Sandy has New Yorkers fleeing the city

School closings and evacuating on the East Coast

Sandy, a mixture of hurricane, full moon and frigid wind coming south from the Arctic, is expected to hit New York and New Jersey Monday night or Tuesday morning.
School closings and empty buildings are abundant in the area in preparation for Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast.

Hurricane Sandy, which has caused school closings for 1.1 million students, has a strong force that has caused President Obama to declare emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The President has told the governors and mayors of those states that the federal government will be there to aid in their taking on Hurricane Sandy. Pres. Obama has already authorized federal relief work to begin before the storm has blown through, according to the Associated Press.

“My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape. We are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules,” said Pres. Obama.

Although Hurricane Sandy has not collided with New York just yet, the water in several New York cities has risen into the streets due to the area’s low-lying nature. Authorities say that the water could rise to 11 feat high and swamp lower Manhattan, including subway tunnels, which have been evacuated.

As the time to prepare is ending, citizens of the East Coast have been warned to take action and get out before Hurricane Sandy has its true effects. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated to New Yorkers that not taking action to leave would be putting themselves and those around them in danger.

“If you don’t evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said of Hurricane Sandy, “This is a serious and dangerous storm.”