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发帖数: 3130 | 1 Reuters) - New York City prepared to evacuate coastal areas and rescue
stranded New Yorkers with a fleet of police boats in case the city gets
socked by Hurricane Irene this weekend.
"We hope for the best but we prepare for the worst and that's why I think
this city is ready for this weekend," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters
on Thursday while outlining the city's hurricane preparations.
Irene, now a powerful Category 3 hurricane battering the Bahamas, was
projected to move up the East Coast, possibly hitting New York late Saturday
or Sunday.
Forecasters said Irene would likely weaken as it moved north and could hit
Long Island to the east of New York City as a Category 2 storm.
"At this point the forecast does not indicate the storm will hit New York
City with that strength but we certainly will see its effects here including
tropical storm like conditions such as heavy rains and winds of 60 mph or
more," Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg, who was politically damaged by an insufficient city response to a
blizzard in December, said the city had activated a command center at the
Office of Emergency Management and that all the city's emergency response
agencies had additional staff at the ready.
Police were positioning 50 launches at station houses in low-lying areas and
the police department's Special Operations Division had another 33 boats
plus several helicopters ready to rescue New Yorkers if needed, Bloomberg
said.
Bloomberg was prepared to order mandatory evacuations from low-lying areas
if needed, but "only in the worst of circumstances." He said the city might
need decide on evacuations some time on Friday, depending on the speed and
track of the storm.
City hospitals have tested emergency generators and filled their fuel tanks
while ensuring they have adequate medical supplies in case deliveries were
cut off, Bloomberg said.
Heavy equipment was being moved to high ground and catch basins for storm
water were being cleared of debris ahead of time to prevent flooding,
Bloomberg said.
The city was doubling its outreach for homeless people, to be ready to move
them quickly into shelters, and a city program for homebound elderly would
delivery extra meals, the mayor said |
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