8ZufRec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDrIJqa6oCM

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by urbanactivist

Thankfully NYC has buried powerlines... so if the damage is mostly wind related, they can get power restored much more quickly than we endured with Ike.

The true problem in NYC is flooding and storm surge. Their tranist systems are shutting down thankfully b/c they won't be able to handle the water.

And man so many wind tunnels!!! I really hope everyone in the city finds a shelter inside AWAY FROM WINDOWS. Under no circumstances should they be outside when the storm comes through.

The problem with buried power lines is that they are harder to repair... And since flooding is a big threat from this storm, that could potentially cause a lot of outages.

[kickser]

I find it strange that LIC is within zone A, while everything above Astoria Park is Zone B and several areas around the east river are even classed as zone C. Is there such an altitude difference?