Hurricane iRene.....

The past few days, I've been getting lots of texts about all the trouble "I'm" causing in the North East this weekend.
Yes, the irony...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be so bad... but better to be safe than sorry.

If you live in the North East, here is some of the latest information about all the public transportation closings, evacuations and what not that you should be aware of for Hurricane iRene.

Everyone~ stay safe!
Those iRene's are nothing but trouble!!!  ;)

Storm Coverage

ALERTS Hurricane Irene: Regional Impacts for Northeast    Updated: Aug 27, 2011, 2:45 a.m. ET
NYC Evacs Ordered Mayor Bloomberg orders evacuations from the city to begin.

Irene: Other Affected Areas
•Mid-Atlantic
•North Carolina
•New England

Hurricane Irene is slowly moving its way up the coast, poised to slam into the Northeast region beginning Saturday evening and promising to deliver a destructive combination of storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rain. Areas inland, including all of New Jersey and Connecticut and areas of the Hudson Valley will feel the impacts of this destructive storm as well.

Hurricane warnings now include New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and southern Connecticut.


With New York City expecting damaging winds, particularly strong around the city's skyscrapers, Mayor Bloomberg has ordered evacuations to begin in parts of the city. Also, the city is preparing for Irene with planned shutdowns of mass transit beginning on Saturday. Transportation will be disrupted. Urban and coastal flooding is also of utmost concern.

Both New York and New Jersey have declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm. Governor Cuomo urged residents to take stock of their emergency supplies, and assist elderly and disabled neighbors in the case of emergency orders.


Prepare:
Check and make sure you have everything you need to take with you in the event of an evacuation. Also, be sure you have cash, batteries, water and all valuables nearby in case you are strandeddue to flooding or damage. Check out our preparedness tips as well.


New York
•State of Emergency: President Barack Obama has declared an emergency for New York state in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, which means that the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency can coordinate disaster relief efforts declared for the state ahead of the storm.

•Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano: Had ordered a mandatory evacuation for approximately 300,000 people living for miles along a swath of the southern shore of Long Island by mid-afternoon Friday.

•Port Authority and MTA: Will impose traffic restrictions on the city's bridges when winds hit 40 mph and full shutdowns if/when winds hit 60 mph. Conditions could arise where they would close earlier even without those wind speeds.

•NYC Tunnels: Will close on a case-by-case basis depending on flooding conditions. No plans to preemptively close any of the city's tunnels.

•Port Authority: Has announced that it will close its five airports -- John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, Stewart International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports -- to all arriving passenger international and domestic flights beginning at noon Saturday, August 27. The five airports will remain open for departing flights pending further updates. The Port Authority is taking this measure to avoid stranding passengers at its airports when the region's mass transit systems suspend service tomorrow due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene.

•Weekend Departures Cancelled: Many weekend departures already have been cancelled at all of the airports, so travelers are urged to contact their carriers prior to leaving for the airport.

•JFK: Due to MTA closures in NYC, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is closing JFK to arrivals at 12pm Saturday out of concern for international passengers who will not have a way to get into the city. Accordingly, this is forcing many flight cancellations on Saturday afternoon/evening. Limited departures are expected to continue at JFK through 1am Sunday.


•Evacuations on Long Island: Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for the following areas: south of Sunrise between Queens and Rockville Centre, south of Merrick Road from Rockville Centre to Nassau-Suffolk border, and in low lying areas of north shore. About a quarter million people to be affected.

•Evacuation Centers and Emergency Shelters: Now open for those who need shelter.

•Closed to International Flights: The Port Authority will close John F. Kennedy International Airport to incoming international flights beginning at noon tomorrow

•Tolls Suspended: Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced he will suspend some fares and tolls to help ease the evacuation of low-lying areas. Tolls are now suspended Friday at the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Memorial Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge.

•Airline Cancellations: The most impacted airports tomorrow in terms of cancellations related to Irene are Newark Liberty Intl (KEWR) with 414 cancellations, John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK) with 178 cancellations and LaGuardia (KLGA) with 157 cancellations. Airlines have already cancelled 2,412 flights in the US tomorrow, and 4,445 on Sunday. These numbers are expected to climb.

•Baseball: The Mets announced on Friday that their afternoon contests against the Braves on Saturday and Sunday have been rescheduled as a single-admission doubleheader to be played at 4:10 p.m. on Sept. 8.

•Broadway Cancels: The show will not go on on Broadway. All 23 Broadway musical and plays have been canceled for Saturday and Sunday.

