NYC to suspend transit in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy
Posted Oct 28, 2012 7:38 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW YORK CITY, NY (NEWS1130) – The predictions are growing grim as Hurricane Sandy approaches, with strong winds, heavy rain and storm surges expected to batter New York.
In anticipation of the storm, New York City has decided it will suspend all public transit beginning at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT today. Meanwhile, Atlantic City casinos have been ordered to close this afternoon.
In Ontario, forecasters believe we may see significant rain in the southern and eastern sections of the province, ranging from 50-100 mm.
Ontario is also expected to deal with high winds, which will likely fall short of hurricane force but still could reach speeds of up to 80 km/h.
Quebec and the Maritimes are also likely to see harsh winds and rain, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
In response to the storm, Pearson Airport and Billy Bishop Airport have issued travel-advisories warning of travel to the US Northeast, especially between Monday and Wednesday.
Sandy has already killed more than 40 people in the Caribbean, wrecking homes and knocking down trees and power lines. Forecasters south of the border are warning the storm may cause serious damage and threaten lives along the US eastern seaboard.
Expected to be worst hit are New York and New Jersey, with some fearing the New York City subway system, the largest transit system in the world, may need to be shut down.
“Lower Manhattan is the most vulnerable place to a storm surge, we’re closing public transit should the need arise,” said Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
The city closed the subway before Hurricane Irene last year, after a Columbia University study predicted that a surge just one-foot higher would have paralyzed Lower Manhattan.
The storm system is one of the largest systems ever seen in the Atlantic Basin.
