As Hurricane Irene heads towards New York City, it is critically important that all New Yorkers begin preparations immediately. 

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s office is committed to helping the City’s thorough preparation efforts in any way we can.  If Irene stays on course up the East Coast, it would be the first hurricane to hit New York City directly since 1903 and could force the evacuation of 250,000 residents.  Based on current forecast models, tropical storm or hurricane conditions are expected to begin late Saturday or early Sunday.

Yesterday, Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York and Mayor Bloomberg ordered the evacuation of nursing homes and senior centers in low-lying areas.  The Mayor said he would decide by 8 a.m. on Saturday whether to order a “general evacuation” of the low-lying areas like Coney Island in Brooklyn, Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan and parts of Staten Island and the Rockaways in Queens (click here for a full map).

Take a minute to look through the resources that the New York City Office of Emergency Management has provided to help New Yorkers prepare for the storm.

Here are 6 things that you can do immediately to prepare:

1. Find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation zone
2. Download “Ready New York: Hurricanes and New York City “ available in 11 languages
3. Have a “Go Bag” ready in case of evacuation (click here for details)
4. Prepare an Emergency Supply Kit for your home (click here for details)
5. Download and print a map of the NYC hurricane evacuation zones (pdf)
6. Make a plan with your family in case you need to evacuate or need to meet up somewhere

Please be aware that the MTA may be forced suspend subway and bus services throughout the city if sustained winds hit 39 miles per hour. As a result, it is extremely important that you begin planning immediately if you live in an evacuation zone. 

If you and your family are safe and would like to help by keeping an eye out for the needs of your neighbors and your community, click here to sign up as part of our volunteer Storm Watch team.  We will also be posting updates from the National Weather Service on the anticipated impact of Irene on New York and alerts from the Office of Emergency Management on the Public Advocate’s facebook page and on twitter.

Be prepared and stay safe.
NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio