News: Hurricane Irene on East Coast
(Long Island, N.Y.) The approaching Category Two Hurricane has caused the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut to declare a state of emergency. Residents everywhere have been duct taping windows and purchasing canned goods. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations have been issued all across the eastern seaboard and coastal states.
National officials and state authorities have strongly suggested that residents prepare for at least three days without outside help once the storm hits. Thousands of Army National Guardsmen have been placed on standby. Reports stated that the National Guard’s high-axle vehicles will be used to navigate flooded areas in addition to cargo planes and helicopters.
Sources also claimed that the 106th Rescue Wing of the Air National Guard, located in Westhampton Beach, has moved six Blackhawks and four C-130 aircrafts. Those planes are employed for search and rescue missions, and have been moved out of the storm’s path to be used for Hurricane Irene’s aftermath. Severe weather predictions have caused Atlantic City businesses to shut down their casinos as hundreds scatter from New Jersey’s shore.
All over the tri-state area residents are flocking to gas stations to fill their tanks to prepare for possible evacuations. It’s likely that Hurricane Irene, which may cost billions of dollars in damages, will alter the prices of crude oil. Major roadways going in and out of the tri-state area have been filled with vehicles traveling westward and away from the city.
Some reports stated that naval submarines in Connecticut sent four of their submarines to deeper waters in the Atlantic for the onslaught of the hurricane. In New Jersey’s Ocean County all lanes over a twenty-eight mile highway will only be used to travel westward. This has been issued as of six this evening to ensure a speedier exit from the popular Long Beach Island vacation spot.
The Martin Luther King dedication scheduled to be held in Washington D.C. has been postponed. Hundreds of thousands of people planning on attending the event have been inconvenienced, as the memorial structure was dissembled to prepare for the storm. Nonetheless, some residents maintained that doing anything but locking doors is unnecessary under these conditions.
It will be interesting to determine which businesses will remain open during the high winds and heavy rains. Part of the dilemma that has been presented to Long Islanders is whether they should follow the early warnings and leave while they are still able. Traffic is a great concern to residents living in the populated areas of the cities and suburbs. In many areas of Long Island there has been a hunt to purchase water in preparation for the storm.
