New York mayor ordered partial evacuations and close subways and schools

New York City officials on Sunday night ordered evacuations orders for 375,000 people of train, subway and bus service and the closing of schools ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.which is expected to bring strong winds and dangerous flooding to the East Coast, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference

The measures are aimed at keeping residents safe and not endangering the lives of emergency services personnel, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press conference.

The storm is expected to cause massive flooding and widespread power outages when it hits the East Coast, in full, “The storm is still coming and it’s now time to take action,” Cuomo said today at a news conference in Bethpage on Long Island. “We don’t want people up and about. We want people staying in their homes.” meanwhile, announced that the transit system would close down in the city on Sunday evening.

Final trains will depart at 7 p.m. and buses at 9 p.m. Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trains will also make their final departures at 7 p.m., and will cross-honor tickets for each others' passengers , which carries 8.5 million people daily

New York's major airports were preparing to shut down late Sunday and airlines were canceling hundreds of flights in and out of the area. Delta, for example, has canceled all flights out of New York and Philadelphia, starting at 7 p.m. Sunday, while flights from Washington to Boston will stop Monday morning. United Airlines canceled approximately 3,700 flights between Sunday and Wednesday.

"Hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the coast between Chincoteague, Virginia, and Chatham, Massachusetts. This includes the middle and upper Chesapeake Bay ... Delaware Bay ... and the coasts of the northern Delmarva Peninsula ... New Jersey ... The New York City area ... Long Island ... Connecticut ... and Rhode Island," the NHC said.

The major stock exchanges rarely close for trading. The NYSE shut down for Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and trading was closed for four days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Sources :

Foxnews