Storm tracker: Hurricane Irene headed for New York, New Jersey

Storm tracker: Hurricane Irene headed for New York, New Jersey
As Hurricane Irene gains speed, it might soon be headed for New York, The Huffington Post reports.

While sources state the storm might pass directly over New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is encouraging residents in low-lying areas to temporarily relocate to higher grounds this weekend. Irene is expected to hit Sunday, and Bloomberg will announce Friday whether inhabitants of “Zone A” will need to evacuate the area.

Crews are currently working to clean catch basins to assist with street drainage, and police boats have been moved to station houses in low-lying areas. Yet, despite such precautionary measures, New York is reportedly unprepared for such an event, as the storm could cause serious alteration to subways and hinder evacuation, the International Business Times said.

NJ. com reported that Hurricane Irene moved through the Bahamas Thursday morning with 115 mile per hour winds, making it approximately 30 miles from New York. The storm is also expected to cause severe alteration to New Jersey, producing torrential rain, hazardous rip currents and beach erosion, stated National Weather Meteorologists Dean Iovino and Michael Gorse.

Irene is also expected to approach the North Carolina coast within the next couple of days.

source: http://www.nocommentnews.com/255/storm-tracker-hurricane-irene-headed-for-new-york-new-jersey