Hurricane Henry hits the east coast of the United States: 6 million residents told to take the storm seriously, windows covered with wood

New York and other states in the eastern US such as Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are expected to be particularly affected by the severe weather. The tropical storm brings winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour. Henri is expected to land near Long Island (New York) or in New England (in the far northeastern United States) on Sunday around noon local time.

Henri will likely cause blackouts, flooding, and other storm damage. In several coastal Connecticut towns, residents have been evacuated as a precaution.

Big concert canceled

On Saturday, residents already felt their first prick. In New York City, a major pop concert in Central Park had to be interrupted due to an approaching storm. Homecoming weekAs Mayor Bill de Blasio called the event, it was a celebration of the end of the lockdown in the capital. But halfway through, it all stopped. Carlos Santana, Andrea Bocelli, and LL Cool J had already finished their concerts, but Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith had yet to perform. 60,000 people had to suddenly leave the park.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who will step down from office on Monday after accusations of sexual assault, warned residents Saturday, also telling New Yorkers to take the hurricane seriously. As a precaution, a state of emergency has been declared, so that coordination is in the hands of the federal level. Certainly no exaggeration, because after a few hours the streets of Manhattan were flooded. The cars seemed to float rather than drive through the streets.

Anyway, the population is well prepared. In Connecticut, the windows are still covered with wood. Sandbags are filled.

Fire Island has already been evacuated

Peak, however, only towards Sunday afternoon Expected local time, in eastern Long Island. On Saturday, all residents of Fire Island, a small strip of villages on Long Island, were evacuated. The National Hurricane Center expects the hurricane to lose strength shortly thereafter.

Kristen Pavies threw a bachelorette party there, according to the Associated Press. “Of course I’m angry because I have to leave here,” she says. “But you can’t control the weather. You’ve been here for a long time and then you get used to these kinds of situations.”

As it appears now, the hurricane appears to be heading west. Which means that New York will be particularly affected. As reporter Bjorn Sowens reported this morning on Radio 1 it’s already raining heavily in the Big Apple.

Federal emergency aid

US President Joe Biden has already promised federal relief to the governors of seven threatened states on the US East Coast. In several coastal Connecticut towns, residents have been evacuated as a precaution.

He also discussed the importance of respecting COVID rules when housing residents. Masks must be worn and distance should be maintained. This is to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

According to CNN, about six million people live in the areas covered by the hurricane warning. For the northeastern United States, such a violent storm has made landfall since 1991.