•Public Transportation: The governor says New York City's public transit will halt around noon Saturday because of the hurricane.

•New York City Mayor's Office: All City beaches will close on Friday at 6pm and remain closed Saturday and Sunday.

•Hospital Patient Transfers: Health care facilities located in what is identified as Hurricane Evacuation Zone A are being required to transfer their patients to facilities located outside this zone.Ôš Beth Israel Petrie, Roosevelt and St. Luke's are all beginning to receive transfer patients from NYU Friday afternoon.

•Brooklyn: 250 patients already have been transferred from Coney Island Hospital and will remain closed for the duration of the emergency.

•Bridges: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said that a half dozen bridges — including the George Washington Bridge, the Robert F. Kennedy Triboro Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Whitestone Bridge — would be closed if winds reached 60 miles an hour for more than a short time.

•New York City Evacuation Zones

•State Level Emergency Responders: Agencies and local governments around the state will meet today to plan coordinated response efforts, such as emergency operations support and field staff deployments to areas that are expected to be hit the hardest

•State Level Emergency Responders: Agencies and local governments around the state will meet today to plan coordinated response efforts, such as emergency operations support and field staff deployments to areas that are expected to be hit the hardest

•Getting Prepared: Cuomo urged New Yorkers to take stock of their emergency supplies, such as water, non-perishable food, radios, batteries, supplies for any pets, and first aid kits

•The Governor: Encouraged New Yorkers to check in with neighbors, especially the elderly or disabled, who might need assistance to ensure that their needs are met if emergency instructions are issued

•26 Tower Cranes: Tower cranes located in the city (13 of those at the World Trade Center construction site) do not disassemble quickly and may not be able to be taken down in time for the storm. They are only built to withstand winds of 65 mph or less.

•Underground Bunker: The state's Office of Emergency Management has increased staffing in its underground bunker




New Jersey
•State of Emergency: Declared for the state ahead of the storm.

•Mandatory Evacuations: Ordered for nearly 1 million visitors and residents of Cape May County, coastal Atlantic County and Long Beach Island.

•Police Chief Falco: Ordering that licensed alcohol establishments in Hoboken stop serving alcohol by 8pm on Saturday, August 27. Driving of personal vehicles, including taxis will also be prohibited after 8pm.

•Hoboken: The City has declared a state of emergency.

•Evacuation: Residents are reminded to evacuate Hoboken as soon as possible and not underestimate Hurricane Irene. Flooding can be very widespread and severe.

•Shelter Opening: For those who are unable to leave, a shelter will be available at the Wallace School at 1100 Willow Avenue at 9am on Saturday. Residents should bring blankets, pillows and sleeping bags. Designated bus pickup locations will be at 3rd and Jackson, 1st and Bloomfield, 5th and Willow, and 12th and Hudson. Buses will pick up residents at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm and transport them to the Wallace School.

•Jets vs. Giants: NFL preseason game, originally scheduled for Saturday night at the Meadowlands, has been postponed until Monday.

•PGA Tour: Barclays tournament at Plainfield Country Club in Edison will be reduced to 54 holes, ending on Saturday.

•Governor Chris Christie 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, which is connected to the mainland by only a single bridge.

•State Officials: Preparing to open an emergency operations center


•Gov. Chris Christie: "If I order a mandatory evacuation, you better leave. If it turns out to be less, we should thank our lucky stars."

•State Emergency Management Division: Coordinator Frank Donato said public notices will go out on Thursday urging residents to prepare for flooding, high wind and power outages

•Casinos Close: Atlantic City casinos shutting down for only the third time since gambling was legalized 33 years ago

•New Jersey Transit: All rail service will be suspended as of at 12 p.m. on Saturday.





Connecticut
•Presidential Request: The governor has asked President Obama to declare a pre-landfall emergency in Connecticut

•Likely Power Outages: Officials warned Irene was likely to cause prolonged power outages and flooding in low-lying areas along the shoreline.

•Requested Evacuation: Governor urged anyone living in areas that have flooded in the past to seek shelter elsewhere.

•Governor Dannel P. Malloy: The state is using all emergency personnel available. Police, fire, "in effect we are activating are military and National Guard as been reported."

•Naval Submarine Base: Groton, Conn., sent four submarines out to ride out the storm deep in the Atlantic Ocean.

•State Level Emergency Responders: Preparation for an emergency is necessary for all residents in the event of a worst-case scenario.



 
So, if you are in the East Coast, make sure you have all the emergency essentials you need.
Stock up on water and food.
Be careful and Be Safe!
 
 
 

*~ Have a Beautiful Day ~*