The New York City view of Hurricane Irene

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s evacuation plans were put in place for low-lying areas of New York City. The evacuation areas were called “Zone A” and included Coney Island in Brooklyn, parts of the Raceways in Queens, the Staten Island coast and Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan. 

A total of 370,000 New York City residents evacuated. Many evacuees went to stay with friends or family or hotels outside the danger zone.  The city also provided hurricane shelters throughout the five boroughs.

Mass transit, including subways and buses, were shut down throughout the city for more than 24 hours. 

“We hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst," said during one of his press conferences.

Both New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared states of emergency as Irene as it battered the Bahamas and continued moving toward the United States. President Obama said Irene had the makings of an "historic hurricane."

Tropical storm Irene formed on the coast of Bahamas and proceeded towards the United States. Irene accumulated power as it got closer to the United States. At one point, Irene had become a Category 3 hurricane. Irene was massive. The diameter of the storm according to NASA satellites was almost one-third the length of the whole U.S. Atlantic coast line measuring up to 700 miles wide.

As a resident of “Zone A,” I also prepared for the worst.  My parents and I packed up and took a taxi to a hotel in “Zone B” a less vulnerable part of the city.  My friend Olivia, 14 years old,  was at the same hotel as me. Olivia was with her parents and her little dog named Gracie.  I did not know what to expect from this weather event, but, It was good to spend time with friends and family during the storm.

Fortunately, by the time Irene hit New York City, it was no longer a catastrophic storm and it was downgraded to a tropical storm. 

The storm surge from the Hudson River, however, flooded parts of Manhattan, including Zones A and B. A storm surge is the rise of water that occurs as the result of a storm. Flooding in the city was about a foot deep.  

The Holland Tunnel, a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan with New Jersey, was closed due to flooding. Irene caused water and wind damage in New York and hundreds of thousands of people were without power.  Furthermore, the storm killed at least 15 people as it swept up the East Coast over the weekend.

—Kid Reporter Cecila Gault

Photo: A bike on the streets of New York is partially submerged by flood waters caused by Hurricane Irene. (Courtesy Cecilia Gault) 

Comments

[Chris]

This was are very big Hurricane. I felt its wrath.

[Sara]

WOW I can not believe what happened there thats sad cant believe it

[a]

I'm glad this was only a tropical storm.

[C]

The way this storm was before it hit was horrible. You guys were kinda lucky.But I understand the horrible things that happened I hope evryone is ok.

[e]

That was sad that 15 people died,but it must have been bad at category 3 hurricane.I hope everyone is ok.

[l]

I hope everybody finds a safe home to live in
.

[L]

OMG I can't belive how many people had to evacuate from New York City. I sure hope they get a little help from the Government to repair some of their stuff.

[J]

Wow I can believe it must be so scary to be there. I hope the peoeple will be ok.

[D]

Did you have any family or friends over when hurricane Irene hit?

[S]

That must have been terrible and caused lots of damage.I hope everyone is okay and can recover from the damage.

[c]

This makes me grimace to know how all the people were affected by this tragic storm.

[j]

I feel bad for people who live in New York city.I hope they get their home back.

[a]

I feel bad for the people that were there.

[sam]

I hope most people evacuated safely.

[G]

I hope that happens again, good luck!

[h]

I hope everyone was evacuated before the storm came.

[M]

Wow,that was bad. I hope every one is ok.

[s]

i hope that the in new york are safe and that they have some where to live

[d]

I had a relative in that storm. I was worried.

[d]

I had a relative in that storm.I was worried.

[E]

I feel so sad for the people on the east because the flood caused damage for those people.

[M]

The storm you had was bad.I hope you have food left to eat

[KR: Charlie Kadado]

Wow! How is the clean up process going, Cecila?